Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)

[relm1]

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

That is a great score full of excitement, lush melodies, and vivid action.  Great fun!

[Symphonic Addict]

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

These days I've been exploring his film music, so that work will come soon.

[vers la flamme]

Can't get enough of Schnittke lately. The Viola Concerto, the Concerto for Piano & Strings, the second Concerto Grosso, the 4th Symphony, and the orchestral works Passacaglia, (K)ein Sommernachtstraum and Ritual have all been in rotation in recent weeks. I love everything I've heard from the composer, which is comparatively little. The BIS recordings are great; I'm collecting them one at a time, though I doubt I'll complete the series which has many entries (surely at least 20?)—but I also love the older, Soviet-era recordings when I can find them, such as the Rozhdestvensky/USSR Ministry of Culture SO recording of the Viola Concerto and CG No.2. What a brilliant mind.

Anyone else listening to Schnittke recently? What works?

Also must add this photo of Schnittke and Arvo Pärt which I thought was a cool find...:



Edit: Just ordered the "Music for the Movies" disc mentioned upthread. It sounds great, excited to hear the rest of it.

[relm1]

Can't get enough of Schnittke lately. The Viola Concerto, the Concerto for Piano & Strings, the second Concerto Grosso, the 4th Symphony, and the orchestral works Passacaglia, (K)ein Sommernachtstraum and Ritual have all been in rotation in recent weeks. I love everything I've heard from the composer, which is comparatively little. The BIS recordings are great; I'm collecting them one at a time, though I doubt I'll complete the series which has many entries (surely at least 20?)—but I also love the older, Soviet-era recordings when I can find them, such as the Rozhdestvensky/USSR Ministry of Culture SO recording of the Viola Concerto and CG No.2. What a brilliant mind.

Anyone else listening to Schnittke recently? What works?

Also must add this photo of Schnittke and Arvo Pärt which I thought was a cool find...:



Edit: Just ordered the "Music for the Movies" disc mentioned upthread. It sounds great, excited to hear the rest of it.

Love this composer.  Recently I listened to a new recording of his cello concerto no. 1 with Kapustin Concerto.  A nice, vivid new recording.  I've never listened to his later symphonies finding them a bit too sparse for me and I prefer his earlier and mid periods to the sparse late period.  But perhaps a nudge is all I need to explore it.

[Mirror Image]

I LOVE late period Schnittke --- withdrawn and bleak, but not without musical interest. I think Symphony No. 8 is a masterpiece, especially in the Rozhdestvensky performance on Chandos. The Lento in this symphony is devastating.

[vers la flamme]

I LOVE late period Schnittke --- withdrawn and bleak, but not without musical interest. I think Symphony No. 8 is a masterpiece, especially in the Rozhdestvensky performance on Chandos. The Lento in this symphony is devastating.

I'll have to try and find that recording. I like what I've heard of Rozhdestvensky in Schnittke, which is not much.

Any thoughts on his unfinished 9th symphony? Worth a listen, or no?

[Mirror Image]

I'll have to try and find that recording. I like what I've heard of Rozhdestvensky in Schnittke, which is not much.

Any thoughts on his unfinished 9th symphony? Worth a listen, or no?

The 9th is an odd kettle of fish. I'm not really actually sure what to make of it. I do know that I'm not much of a fan as it didn't grip me like Schnittke's music usually does.

[relm1]

What do you think of Concerto for Choir? 

[MusicTurner]

What do you think of Concerto for Choir?

Very nice, beautiful, and inscribing itself more into a somewhat conservative tradition, being much less edgy than a lot of this composer's works. The Melodiya Polyansky/Ministry of Culture Choir recording is glorious, whereas I find Windekilde/Hymnia Choir on the Classico label rather disappointing, and definitely less Russian-sounding.

[Mirror Image]

What do you think of Concerto for Choir?

I find it beautiful, but a cappella choral music is one of my least favorite genres.

[VonStupp]

Very nice, beautiful, and inscribing itself more into a somewhat conservative tradition, being much less edgy than a lot of this composer's works. The Melodiya Polyansky/Ministry of Culture Choir recording is glorious, whereas I find Windekilde/Hymnia Choir on the Classico label rather disappointing, and definitely less Russian-sounding.

+1 for the Polyansky. The more recent recordings by the Estonians on Bis and MDR on Geniun have given the Choir Concerto a much needed boost on record. Although, like their traversals of Rachmaninov's All-Night Vigil and Liturgy, neither are particularly 'Russian sounding'.

[VonStupp]

I find it beautiful, but a cappella choral music is one of my least favorite genres.

A bit off topic...

I am a choral lover, but I can't stand chorus with piano. So often, the piano is mere accompaniment, which is why I tend towards symphonic choral music.  Composers, the ones I appreciate anyways, rarely relegate an orchestra to mere background.

Occasionally someone will write for the piano as an equal entity to the chorus, Schubert & Brahms could, for example, but I find it rare today. I also like choral leaders who adapt a mundane piano part to harp or other instruments for variety.

[Mirror Image]

A bit off topic...

I am a choral lover, but I can't stand chorus with piano. So often, the piano is mere accompaniment, which is why I tend towards symphonic choral music.  Composers, the ones I appreciate anyways, rarely relegate an orchestra to mere background.

Occasionally someone will write for the piano as an equal entity to the chorus, Schubert & Brahms could, for example, but I find it rare today. I also like choral leaders who adapt a mundane piano part to harp or other instruments for variety.

Well, in choral music to have a piano accompaniment doesn't make much sense in the overall texture of the music. Of course, there are some exceptions, but generally, I prefer choral music with either a chamber ensemble or large orchestra.

[not edward]

Anyone else know the Beethoven Quartet's recording of the 2nd quartet, on this Vox twofer?



I'd been relistening to this and it's one of those rare recordings that seems almost definitive to me: the intensity level is astonishing, and the closing bars are devastatingly bleak.

[Mirror Image]

Anyone else know the Beethoven Quartet's recording of the 2nd quartet, on this Vox twofer?



I'd been relistening to this and it's one of those rare recordings that seems almost definitive to me: the intensity level is astonishing, and the closing bars are devastatingly bleak.

I LOVE that particular set, not edward. The performance of the 2nd SQ from the Beethoven Quartet is blistering and, yes, to my ears, it is the performance to beat.

[Maestro267]

Piano accompanying a choir feels more like a rehearsal rather than an actual Performance.

Can't get enough of Schnittke lately. The Viola Concerto, the Concerto for Piano & Strings, the second Concerto Grosso, the 4th Symphony, and the orchestral works Passacaglia, (K)ein Sommernachtstraum and Ritual have all been in rotation in recent weeks.

All excellent works. I haven't listened to Schnittke as much in recent months, although this revival is making me think again as I think I'm starting to revisit classical stuff again.

[CRCulver]

Are there any commercial recordings of the Double Concerto for Oboe, Harp and Strings, other than the one on BIS? This piece rarely gets talked about compared to the composer's other concertos, but it is a strange piece that doesn't really sound like Schnittke, either.

[Mirror Image]

Are there any commercial recordings of the Double Concerto for Oboe, Harp and Strings, other than the one on BIS? This piece rarely gets talked about compared to the composer's other concertos, but it is a strange piece that doesn't really sound like Schnittke, either.

The BIS recording is the only one I'm aware of unfortunately. It seems Schnittke's not getting much love from record labels these days with the exception of a few recordings. There hasn't been any major recording projects since the BIS and Chandos series from many years ago.

[MusicTurner]

Anyone else know the Beethoven Quartet's recording of the 2nd quartet, on this Vox twofer?



I'd been relistening to this and it's one of those rare recordings that seems almost definitive to me: the intensity level is astonishing, and the closing bars are devastatingly bleak.

I have it too, and its a recommendable twofer also due to the other composer's works, basically getting beautiful performances.

[Symphonic Addict]

I have it too, and its a recommendable twofer also due to the other composer's works, basically getting beautiful performances.

I would really like to listen to that rendition of the 2nd Quartet. What a darkly visceral tour de force it is.