This music has themes to which anyone can relate - to survival in the midst of war and/or oppression, to love, to despair, and to hope. Weinberg's music richly embodies these, often through the most seemingly simple, folk-like means that continue to engage one's curiosity. This hope is in stark contrast to the often unremittingly depressing nature of music composed by his Soviet contemporaries, and sets Weinberg apart as a Polish/Russian composer to be given full consideration – Allison Brewster Franzetti

"Allison Brewster Franzetti's impassioned and persuasive performance easily holds its own in the select company of Gould, Perahia, Aimard, and Uchida"
–Jed Distler, Classics Today

Like his friend and mentor, Shostakovich, Weinberg was a composer and pianist, whose career progressively emphasized the former role at the expense of the latter. The great majority of Weinberg's piano works date from the first half of his composing life, and as such they tell us much about his path to maturity and individuality. The works on this first volume of his complete piano works range from very early yet characterful Mazurkas and the remarkably intense Lullaby, his Opus 1, to the at times dissonant Piano Sonata No.1 and the more classically oriented Piano Sonata No. 2. The Sonata, Op. 49bis is a 1978 expansion and rebalancing of a work originally completed in 1951.

Sonata No. 1, Op. 5 15:53
1. Adagio 06:14
2. Allegretto 02:39
3. Andantino 03:12
4. Allegro molto 03:48

5. Lullaby, Op.1 * 05:06

Sonata No.2, Op. 8 20:30
6. Allegro 05:11
7. Allegretto 03:09
8. Adagio attacca 07:48
9. Vivace * 04:22

Two Mazurkas 'Op. 10' (1933) * 04:16
10. Mazurka No. 1 in F minor 02:59
11. Mazurka No. 2 in A minor 01:17

Sonata, Op. 49bis * 15:12
12. Allegro leggiero 04:55
13. Andantino 04:41
14. Allegretto 05:36

* World Première Recordings

TOTAL TIME: 60:58

Multiple Grammy® Award Nominee, Allison Brewster Franzetti has received international acclaim from critics and audiences alike for stunning virtuosity and musicality. She has performed with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Long Island Philharmonic, English Sinfonia, City of Prague Philharmonic, Denver Symphony, Colonial Symphony, Queens Symphony, European Women's Orchestra, Buenos Aires Philharmonic, Janàcek Philharmonic, and City of Prague Philharmonic. Solo recitals include critically acclaimed débuts at Merkin Hall, New York and Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires, a special performance at the Grammy® Salute to Classical Music, and concerts throughout the United States, Mexico, Europe, Argentina and Japan. An accomplished chamber musician, she has collaborated with renowned composers and performers, including Sir James Galway, John Corigliano, Carlos Franzetti, Lowell Liebermann, David Maslanka, Stephen Paulus, Eugenia Zukerman, Julius Baker and Robert White.

"Franzetti is a persuasive advocate throughout" – Gramophone

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