Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)

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And what of the Gutman CC1 on EMI, with Schuman? That's a nicely gothic cd all around I think.

By the way, have you heard the Ivashkin/Polyansky performance of Cello Concerto No. 1, snyprrr? I highly recommend it.

[Mirror Image]

No activity in this thread in awhile, did you see my previous message, snyprrr?

In any event, another Schnittkian classic: Symphony No. 1 -

Alfred Schnittke's First Symphony (1972) is one of the later twentieth century's great self-immolating anthems: an icon-smashing icon, a symphony after the death of symphonies, culture rising from culture's ashes. It is a consummate work of neurosis, never doing what's best, never going where it ought, punishing itself for its own irresistible naughtiness. The Symphony catches itself in a perpetual spin-cycle of suicides and resurrections, amidst the junk and jewels of two musical millenniums.

In this sense it's a public work, bellowing the "ode to schizophrenia" that marked Western art of the 1960's and 70's. Another self-defacing monument to an era, it ranks alongside other tumbling pillars of the times like Luciano Berio's 1968 Sinfonia and Peter Maxwell Davies's Eight Songs for a Mad King.
Simultaneously, Schnittke's First also spotlights his own complex situation. Yes, it's a "Postmodern" work and a searing "cultural critique." But it also addresses the public of the former USSR. The freedom it screams isn't simply aesthetic, it's also political; its explosives don't just threaten the masterpiece-museum, they also indict the Soviet system in all its corruption, hypocrisy, and dysfunction.

And yet, at its illusory "bottom," the First Symphony also documents a wholly personal crisis of origins and inheritances. Schnittke is Russian by citizenship, but German by birth; he is of blood both Catholic and Jewish; he is, as he once remarked, "not really at home anywhere." So while Schnittke's Symphony suffers a staggering existentialist crisis of faith, it still receives Catholic burial amidst the ancient "Dies Irae" plainchant. And this funeral is further undercut by the Jewish angst and spiritual homelessness of Gustav Mahler. Likewise, Schnittke exploits the Mahlerian tradition of the expanded Classical symphony--archetypal symbol of the West--but he begins and ends the Symphony with the ideal Russian symbol--the wild peal of bells.

When those bells start to peal, only their player is onstage. With this unreal beginning, signaling celebration and disaster, the rest of the huge orchestra's players begin filing one after another onstage, quasi-improvising. Only when they fill the stage with their cumulative cacophony does the conductor walk onto the podium and "begin" the "real" Symphony--with a lampoonable point of the index finger.

The remainder of this sprawling work is impossible and pointless to summarize; the whole deserves the continuous attention we give a great nightmare. But there are some great highlight-debacles: the "false" recapitulation to the first movement's "sonata-form," where Schnittke emasculates the opening finale-fanfare of Beethoven's Fifth. There is the second movement's wicked "funfare scherzo," piling up the corpses of four centuries' dances and marches; and there is its infamous interruption in a long improvised solo for violin and piano, a 5-minute worm-hole in the Symphony's time-space continuum.

There is the almost inexcusable collapse of the "philosophical" Adagio third movement, whose leap for the light is zapped like a bug; then the finale's acid-jazz, succeeding Tchaikovsky, Chopin, and Strauss. And after the Symphony's last blast into Revelation rubble comes the unforgettable quotation of Franz Josef Haydn's "Farewell" Symphony, where the players file one by one offstage until only two violinists remain. Schnittke only leaves one, playing Haydn's last two notes on a catatonic loop. Nothing is left, and yet Schnittke can't say farewell. Allegory abounds: you can't say goodbye to a country that won't let you leave, just as you can't bury the symphony with another symphony.

And so? The whole thing begins again, with an audacious da capo, bells and all. That the work ends at all is thus only a provision, an escape clause to an insoluble and endless venture.

[Article taken from All Music Guide]

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Nice description.

Going to see this performed in concert on Wednesday.

I say "see" rather than "hear" because I always imagined it more as a work of theatre.

Nice! I had forgotten that Symphony No. 1 was going to be performed this month. That should be a great concert as it contains Ligeti and Lutoslawski as well. Please report your thoughts here of the performance of the 1st!

[Lisztianwagner]

About Schnittke's Concerto for piano and strings:

http://www.youtube.com/v/5vyCc_jFidw

I listened to it yesterday for the first time, it was an absolutely amazing, hauntingly beautiful piece! Great piano virtuosity, the orchestration is really gorgeous, Schnittke handles piano and strings in a splendid way till evoking such an involving, hyptonic atmosphere; the combination and transformation of different harmonic styles are very brilliant, striking, dissonant music which becomes so majestic at some points, the effect is impressive. I love very much how the work, after the slow introduction, slowly comes more and more thrilling and frenzied to an almost false climax that, instead of bursting out into a powerful fortissimo, suddenly shades into silence. Then when it moves again to the second climax, it is even more mesmerizing and suggestive.

[Mirror Image]

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Ilaria. It's certainly a powerful work and one that I've listened to many times. Sometimes in a row.

[Mirror Image]

It's good to see ol' Alfred get some love on this board lately. He certainly deserves it IMHO.

I've got to mention how thrilling Symphony No. 5 (Concerto Grosso No. 4) is while I'm here. That third movement really is something out of this world. It borderlines the same kind of Expressionistic intensity found in Hartmann's symphonies. You can hear the music, and the man himself, coming apart at the seams. How I wish this kind of emotional intensity was found in more of today's music. These Soviet Era composers were really special and, though, several of them conformed to Soviet musical standards (Kabalevsky, Gliere) there were many that rose to the occasion (Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Myaskovsky, Weinberg, and, of course, Schnittke and most of that later generation like Gubaidulina and Denisov that were composing during the 'thaw').

[Mirror Image]

I'll give a brief opinion of each of Schnittke's ten symphonies (if we include the 0 and the 9th as apart of the cycle) -

Symphony No. 0 - A student work and very good one with more traditional harmony. You can hear traces of Shostakovich and Hindemith. I can't say I'm 'in love' with it, but it does have some rewarding moments. The only performance of this symphony that has been recorded is the Hughes on BIS.

Symphony No. 1 - A work that certainly put Schnittke on the map and probably one of the most controversial works in his oeuvre. I remain a bit indifferent to this symphony. I look at as more of a novelty than a substantial piece of music. The musical quotations float through this work as several other surprises like a jazz improvisation. Marches, polkas, etc. are all thrown into this hodgepodge of a symphony. I wish I liked it more, but I don't. The best performance I've heard came from the BIS series with Segerstam.

Symphony No. 2 'St. Florian' - This symphony is essentially a choral symphony. Like Symphony No. 1, this is Schnittke in full-blown polystylistic territory. I do like much of this work and think it sometimes gets some harsh criticism, but I do find much of it beautiful and those dense harmonic clashes in conjunction with the ethereal beauty of the chorus make this work certainly more rewarding than it's predecessor. I think Polyansky and Segerstam both have good performances here. I think I give Polyansky a slight edge over Segerstam just for the sheer vastness and space he gives his chorus and orchestra.

Symphony No. 3 - What a work! I don't even know how to begin to describe this one. Basically, in a nutshell, the whole premise of this symphony from my understanding is it's a symphony that celebrates centuries of Germanic music from Mozart to Mahler to Webern to Stockhausen, etc. I really couldn't tell you anything about the music other than there's a lot of density and some heavy orchestration, but there is clarity to the music that lets the listener access certain points of the 'orchestral fog' if you will. There are two performances of this work: Rozhdestvensky (Melodiya) and Klas (BIS). I love the Klas recording but will be anxious to hear what Rozhdestvensky does with the symphony.

Symphony No. 4 - Like Symphony No. 2 'St. Florian', this work is a choral symphony and remains one of Schnittke's towering achievements IMHO. There are so many textures and I always get the sense of higher elevation in this symphony. It's completely mesmerizing from start to finish. I believe it's based off of an old Russian hymn (I could be wrong) and this hymn forms the basis of the entire symphony and Schnittke really gives it a rigorous workout through the ongoing variations. There are three performances of this work available: Rozhdestvensky (Melodiya), Polyansky (Chandos), and Kamu (BIS). I prefer the Kamu to the Polyansky (haven't heard the Rozhdestvensky yet) for the simple fact that Kamu's performance is less heavy handed and more 'airy' if that makes any sense.

Symphony No. 5 (Concerto No. 4) - What a scorching symphony! It's as if Hartmann, Hindemith, and Bartok at their most aggressive had a baby. You can feel the steam rise from this music and Schnittke is completely full of angst and rage. There are some quieter moments, but mostly this symphony isn't for the faint hearted at all. There's two very fine performances of this symphony available: Jarvi (BIS) and Chailly (Decca). Both performances are flaming hot!

Symphony No. 6 - A bit of a puzzling work and quite short in overall length. Contains a lot of silence and pauses with eerie whispers from the strings. Occasionally the music does get louder, but this is mostly a reflective work. There are two performances available: Polyansky (Chandos) and Otaka (BIS). I suppose Otaka's performance is acceptable, but I would like to hear Polyansky's at some juncture.

Symphony No. 7 - Another short symphony and one that, like the 6th, puzzles me a bit. This is a bit of a skeletal work like the 6th. In three movements, the first movement I remember but not much else. It's one of those works like that of many of Frank Martin's compositions, that the more time you spend with the work, the more it will begin to reveal it's secrets. there are two performances available: Polyansky (Chandos) and Otaka (BIS). Again, I haven't heard the Polyansky, but would like to and Otaka's performance sounds fine to my ears.

Symphony No. 8 - For me, this is Schnittke's late symphonic masterpiece. This music, to me, sounds like it's so haunted by death and all of the eerie moments of Symphonies 6 & 7 have become full blown here. I wouldn't say this is an earth-shattering work, but music need not be this way to get it's point across. The Lento, which is the longest movement of the symphony, is deeply compelling. During it's 17 minute length, we're hearing a voice that's broken in half and filled with anguish and sorrow, but this dark-hued work does have some light which forms the last, and shortest, movement. I cannot think of a symphony written in the 90s that has had more effect on me than this symphony. There are several performances available: Jia (BIS), Rozhdestvensky (Chandos), and Polyansky (Chandos). The greatest performance IMHO is Rozhdestvensky's with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic who, I believe, premiered this work.

Symphony No. 9 - I cannot comment on the merits of this work for the simple fact that it's not really a Schnittke-approved work. As many know, his health was horrible around the writing of his 9th and the manuscript he left behind was barely legible, but it was reconstructed by Alexander Raskatov. I think the work reveals some new interesting textures, but I do question whether the composer was in the right frame of mind when writing the work. There are two performances of the reconstruction: Davies (ECM) and Hughes (BIS). Davies sounds better than Hughes to my ears.

*Sorry for any typos, grammatical, and spelling errors in this post, I typed this out pretty fast.

[lescamil]

Just as a reminder, Schnittke's Symphony No. 1 will be performed and broadcasted on BBC Radio 3 on Wednesday.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03f8c83

What. A Program. Nuff said. Even if you don't care for that particular Schnittke, that is one impressive program that the likes of doesn't come around very often.

[Octave]

Well done on the symphonies notes.  Those are actually pieces I know, or have heard, and I'm overdue for another traversal of them.  I'm going to be acquiring several more Schnittke recordings before the end of this year; I'm sure I'll be spending some time trawling this thread.

Semi-OT: I recently watched an Alexander Sokurov film that made use of a Schnittke piece, though I could not identify the work.....aggressively pre-Zornian [sorry!] polystylism.  It was used in one of the two films that are grouped together as ELEGY OF THE LAND.  (I really probably do not recommend the film, btw, unless you are obsessed with ~70s Soviet TV documentaries; the manic, carnivalesque music is rather wasted on endless droning footage of driving along a drab rainy road.)
Actually, looking at films that have used Schnittke's music, it seems maybe he contributed the main theme to Larisa Shepitko's THE ASCENT, a film I did like; but a spare film cue/theme that has haunted me since I first saw the film.  That theme crept into my brain again just a couple days ago, over three years since I'd seen the film.  Schnittke!

[Mirror Image]

Well done on the symphonies notes.  Those are actually pieces I know, or have heard.  I'm going to be acquiring several more Schnittke recordings before the end of this year; I'm sure I'll be spending some time trawling this thread.

Semi-OT: I recently watched an Alexander Sokurov film that made use of a Schnittke piece, though I could not identify the work.....aggressively pre-Zornian [sorry!] polystylism.  It was used in one of the two films that are grouped together as ELEGY OF THE LAND.  (I really probably do not recommend the film, btw, unless you are obsessed with ~70s Soviet TV documentaries; the manic, carnivalesque music is rather wasted on endless droning footage of driving along a drab rainy road.)
Actually, looking at films that have used Schnittke's music, it seems maybe he contributed the main theme to Larisa Shepitko's THE ASCENT, a film I did like; but a spare film cue/theme that has haunted me since I first saw it.  That theme crept into my brain again just a couple days ago, over three years since I'd seen the film.  Schnittke!

Thanks, Octave. If you need any recommendations then you know where to go and who to ask. As for film music, Schnittke, of course, wrote a good bit during the late 1960s and continued to compose them up until his death, although I believe the last film score he composed was Master and the Margarita (I also believe I read somewhere it's co-written by his son Andrei). For many Soviet composers, this was the only viable way to earn a living. I'll have to do some research on that polystylistic piece you heard in that Sokurov film. As far as The Ascent, yes, Schnittke wrote the music for that film.

If you're really interested in the film music, check out Frank Strobel's recordings on CPO and Capriccio. They are quite good.

[madaboutmahler]

I am back!!

Hadn't listened to any Schnittke for a fortnight due to preparing to conduct an afternoon of Mendelssohn and Schumann (which was lovely!!)

Am currently listening to Faust Cantata again (and again, and again, and again!!). Simply incredible stuff, such genius.

Also came across this article, which is an interesting, moving account of Schnittke from his wife. Not sure if anyone else has read it?

http://en.newstyle-mag.com/interview/irina-schnittke-on-the-genius-composer-and-genius-personality-alfred-schnittke.html

[Mirror Image]

I am back!!

Hadn't listened to any Schnittke for a fortnight due to preparing to conduct an afternoon of Mendelssohn and Schumann (which was lovely!!)

Am currently listening to Faust Cantata again (and again, and again, and again!!). Simply incredible stuff, such genius.

Also came across this article, which is an interesting, moving account of Schnittke from his wife. Not sure if anyone else has read it?

http://en.newstyle-mag.com/interview/irina-schnittke-on-the-genius-composer-and-genius-personality-alfred-schnittke.html

Well it's certainly great to see you posting again, Daniel. Yes, Faust Cantata was a stroke of genius on Schnittke's part. Such a brilliant composer. Are you going to be asking for any Schnittke for Christmas this year? If so, I'd be curious to see what you've been looking at.

[AnthonyAthletic]

Am currently listening to Faust Cantata again (and again, and again, and again!!). Simply incredible stuff, such genius.

I haven't heard it in full, but listened to the youtube clip Mike Knight posted a week or so ago.  "Seid nuchtern und wachet" (Faust Cantata); VII

Very agressive, chilling work.  Voices playing off against each other was absolutely brilliant.  If that was movement seven how do the other movements measure up?  I know one shouldn't snippet listen but this totally grabbed me from the off.

Another one for the list.

[snyprrr]

About Schnittke's Concerto for piano and strings:

http://www.youtube.com/v/5vyCc_jFidw

I listened to it yesterday for the first time, it was an absolutely amazing, hauntingly beautiful piece! Great piano virtuosity, the orchestration is really gorgeous, Schnittke handles piano and strings in a splendid way till evoking such an involving, hyptonic atmosphere; the combination and transformation of different harmonic styles are very brilliant, striking, dissonant music which becomes so majestic at some points, the effect is impressive. I love very much how the work, after the slow introduction, slowly comes more and more thrilling and frenzied to an almost false climax that, instead of bursting out into a powerful fortissimo, suddenly shades into silence. Then when it moves again to the second climax, it is even more mesmerizing and suggestive.

That's my most hated Schnittke work, but I've only ever heard the BIS from the library. The endless 'heart attack stabs' just never did it for me, buuuuut, EVERYONE ELSE seems to love this piece. It cooould be the BIS (I haven't heard it in probably a decade- but I do remember really giving it a shot, getting again and again over a period of years). Surely there would be an interpretation completely different from the BIS, I think it's 26mins. long (how do I remember thaaat???)?

It's good to see ol' Alfred get some love on this board lately. He certainly deserves it IMHO.

I've got to mention how thrilling Symphony No. 5 (Concerto Grosso No. 4) is while I'm here. That third movement really is something out of this world. It borderlines the same kind of Expressionistic intensity found in Hartmann's symphonies. You can hear the music, and the man himself, coming apart at the seams. How I wish this kind of emotional intensity was found in more of today's music. These Soviet Era composers were really special and, though, several of them conformed to Soviet musical standards (Kabalevsky, Gliere) there were many that rose to the occasion (Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Myaskovsky, Weinberg, and, of course, Schnittke and most of that later generation like Gubaidulina and Denisov that were composing during the 'thaw').

The Piano Concerto?

btw- enjoyed the Symphonies Post. That Otaka recording really gets slammed, but it's got both on one, and they make an interesting pair. Still...

I've never heard the 8th, but I think I'd rather prefer my mind's interpretation of it rather than actually hearing it. I'm afraid that every note's going to be right where it's supposed to be (which isn't what I want to hear out of him frankly). The only other one I'm not even curious about is No.2, but the rest I just wish I had the $$$ to go for... but, I shouldn't be dreaming about buying right about now, oy vey.

[Karl Henning]

About Schnittke's Concerto for piano and strings:

http://www.youtube.com/v/5vyCc_jFidw

I listened to it yesterday for the first time, it was an absolutely amazing, hauntingly beautiful piece! Great piano virtuosity, the orchestration is really gorgeous, Schnittke handles piano and strings in a splendid way till evoking such an involving, hyptonic atmosphere; the combination and transformation of different harmonic styles are very brilliant, striking, dissonant music which becomes so majestic at some points, the effect is impressive. I love very much how the work, after the slow introduction, slowly comes more and more thrilling and frenzied to an almost false climax that, instead of bursting out into a powerful fortissimo, suddenly shades into silence. Then when it moves again to the second climax, it is even more mesmerizing and suggestive.

Lovely post, thank you!

[not edward]

I think the Concerto for piano and strings is also a good example of Schnittke's music being--as it often is--much more tautly constructed than it might appear on the surface, since formally speaking it appears to be a set of variations on a theme that isn't ever quite fully heard (the last bars of the work are the closest it gets).

I'd like to take a look at the score to 100% confirm that I'm right here, though.

[madaboutmahler]

Well it's certainly great to see you posting again, Daniel. Yes, Faust Cantata was a stroke of genius on Schnittke's part. Such a brilliant composer. Are you going to be asking for any Schnittke for Christmas this year? If so, I'd be curious to see what you've been looking at.

Thanks, John. Absolutely - what a genius! And oh definitely, I'm very keen to get as much Schnittke as possible into my collection. Definitely the symphonies, and various other discs like the one with the Faust Cantata, and then various recordings of the Requiem, Choir Concerto, concerti etc.

What Schnittke work do I listen to next, John?

I haven't heard it in full, but listened to the youtube clip Mike Knight posted a week or so ago.  "Seid nuchtern und wachet" (Faust Cantata); VII

Very agressive, chilling work.  Voices playing off against each other was absolutely brilliant.  If that was movement seven how do the other movements measure up?  I know one shouldn't snippet listen but this totally grabbed me from the off.

Another one for the list.

The whole work is absolutely incredible, Tony. I think the general consensus is that Es geschah is the most awesome, addictable movement, but each movement is fantastic. I particularly also love the slower movement before Es geschah, there's a sense of false beauty to it.. and the last movement is just genius too, ending the work with such simple cadences against a woodblock solo.... such implications can be made from that....

[North Star]

What Schnittke work do I listen to next, John?

Remind us Daniel, which works have you heard? Perhaps a symphony you haven't heard yet?

[lescamil]

I think the Concerto for piano and strings is also a good example of Schnittke's music being--as it often is--much more tautly constructed than it might appear on the surface, since formally speaking it appears to be a set of variations on a theme that isn't ever quite fully heard (the last bars of the work are the closest it gets).

I'd like to take a look at the score to 100% confirm that I'm right here, though.

Hard to say if a theme is ever implied, for most of the piece comes out of that initial grace note motive. It also closely resembles that typical Alberti Bass figure that Schnittke plays with through much of the piece. The score would help you notice it in some sections where a lot of details can get buried in the texture. There are some other explicit allusions to that "theme" in the last few bars before the climax before the cadenza, but can you really call these the theme of the work?

Either way, this is a fascinating work that I love to bits, and you know it's a great work when you can get such divergent analyses of it.

[amw]

I think the Concerto for piano and strings is also a good example of Schnittke's music being--as it often is--much more tautly constructed than it might appear on the surface, since formally speaking it appears to be a set of variations on a theme that isn't ever quite fully heard (the last bars of the work are the closest it gets).

I'd like to take a look at the score to 100% confirm that I'm right here, though.

Hard to say if a theme is ever implied, for most of the piece comes out of that initial grace note motive. It also closely resembles that typical Alberti Bass figure that Schnittke plays with through much of the piece. The score would help you notice it in some sections where a lot of details can get buried in the texture. There are some other explicit allusions to that "theme" in the last few bars before the climax before the cadenza, but can you really call these the theme of the work?

Either way, this is a fascinating work that I love to bits, and you know it's a great work when you can get such divergent analyses of it.

From a cursory glance, I think you're both right, to a certain extent at least.

http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/32084883/Schnittke_Concerto_for_Piano_and_Strings.pdf