Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)

[Mandryka]

Very impressed by what Ragna Schirma makes of the challenging 3rd piano sonata

[DavidW]

Very impressed by what Ragna Schirma makes of the challenging 3rd piano sonata

That is good because it is the only recording I can find on Qobuz of the piano sonatas!

[Mandryka]

There are 14 recordings of the Schnittke string trio (1985) on Presto - it's coming up in a concert in in London (Conway Hall) on Sunday so I thought I'd check it out on the one above. Tonal and (hence) comforting kitchy melodies rapidly undermined by dissonance, never saccherine for long, you know the gen. Quite nice though.

Schnittke's game at this time seems to have been to say in the language of music:  "Hey, we've lost the possibility of consolation in modernity - all you can do is fondly remember what it was like. But as soon as you do you realise that it's all over, all a sham."

[DavidW]

Very impressed by what Ragna Schirma makes of the challenging 3rd piano sonata

Huge thumbs up from me btw!

[Mandryka]

The second sonata as played by Tchetuev is a wonderful thing - I'm starting to think the Schnittke sonatas are a summit of his later style.  The three seem to make a real set - they've got a similar mood.

The recording has an enormous dynamic range - you need a system which sounds good at the extremes!

[relm1]

The second sonata as played by Tchetuev is a wonderful thing - I'm starting to think the Schnittke sonatas are a summit of his later style.  The three seem to make a real set - they've got a similar mood.

The recording has an enormous dynamic range - you need a system which sounds good at the extremes!

This cover should be used as an eye test.  I couldn't figure out what works were on the recording till I realized the work is practically invisible.  A release for those with perfect vision.

[DavidW]

This cover should be used as an eye test.  I couldn't figure out what works were on the recording till I realized the work is practically invisible.  A release for those with perfect vision.

I didn't even realize there was text there!  It reminds me of this photo I saw in the Harvard fog art museum.  It was the ocean at sunrise.  At first it looks like nothing but black.  But as you focus on it you see the details of the waves appear.  Pretty cool... this isn't!

[Iota]

The second sonata as played by Tchetuev is a wonderful thing - I'm starting to think the Schnittke sonatas are a summit of his later style.  The three seem to make a real set - they've got a similar mood.

The recording has an enormous dynamic range - you need a system which sounds good at the extremes!

Agreed, what a piece, and what playing! Thematically obsessive, like braided rope at times, a dark and mesmerising second movement, and a climax of intensity in the last movement you don't hear the like of very often. And actually pretty moving I thought.

[Iota]

And finally to the first of Schnittke's piano sonatas (1987) as played by Tchetuev.
This seems a more directly acute and personal psychological portrait than the other two, which reaches the same cold blue/white hot extremes of intensity as the other two, but with more overt tonal passages and somewhat less compact. Tchetuev's playing is as ever extraordinary, the dramatic power he conjures up feels like a kind of nuclear fusion at times.

These three sonatas, in this recording, having been a striking and involving discovery, am very grateful to Bachtoven for the recommendation. : )

[brewski]

Oh my goodness, the Faust Cantata (1983). My first hearing, and what a wild thing it is. If nothing else, this performance from 1989 has to be a great document of the time, when Schnittke's works were starting to be performed (at least, in the United States). Valery Polyansky leads the USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra, with a huge chorus, soloists, and organ.

Though it's even better in the context of the piece, those who want to skip ahead to a high point can check in at around 20:00, when a vast tango begins and contralto Raissa Kontrova makes her swaggering entrance, singing with a microphone.

-Bruce

[Maestro267]

Oh yeah the Faust Cantata is fantastic, one of my favourite works of his.

[Spotted Horses]

Very impressed by what Ragna Schirma makes of the challenging 3rd piano sonata

A shame that release is not turning up on Apple Music, although I've come across other recordings of the piano sonatas.

[DavidW]

A shame that release is not turning up on Apple Music, although I've come across other recordings of the piano sonatas.

That is odd because you can still stream it on Qobuz.  I was under the impression which I guess is wrong that Apple, Qobuz and Spotify would have all the same streaming catalogues.

[Mandryka]

A shame that release is not turning up on Apple Music, although I've come across other recordings of the piano sonatas.

This doesn't work for you?

https://music.apple.com/us/album/schnittke-piano-sonatas-nos-1-2-3/286485941

[Spotted Horses]

That is odd because you can still stream it on Qobuz.  I was under the impression which I guess is wrong that Apple, Qobuz and Spotify would have all the same streaming catalogues.

I don't know about Spotify, but Qobuz and Apple Music are 99% identical, and there is no rhyme or reason to the differences. There were lots of Schirmer releases from the same label on Apple Music, but not the one I was looking for. Maybe just tagged wrong and not coming up on my search. The Pennetier Faure came up on Qobuz and Apple, but volume I was missing on Presto. Probably the low-wage interns the record labels hire to upload audio files to the streaming services are error prone.

[Spotted Horses]

This doesn't work for you?

https://music.apple.com/us/album/schnittke-piano-sonatas-nos-1-2-3/286485941

Your link opened, but it doesn't play. Also didn't come up in my search of Schnittke Schirmer. The listing must be defective in some way.

[Skogwald]

Am I the only one who's kind of cooled down on Schnittke? A couple of years ago I would have called him one of my favorites, but I seem to rarely listen to him anymore. The exception for me is this brilliant disc of his string quartets:

[relm1]

Am I the only one who's kind of cooled down on Schnittke? A couple of years ago I would have called him one of my favorites, but I seem to rarely listen to him anymore. The exception for me is this brilliant disc of his string quartets:

I don't come to him often, but when I do, I find he is still full of surprises and find it an overall rewarding experience though he's not in my "must listen to now" list.

[DavidW]

I'm not cooled down on Schnittke because I'm not frequently listening to him and never have... but I will agree that his chamber music and solo piano music keep me coming back.

I bought this cd back in the day for Shostakovich, but also kept it for the Schnittke (and also quickly bought the Kronos Q set):

[foxandpeng]

Am I the only one who's kind of cooled down on Schnittke? A couple of years ago I would have called him one of my favorites, but I seem to rarely listen to him anymore. The exception for me is this brilliant disc of his string quartets:

My exposure to Schnittke has been limited - a single traversal of his symphonies  and some time with his cello concertos and SQs, but not a great deal. He is one of many composers who I feel I would very much enjoy, if I put in the time.

I just need to put in the time 😒