Stanley Weiner was born in 1925 in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. He showed precocious musical aptitude, and appeared as violin soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, D.C. at the age of eight. At twenty-two he was appointed concertmaster of the New York City Symphony under the direction of Leonard Bernstein. After a similar appointment with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Stanley Weiner left for Europe in 1953 in order to devote himself completely to his careers as violin soloist and composer. He has performed his own Concerto No. 1 for Violin with orchestras in Belgium. Romania and Norway as well as with the Chicago, Baltimore and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestras in the United States. He was invited by Yehudi Menuhin to perform his Concerto da Camera for Violin and String Orchestra at the Gstaad Festival in 1969. In September of 1970 his Concerto for Two Violins and Orchestra was performed by Yehudi Menuhin and the composer at the Windsor Festival in England. Mr. Menuhin has written: "Stanley Weiner is not only a brilliant violinist but a very gifted composer-one of the rare phenomenons in our days. It recalls the great traditions of the violin-composers as they existed in Italy in the 18th century, and more recently in the great figures of Vieuxtemps, Wieniawski, Ysave and Kreisler." Unlike Paganini, Stanley Weiner has composed concertos for instruments other than the violin (flute, oboe, bassoon, horn) and is the author of a symphony and a concerto for string orchestra and much chamber music. For two solo instruments he has composed four sonatas for violin and piano, two duo concertants for two violins and for violin and cello. a Latin-American suite for violin and piano, a serenade for flute and piano, and a suite for bassoon and piano. Among his works for unaccompanied instruments are sonatas for violin, viola, cello, fluto, clarinet bassoon, piano and guitar. The Caprices for Solo Violin in Homage to Violinists were composed between 1957 and 1960. Thirteen were completed and seven were selected for publication in 1962 by Schott of London. The present recording includes these seven and two unpublished ones as well. Each is dedicated to a particular violinist and contains some allusions to his personal characteristics. The seven published caprices are dedicated to Yehudi Menuhin, Joseph Szigeti, Nathan Milstein, Arthur Grumiaux, Henryk Szeryng, Louis Persinger and Isaac Stern. These are followed by the unpublished ones to Ivan Galamian and Zino Francescatti. Since Paganini's time there has been a dearth of unaccompanied violin music in short form. Weiner wanted to fill this gap, He points out that nothing comparable to the short pieces for piano by such composers as Chopin. Schumann, Liszt, Debussy and Ravel has been written for the solo violin. Hindemith, Bartók, Ysaye. Prokofiev, Honegger and Reger have written solo violin sonatas. Therefore the Caprices in Homage to Violinists should prove especially welcome additions to the violin repertory.
00:00 - To YEHUDI MENUHIN-Un poco lento e rubato 03:20 - To JOSEPH SZIGETI-Un poco lento 05:44 - To NATHAN MILSTEIN-Scherzando 07:30 - To ARTHUR GRUMIAUX 08:51 - To HENRYK SZERYNG-Allegro con fuoco 11:40 - To LOUIS PERSINGER-Un poco lento 14:36 - To ISAAC STERN-Molto vivace 16:52 - To IVAN GALAMIAN 18:13 - To ZINO FRANCESCATTI
amazing...a genius
Stanley Weiner was born in 1925 in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. He showed precocious musical aptitude, and appeared as violin soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, D.C. at the age of eight. At twenty-two he was appointed concertmaster of the New York City Symphony under the direction of Leonard Bernstein. After a similar appointment with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Stanley Weiner left for Europe in 1953 in order to devote himself completely to his careers as violin soloist and composer. He has performed his own Concerto No. 1 for Violin with orchestras in Belgium. Romania and Norway as well as with the Chicago, Baltimore and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestras in the United States. He was invited by Yehudi Menuhin to perform his Concerto da Camera for Violin and String Orchestra at the Gstaad Festival in 1969. In September of 1970 his Concerto for Two Violins and Orchestra was performed by Yehudi Menuhin and the composer at the Windsor Festival in England. Mr. Menuhin has written: "Stanley Weiner is not only a brilliant violinist but a very gifted composer-one of the rare phenomenons in our days. It recalls the great traditions of the violin-composers as they existed in Italy in the 18th century, and more recently in the great figures of Vieuxtemps, Wieniawski, Ysave and Kreisler."
Unlike Paganini, Stanley Weiner has composed concertos for instruments other than the violin (flute, oboe, bassoon, horn) and is the author of a symphony and a concerto for string orchestra and much chamber music. For two solo instruments he has composed four sonatas for violin and piano, two duo concertants for two violins and for violin and cello.
a Latin-American suite for violin and piano, a serenade for flute and piano, and a suite for bassoon and piano. Among his works for unaccompanied instruments are sonatas for violin, viola, cello, fluto, clarinet bassoon, piano and guitar.
The Caprices for Solo Violin in Homage to Violinists were composed between 1957 and 1960. Thirteen were completed and seven were selected for publication in 1962 by Schott of London. The present recording includes these seven and two unpublished ones as well. Each is dedicated to a particular violinist and contains some allusions to his personal characteristics. The seven published caprices are dedicated to Yehudi Menuhin, Joseph Szigeti, Nathan Milstein, Arthur Grumiaux, Henryk Szeryng, Louis Persinger and Isaac Stern. These are followed by the unpublished ones to Ivan Galamian and Zino Francescatti. Since Paganini's time there has been a dearth of unaccompanied violin music in short form. Weiner wanted to fill this gap, He points out that nothing comparable to the short pieces for piano by such composers as Chopin. Schumann, Liszt, Debussy and Ravel has been written for the solo violin. Hindemith, Bartók, Ysaye. Prokofiev, Honegger and Reger have written solo violin sonatas. Therefore the Caprices in Homage to Violinists should prove especially welcome additions to the violin repertory.
Very nice to find this rare recording by a neglected 20th Century composer and performer. Many thanks for sharing this!
00:00 - To YEHUDI MENUHIN-Un poco lento e rubato
03:20 - To JOSEPH SZIGETI-Un poco lento
05:44 - To NATHAN MILSTEIN-Scherzando
07:30 - To ARTHUR GRUMIAUX
08:51 - To HENRYK SZERYNG-Allegro con fuoco
11:40 - To LOUIS PERSINGER-Un poco lento
14:36 - To ISAAC STERN-Molto vivace
16:52 - To IVAN GALAMIAN
18:13 - To ZINO FRANCESCATTI