Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)

[Maestro267]

The aforementioned discs have arrived. Listening to the 5th Symphony right now. The third movement in particular is incredible! Some utterly enormous climaxes!

[relm1]

The aforementioned discs have arrived. Listening to the 5th Symphony right now. The third movement in particular is incredible! Some utterly enormous climaxes!

Did you get the Viola Concerto/In Memoriam too?  I loved that disc very much.

[Maestro267]

I did, yes. I'm listening to In Memoriam right now. Admittedly I've not heard the original Piano Quintet yet.

[Mirror Image]

I did, yes. I'm listening to In Memoriam right now. Admittedly I've not heard the original Piano Quintet yet.

Please rectify that ASAP. One of my favorite Schnittke works is that incredible Piano Quintet.

[Maestro267]

I didn't expect that big organ chord in the third movement!

[relm1]

I didn't expect that big organ chord in the third movement!

And I've never heard that chord more jarring than in the BIS recording.  I love this piece in its orchestral version.  It's so dark and personal.  The original quintet was introspective but the orchestral version (especially Lev Markiz) was grim and intense like none other I've heard.

[Mirror Image]

Great to see more love for Sketches. An apparently inoffensive music with many bizarre touches. Schnittke's imagination amazes me.

Sketches is such a fun work! Like you, I love the zaniness that Schnittke adds throughout the work.

[Symphonic Addict]

Sketches is such a fun work! Like you, I love the zaniness that Schnittke adds throughout the work.

Indeed. I loved it instantly when I stumbled upon it. It's like the music for a sinister circus featuring some disturbing clowns.

[Mirror Image]

Indeed. I loved it instantly when I stumbled upon it. It's like the music for a sinister circus featuring some disturbing clowns.

Ha! Yes, indeed.

[Maestro267]

Next disc in my collection: Symphonies Nos. 6 & 7, continuing the BIS cycle. It'll be interesting to dive into his 1990s output. I think the latest orchestral work I have of his is the 2nd Cello Concerto from 1990.

Meantime, I'm currently listening to Symphony No. 4. I'm only really noticing now how prominent the piano is in this work. In fact, I almost think the pianist should be credited as a soloist.

[Maestro267]

Something I notice with Symphony No. 6 is that the sound space is a lot less filled than it is in a lot of the other works I've heard.

[relm1]

Something I notice with Symphony No. 6 is that the sound space is a lot less filled than it is in a lot of the other works I've heard.

Yes, the first five symphonies are in a very different sound world then the late symphonies.  I think Schnittke might have had one of his bad strokes and been half paralyzed around this time so composing became considerably more difficult and that might explain the shift too.

[not edward]

Yes, the first five symphonies are in a very different sound world then the late symphonies.  I think Schnittke might have had one of his bad strokes and been half paralyzed around this time so composing became considerably more difficult and that might explain the shift too.

If I remember the chronology correctly: the first four symphonies came before his first stroke, the 5th came between the first and second strokes; the 6th-8th came between the second and third strokes and the 9th was after the 3rd stroke.

Obviously the glaring stylistic change did come between the 5th and 6th symphonies, but I think there's a subtler stylistic change also present in the music that came after the first stroke.

[CRCulver]

The first stroke didn't immediately drive Schnittke into his bleak late soundworld. That is, remember that the moving fourth movement of the Cello Concerto No. 1 was written after the first stroke.

[not edward]

The first stroke didn't immediately drive Schnittke into his bleak late soundworld. That is, remember that the moving fourth movement of the Cello Concerto No. 1 was written after the first stroke.

Absolutely, and I think Peer Gynt also straddles the period around his first stroke, with the extraordinary Epilogue also coming after it.

However, though I can't quite figure it out, I think there's a subtle change in the music that was begun after his first stroke. Works like the second cello concerto, Monologue, the fourth string quartet and the first piano sonata feel to me more constrained than those of the years leading up to his first stroke.

[bhodges]

Happy to mark the 86th birthday of Alfred Schnittke, whose work has moved me for many years. Just found this riveting live version of his Concerto Grosso No. 1 (1977), with Gidon Kremer, Tatiana Grindenko, and Kremerata Baltica, recorded in Moscow in 2004.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE3xPdT5jx8

--Bruce

[Mirror Image]

Happy to mark the 86th birthday of Alfred Schnittke, whose work has moved me for many years. Just found this riveting live version of his Concerto Grosso No. 1 (1977), with Gidon Kremer, Tatiana Grindenko, and Kremerata Baltica, recorded in Moscow in 2004.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE3xPdT5jx8

--Bruce

A fantastic work, Bruce! Happy Birthday, Mr. Schnittke --- I wish you were still with us.

[Symphonic Addict]

I just finished listening to this whole disc. Fabulous music. Schnittke's orchestration skills and inventive ideas flow effortlessly in each suite. Some sections I loved were:

From Agony: Einleitung (it has a sense of inevitability that just thrilled me)
From My Past and Thoughts: Madonnen (this is sublime, it took me by surprise), Wind (stunning effects) and Cancan
From The End of St. Petersburg: III and IV
From The Master and Margarita: Voland; a fragment of Ravel's Bolero appears here, just that in an "evil" way.

[relm1]

He is wonderful and his film music might be a great entry point for most people since it is so imaginative and virtuosic yet accessible. 

[kyjo]

I just finished listening to this whole disc. Fabulous music. Schnittke's orchestration skills and inventive ideas flow effortlessly in each suite. Some sections I loved were:

From Agony: Einleitung (it has a sense of inevitability that just thrilled me)
From My Past and Thoughts: Madonnen (this is sublime, it took me by surprise), Wind (stunning effects) and Cancan
From The End of St. Petersburg: III and IV
From The Master and Margarita: Voland; a fragment of Ravel's Bolero appears here, just that in an "evil" way.

Yeah, Schnittke's film music is hugely entertaining and full of suprises! Have you heard his score for Rikki-Tikki-Tavi? It's absolutely delightful, with an infectious main theme and a thrilling section called Menace and Rescue: https://youtu.be/LD29SEOh8E0