Symphony No. 3 (1970)

Symphony No. 3 (1967)
(Edited by Rostislav Krimer)

The Third Symphony, dedicated to Lew Abeliovich’s close friend Mieczysław (Moissei) Weinberg, is perhaps the composer’s most personal and tragic work. It reflects not only the horrors of the time and the struggle between light and darkness but also a wealth of symbols, references, and subtle allusions to the clash of destructive ideologies that claimed millions of lives. The music is imbued with thoughts of homeland, life, hope, and memory – as well as the cost of human dignity.

Particularly striking is the finale, where the Belarusian folk song Perepelochka ("The Little Partridge") appears – at once a lullaby, a symbol of maternal kindness, and a reflection of the heavy fate of women. At the end of this mournful and delicate melody, accompanied by a recurring motif:

“You are mine,
you are mine,
little partridge,
you are mine,
you are mine,
my little one,”

hungry children beg their mother for bread – but she has not even a crumb to give. This naive yet desperate image overlays the scene of an execution – one of the emotional climaxes of the symphony. Such a juxtaposition is a stroke of genius by the composer, giving the work not only immense emotional power but also a profound philosophical and humanistic dimension.