Antoni Wit - Symphonies 1 & 2 - BLU-RAY AUDIO

Szymanowski' Symphony No. 3 'ong of the Night' creates a potent atmosphere of Persian mysticism in it's rich blend of voices and exotic orchestration. His Symphony No. 4 is largely extrovert in character and has a prominent role for piano. Symphonies Nos.

With it's enormous vocal, choral and orchestral forces, Mahler' Eighth Symphony, later to be dubbed 'ymphony of a Thousand', is one of the largest and longest symphonies in the active repertoire. Part One, inspired by the Whitsuntide Vesper hymn.

the Piano Quintet does full justice to the densely packed chords and widely spaced spread of sound which Weinberg avowedly learnt from his mentor Shostakovich. It is engaging, expertly written and played with great address by the composer himself... To survive so much terror and retain such creative energy compels admiration. The Quintet may seem more rewarding for the surprising range of invention (eg. Wild Irish fiddle). The performance is admirable. ... Shostakovich declared how impressed he was with the Violin Concerto 'splendidly interpreted by the violinist-Communist L. Kogan' (a tart reference to Kogan's politics. ) This must be an authoritative performance... Kogan deals magnificently with a violin part that is seldom silent... Not surprisingly, Rhapsody on Moldavian Themes carries suggestions of the Enescu of the Romanian Rhapsodies. It receives a splendidly vigorous performance by Oistrakh (Gramophone)