Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)

[karlhenning]

--Bruce

Indeedie. He recorded it at least twice, but the earlier one on Melodiya I tend not to listen to because the RCA sounds nicer. It's a remarkable piece, very intriguingly scored for an orchestra with a drastically reduced string section iirc.

I hadn't heard much of the piano concertos since my last Schnittke spree several years ago, but I have since obtained the Kupiec disc which will get a listen sometime soon. Interesting how the three works apparently span his entire career.

Thank you both!  I went ahead and sprang for that RCA disc, Sara.  I think you will enjoy the Pf Cti.  The Kupiec disc . . . of course, I'm a noob, and I can only hope that it is not too tame for a veteran Schnittke fan! ; )

And yes, the three Pf Cti span his career, but they're all solid pieces.

[karlhenning]

Zounds, just found the Vc Cto № 2 for dirt cheap.

And now I fear I may be mistaken about the Pf Quintet, so there's another trigger pulled.

[Grazioso]

Grazie, Grazi.

Btw, did you get to listen to the third yet? I'm curious about your impressions.

[karlhenning]

Haven't yet, but will either this evening or tomorrow. Will report!

[karlhenning]

Haven't yet, but will either this evening or tomorrow. Will report!

Tchah, haven't yet listened to the Third.

Just finished listening to the Fourth, which I think would be especially impressive live. (Not that I find any fault with listening to the piece on CD!)

[karlhenning]

Thanks!  I am guessing that Bashmet will be a good fit with the Va Cto.  The Eighth Symphony and Peer Gynt I've also got on the way . . . .

Indeedie. He recorded it at least twice, but the earlier one on Melodiya I tend not to listen to because the RCA sounds nicer. It's a remarkable piece, very intriguingly scored for an orchestra with a drastically reduced string section iirc.

The Va Cto I like a great deal; has much the same quiet intensity I cherish in the Concerto for Three.

And meanwhile, I am continuing my frankly spotty survey of the symphonies (nos. 1, 4, 6, 7 & . Very favorably disposed to all of them so far (mid-Seventh just now); they all reflect the same musical intelligence, yet each is a distinct utterance.

[not edward]

Just finished listening to the Fourth, which I think would be especially impressive live. (Not that I find any fault with listening to the piece on CD!)[/font]

I've been lucky enough to hear the Fourth live (probably nearly 15 years ago, actually), and in my view it does come off very well live, particularly with the tenor soloist making sure to not have his voice standing out too much from the orchestra. With its comparatively restricted material and consistency of mood, it held a grip throughout.

[Scarpia]

And meanwhile, I am continuing my frankly spotty survey of the symphonies (nos. 1, 4, 6, 7 & . Very favorably disposed to all of them so far (mid-Seventh just now); they all reflect the same musical intelligence, yet each is a distinct utterance.[/font]

Do you have the BIS box of complete symphonies?  Very reasonably priced and good recordings.

[karlhenning]

No, I've been cherry-picking Chandos recordings, with either Rozhdestvensky or Valeri Polyansky.  Very happy with the execution.

[Lethevich]

No, I've been cherry-picking Chandos recordings, with either Rozhdestvensky or Valeri Polyansky.  Very happy with the execution.

It's nice to get the little extras too

[karlhenning]

Aye!

[Scarpia]

My general policy is that if there is a BIS recording of something good I get it.  (I just adore BIS.)  I do have a few of those Chandos discs as well, but I consider them the icing on the cake.

[not edward]

Unfortunately there are some real duds in the BIS set of the symphonies, particularly #6 and #8. (Oddly enough, I find myself almost preferring the BIS 7th to the Chandos one, though--I think Polyansky overplays his hand at times in that symphony, in which I would tend to prefer a very understated interpretation.)

[Scarpia]

Listened to the concerto for piano and strings, and the concerto for piano four hands from this release.

[asin]B001BLR74E[/asin]

Had listened to the first concerto earlier, and found it a delightful neo-Shostakovichian work with a particularly expressive slow movement.  The concerto for piano and strings I already know from the BIS release, it is a strange work which often finds the piano pounding out tone clusters as the strings play some sort of Baroque-sounding figure.  I vaguely recall liking the BIS recording a bit better, but this one is also nicely done.  The concerto for piano four hands and chamber orchestra is another odd bird, that will take more exposure for me to absorb.

[karlhenning]

I've been lucky enough to hear the Fourth live (probably nearly 15 years ago, actually), and in my view it does come off very well live, particularly with the tenor soloist making sure to not have his voice standing out too much from the orchestra. With its comparatively restricted material and consistency of mood, it held a grip throughout.

Really an astonishing 45-minute arc. Looking forward to making its better acquaintance.

[karlhenning]

I've now spent the better part of a week with initial listens to a passel of Schnittke: five of the symphonies, three or so of the concerti grossi, the viola concerto, the two cello concerti, the piano quintet, the string trio (both as a trio, and in its Trio Sonata incarnation for string orchestra).  It's even possible that I had not actually listened to the Concerto for Choir or the Requiem before last week.

And I am just jiggered; it has all been good, and a great deal of it has been exquisite.  And I am still holding off on Peer Gynt until next week.

I've become a flat-out Schnittke enthusiast, an idea at which I might well have laughed ten years ago.

[Sergeant Rock]

And I am just jiggered; it has all been good, and a great deal of it has been exquisite.

paulb told us so! ...we just wouldn't listen 

Sarge

[karlhenning]

paulb told us so! ...we just wouldn't listen 

Well, he said so about Pettersson, too, who wass a ssignal busst ass far ass my earss are concerned ; )

[bhodges]

I've now spent the better part of a week with initial listens to a passel of Schnittke: five of the symphonies, three or so of the concerti grossi, the viola concerto, the two cello concerti, the piano quintet, the string trio (both as a trio, and in its Trio Sonata incarnation for string orchestra).  It's even possible that I had not actually listened to the Concerto for Choir or the Requiem before last week.

And I am just jiggered; it has all been good, and a great deal of it has been exquisite.  And I am still holding off on Peer Gynt until next week.

I've become a flat-out Schnittke enthusiast, an idea at which I might well have laughed ten years ago.

Well, very cool, Karl. (And FWIW, I haven't yet heard Peer Gynt, either--and also have Life with an Idiot in the queue.) But much great listening in the list you cite above. I do think his is one of the 20th century's major voices.

--Bruce

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

  And I am still holding off on Peer Gynt until next week.

Well, very cool, Karl. (And FWIW, I haven't yet heard Peer Gynt, either--

Peer Gynt is arguably the greatest thing Schnittke ever wrote (and I am pretty sure Edward will back me up on that). Its expressive range is astonishing; and what's more, it's all directed toward the dramatic end of illuminating Ibsen's play. Schnittke, better than Grieg, understood that the play is a disturbing pyschodrama, and he brings out that aspect of it to haunting effect.