Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)

[Karl Henning]

Conforming to a set of rules would somewhat diminish the individualism of the artist anyhow, wouldn't you think? I too have become a little crazy about Schnittke, thanks to my GMG friends here, and I feel as if listening to his music is like hearing the composer talk himself, or telling a story. It seems very personal, and the 4th is no exception.

How did the BIS recording turn out?

Very good.  Of course, what I ought to do now is revisit the Chandos disc . . . .

[Karl Henning]

I think Schnittke is a good fit for you, Karl. Modern style + Russian composer...
If I listened to him more, I could easily grow to love his music even more...

Curiously, the first I listened to his music, it didn't do all that much for me.  But, doth not the appetite alter?

[Karl Henning]

.[asin]B000000AQU[/asin]

Schnittke: Minnesang

Bought this primarily for the Choir Concerto, but Minnesang, a canon-style piece for choir set to Medieval poems, is majestic and terrifying, worth the price of the disc alone.

Sold, Greg!

[TheGSMoeller]

Sold, Greg!

Good on ya, mate! Minnesang was a great little suprise, Karl. As someone like yourself who has such an affinity for choral music, I think you'll appreciate this disc.

[Karl Henning]

Good on ya, mate! Minnesang was a great little suprise, Karl. As someone like yourself who has such an affinity for choral music, I think you'll appreciate this disc.

Well recommended, sir!  Indeed, the Minnesang rings out fair & sweet!

[TheGSMoeller]

Well recommended, sir!  Indeed, the Minnesang rings out fair & sweet!

Glad to hear! 

[PaulR]

This may sound as a loaded question....but is Minnesang worth buying that CD with the fourth?  I already have the BIS recording, and the other Chandos.

[Karl Henning]

This may sound as a loaded question....but is Minnesang worth buying that CD with the fourth?

I think the Minnesang a most worthy work . . . I am confused as to which CD you mean, though, Paul . . . .

[TheGSMoeller]

This may sound as a loaded question....but is Minnesang worth buying that CD with the fourth?  I already have the BIS recording, and the other Chandos.

Yes!
But I'm not sure Minnesang has a BIS version.

[PaulR]

I think the Minnesang a most worthy work . . . I am confused as to which CD you mean, though, Paul . . . .

For some reason............I don't know, I was being an idiot, I thought the choir Concerto was coupled with the Symphony #4.

[Karl Henning]

So they are (Choir Concerto and Fourth Symphony) on this disc here:


I thought you were asking after the Minnesang.  The Minnesang and Choir Concerto are both on this disc:

[asin]B000000AQU[/asin]

[not edward]

So they are (Choir Concerto and Fourth Symphony) on this disc here:

Requiem, actually, not Choir Concerto.

Fine disc regardless, and one that persuaded a couple of rock fan friends of mine to take classical music far more seriously than they had before.

[PaulR]

So they are (Choir Concerto and Fourth Symphony) on this disc here:


I thought you were asking after the Minnesang.  The Minnesang and Choir Concerto are both on this disc:

[asin]B000000AQU[/asin]

The problem was I for some reason thought that the choir concerto on the disc with the Minnsesang  was the Fourth Symphony.  It has been a long, stressful semester....

[Karl Henning]

Requiem, actually, not Choir Concerto.

Fine disc regardless, and one that persuaded a couple of rock fan friends of mine to take classical music far more seriously than they had before.

Bah! Thanks for the correction, and shame on me for offering an erroneous corrective, ptui.

The problem was I for some reason thought that the choir concerto on the disc with the Minnsesang  was the Fourth Symphony.  It has been a long, stressful semester....

Understood. Easy does it!

[TheGSMoeller]

Schnittke-Heads! Assemble!

I am in need of a second recording of symphony no.4, this piece is really starting to consume me, one of the more interesting instrumentations and structure of a symphony. There's the Rozhdestvensky recording and the BIS with Kamu. Eventually could get both but would like to get one right now that would contrast well with the Polansky version.

Karl, I believe you have all three so you might be able to offer some sound advice.

Thanks in advance!

[Karl Henning]

Hang on a couple of minutes . . . .

[Karl Henning]

Well, the disclaimer is necessarily that, together with Edward, I find all three to be worthy documents of the piece.

I just spot-listened to three passages on both the Kamu and the Rozhdestvensky, and to choose but one of the two for your next purchase, I'd say Kamu. Cleaner soundstage, and some brighter colors.

[TheGSMoeller]

Well, the disclaimer is necessarily that, together with Edward, I find all three to be worthy documents of the piece.

I just spot-listened to three passages on both the Kamu and the Rozhdestvensky, and to choose but one of the two for your next purchase, I'd say Kamu. Cleaner soundstage, and some brighter colors.

Thanks, Karl. Your description of the quality from the Kamu recording intrigues me, I couldn't find any samples from the Rozhestvensky so I wasn't sure what to expect, I just acquired his recording of the 8th on Chandos, and although different label, it's a very solid interpretation.

I'm not sure I've ever heard a recording from Kamu, I'll have to check. But I think the Kamu will be a good choice for now.

But the 4th is wonderful, at first listen it was the spiritual 2nd that initially grabbed me, maybe the 4th required a little more attention, but it has it now.

For the topic of orchestrations, I finally heard the "In memoriam..." for Orchestra, originally the Piano Quintet, and this is an orchestration I find highly successful. This topic came about the other day about Ives Concord Symphony, an orchestration of the Concord Sonata not realized by the composer himself. Perhaps, and I'm sure, the reason being that Schnittke himself was involved in the process, even creating a unique voice for the larger piece while still maintaining the personal emotion from the Quintet.

[Karl Henning]

Hmm, I need to listen to In memoriam... I feel sure I've got it, somewhere . . . .

[eyeresist]

There's the Rozhdestvensky recording and the BIS with Kamu. Eventually could get both but would like to get one right now that would contrast well with the Polansky version.

I have the Rozhdy as reissued on Venezia (a set of 1-4). All those Melodiya recordings have unsatisfactory sound, like an exaggerated model of the Soviet audio approach. So yeah. Get Kamu.