Schnittke: Cello Concerto No. 2/(K)ein Sommernachtstraum

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Alfred Schnittke's extraordinary--and now legendary--compositional adroitness is brilliantly displayed in the two pieces on this new Chandos release. The Cello Concerto No. 2 (1990) contains some of this (or any) century's most difficult writing for the instrument. (Indeed, it's almost as if Schnittke wants to see just how far he can push the cello as an instrument.) The soloist here is Alexander Ivashkin, whose ability to traverse this demanding landscape mirrors that of Mstislav Rostropovich, the only other performance of the concerto in print worth mentioning. The Chandos ambiance--also legendary--has never sounded more full-bodied and expressive. It clearly supersedes the Sony recording. Schnittke fans will also like the satirical (K)ein Sommernachtstraum--or (Not) A Midsummer Night's Dream--of 1985, a kitschy masterpiece. --Paul Cook

Schnittke: Cello Concerto No. 2/(K)ein Sommernachtstraum, Music, Alexander Ivashkin, Alfred Schnittke, Valery Polyansky, Russian State Symphony Orchestra, 20th/21st Century Orchestral Work with Descriptive Title, Cello Concerto, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Concerto, Orchestral, Orchestral & Symphonic

Schnittke-Concerto Grosso No. 2/Viola Concerto
Average customer rating:

Striking

Two 1980s "polystylism" pieces in truly definitive performance

fantastic performances of two Schnittke works for strings

Schnittke-Concerto Grosso No. 2/Viola Concerto
Alfred Schnittke , Oleg Kagan , Natalia Gutman , Gennadi Rozhdestvensky , and Yuri Bashmet
Manufacturer: Moscow Studio
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Alfred Schnittke: Symphony No. 4/Three Sacred Hymns

Kremer Plays Schnittke

ASIN: B0002IQMO8
Release Date: 2004-09-07

Tracks:

I. Andantino. Allegro
II. Pesante
III. Allegro
IV. Andantino
I. Largo
II. Allegro Molto
III. Largo

Album Description

The term "authentic performance" is tossed around loosely these days, but here is a historic recording as "original" and "authentic" as has ever been produced. The Concerto Grosso No. 2 was composed by Alfred Schnittke expressly for violinist Oleg Kagan and his wife, cellist Natalia Gutman, who are the soloists here. The Viola Concerto was written by Schnittke for violist Yuri Bashment, who performs it here.

These works are representative examples of Schnittke's "polystylism," scored for conventional orchestra augmented by electric guitar, drum kit, brake drum and other instruments not usually heard in "classical" music.

Customer Reviews:

Striking.......2006-12-10

I am new to Schnittke and I bought this album really out of curiosity. His music is unique and has to be heard as it contains some of the most strikingly beautiful melodies I have ever stumbled across. The quality of audio is also top class...

Two 1980s "polystylism" pieces in truly definitive performance.......2005-08-20

This disc, part of the Moscow Studio Archives series of groundbreaking Soviet performances, collects two works by the late Alfred Schnittke, his Second Concerto Grosso for violin, cello, and orchestra, and the Viola Concerto. They are performed by the dedicatees themselves with the USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gennady Rozhdestvensky. In the early 1980s, Schnittke was exploring a style he called "polystylism", a Russian answer to postmodernism in which modern elements mingle effortlessly with quotations from the works of centuries past. The works here serve as fit examples of this intriguing method of composition.

The "Concerto Grosso No. 2" for violin, cello, and orchestra was written for the Soviet dynamic duo of violinist Oleg Kagan and his wife the cellist Natalie Gutman, a legendary partnership that ended with Kagan's untimely death. Schnittke's first concerto grosso was a stately and serious piece in which a distinctly modern tone was occasionally invaded by quotation from baroque works. This second concerto grosso, on the other hand, is comical. The violin begans by playing the well-known tune "Silent Night" before the orchestra brashly interrupts with a quotation from Bach's Sixth Brandenburg Concerto. The work then becomes positively zany as electric guitar and a rock drum kit join in the performance of the Handel quotation. Over the first movement, tension is built by pairing baroque writing and more Handel quotations against menacing modern moments. In the second movement, "Silent Night" returns, but it becomes ever more obvious that orchestral forces are out to stop the tune from reaching the listener. In the third movement, the Brandenburg quotation waltzes triumphantly over the scene, but eventually collapses under its own weight, letting "Silent Night" return at the end without impediment. This performance by the work's dedicatees is certainly much better than a recent one on Chandos with Gridenko and Ivashkin, which is unlistenable in comparison.

The "Viola Concerto" was written in 1985 especially for Yuri Bashmet, the most renown violist of the 1980s and 1990s, and one credited with the rebirth of writing for the instrument. The concerto is in a standard three movements, but is noteworthy for using no violins, which lends a poignant tone to the work, which must depend on low strings. The opening movement is sorrowful, with an opening motive based on Bashmet's name. The middle movement is quintessential Schnittke, a blend of colours and styles (waltzes, military marches, elegies, romantic tearjeakers) that are incongruent yet strangely complementary to each other. However, the viola is battered by the many orchestral forces, and in the long, drawn-out last movement he slowly expires as from a mortal wound.The Viola Concerto is a downer, a piece that charts Schnittke's fascination with pain and death as well as anything else he wrote in the last fifteen years of his life. This piece is not as immediately entertaining as the concerto grosso, but in the end is perhaps superior.

All in all this is an exceptional disc and a wonderfully economic purchase. It may also serve as an important document of art under Communism, as the soloists are continually beaten up by great impersonal forces. If you've never heard the work of Alfred Schnittke before, pick this up as a fine introduction, although the Deutsche Grammaphon disc (part of the "Echo 20/21" series) with Gidon Kremer playing in two other concerti grossi is a good buy as well.

fantastic performances of two Schnittke works for strings.......2005-06-12

This release in the valuable new Moscow Studio Archives series includes two superb performances, and the first recordings of both works -- the "Concerto Grosso No. 2" and the "Viola Concerto." Both are performed by their dedicatees, violinist Oleg Kagan and cellist Natalie Gutman, who were married, and violist Yuri Bashmet. Gennady Rozhdestvensky conducts the USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra for both recordings, from 1986 and 1987.

Like the CG1, the CG2 is full of wild, polystylistic elements, including electric guitar and drums playing funk rock and a reference to Bach's Fifth Brandenburg Concerto. The core contrast is the violin and cello playing Silent Night (the sacred), interrupted again and again by a barrage of loud, grotesque and quite profane outbursts from orchestra and percussion, until the quiet, worshipful melody finally reasserts itself in the end. While certainly not Schnittke's finest composition, Kagan and Gutman in this performance best capture the sacred standpoint against which all the other mayhem surges. The more recent recording by Ivashkin and Polyansky (paired with Schnittke's Symphony No. 6 -- see my review) is more superficial, as it fails to establish the ground against which the dizzying array of parodic figures is contrasted.

The "Viola Concerto," written for Bashmet, is clearly one of Schnittke's finest works, lyrical melodrama at its best. Bashmet's performances from the beginning were wildly popular, and established his reputation as a world-class violist. He has recorded it again, as has Kim Kashkashian, and I haven't heard any of the alternative performances, but this one, the first, is powerful and moving.

This disc is absolutely superb, essential for Schnittke devotees and highly recommended to anyone coming to his music for the first time!

Schnittke: Cello Concerto No.2; In Memoriam

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Cello Concerto No.2: sublime!

Schnittke: Cello Concerto No.2; In Memoriam

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Schnittke-Concerto Grosso No. 2/Viola Concerto
Alfred Schnittke: Concerto Grosso No. 4 - Symphony No. 5 / Pianissimo for Large Orchestra
Kremer Plays Schnittke

ASIN: B0000027X0
Release Date: 1992-06-02

Tracks:

Concerto For Violoncello And Orchestra No. 2: I. Moderato
Concerto For Violoncello And Orchestra No. 2: II. Allegro
Concerto For Violoncello And Orchestra No. 2: III: Lento
Concerto For Violoncello And Orchestra No. 2: IV: Allegretto vivo
Concerto For Violoncello And Orchestra No. 2: V: Grave
In memoriam...: I: Moderato
In memoriam...: II: Tempo di Valse
In memoriam...: III: Andante
In memoriam...: IV: Lento
In memoriam...: V: Moderato pastorale

Amazon.com essential recording

Schnittke (b. 1934) has been called a "magician" for his nearly magical evocation of this century's most advanced musical styles. As a polystylist, he employs any mode that suits the music. He can have stretches of atonality and harsh serialism, then launch into passages of utter tonal beauty. This is a good disc that contains those features. The Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra 2 (1990) is a tense, difficult work, very demanding for the soloist (it was written for Mstislav Rostropovich). In Memoriam (1979) was originally a piano quintet, but Gennady Rozhdestvensky wanted it orchestrated. It is one of Schnittke's greatest compositions. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews:

Cello Concerto No.2: sublime!.......2001-11-06

This recording of Cello Concerto No.2 is the first recording to come out of this amazing concerto. Written in 1990 Rostropovitch and Osawa are giving their best in 1992 to understand a complex work. Recent recording such as Ivashkin on Chandos may give a clearer vision of the work, although the jury is still out. However the 4th and 5th mvt in the Rostropovitch recording are haunted like nowhere else. This makes it a MUST have recording for Schnittke fans. I heard the piece performed in concert in January 2001 by Torleif Thedeen Cello, in London and this was superb too (check his BIS recording of it).

Today April 27, 2007 Rostropovich left us to join his best friends. I listened again to this recording and I wish to add to my 2001 review. I think the reason this performance might be a bit more difficult to apprehend at first is because of its incredible depth. Other recordings tend to simplify or brush off certain aspects and thus bring instant gratification. However, and without any doubt, Rostropovich/Osawa recording IS the definitive recording of this monumental piece. The clarity of the orchestration, the noble, steely yet deeply humane cello playing, the quality of recording and the organic music are unmatched. Listening to Slava in the Dvorak with Karajan was Slava's earthly journey, while the Schnittke concerto represnts where Slava now is.

This recording is a MUST listen for all.

Schnittke-Concerto Grosso No. 1/Cello Concerto

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Two excellent works performed by the dedicatees themselves
essential recordings for Schnittke devotees

Schnittke-Concerto Grosso No. 1/Cello Concerto

Manufacturer: Moscow Studio
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Schnittke: Cello Concerto No.2; In Memoriam

ASIN: B0001EFTII
Release Date: 2004-03-02

Tracks:

I. Prelude
II. Toccata
III. Recitative
IV. Cadence
V. Rondo
VI. Postlude
I. Pesante. Moderato
II. Largo
III. Allegro Vivace
IV. Largo

Album Description

Concerto Grosso No. 1 (1977) is one of the most significant works of Alfred Schnittke. The basis of it is integration of different musical periods ranging from the epoch of Gregorian chorale and Renaissance to modern time. They create a peculiar type of integrity which the composer himself called "polystylistics".

Customer Reviews:

Two excellent works performed by the dedicatees themselves.......2006-06-11

This disc, part of the Moscow Studio Archives series of significant Soviet performances, collects two works by the late Alfred Schnittke, his First Concerto Grosso, and his Cello Concerto No. 1. They are performed by the dedicatees themselves, Tatiana Gridenko and Gidon Kremer in the concerto grosso (with Yuri Bashmet conducting the Moscow Philharmonic Society Soloists Ensemble) , and Natalia Gutman in the cello concerto (with Gennady Rozhdestvensky conducting the USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra).

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Schnittke was exploring a style he called "polystylism", a Russian answer to postmodernism in which modern elements mingle effortlessly with quotations from the works of centuries past. The "Concerto Grosso No. 1" is a fit example of such writing. Written for two violins, harpsichord, prepared piano, and strings, it combines angular, modern writing from the soloists with the pure tonalism of Vivaldi, Mozart, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky and even Webern and the favourite tango of the composer's grandmother. Describing this can only make the work sound enormously inconsistent, but in fact all these disparate parts overcome their contradictions and join together in a whole which is quite moving and thought-provoking. Kremer and Grindenko has performed this work several times, and I'm especially familiar with a recording with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe conducted by Heinrich Schiff on Deutsche Grammophon. Still, the one here remains my favourite, since Bashmet's conducting and the quality of the recording gives the work a jarring realization that shows well why Schnittke drew the ire of the conservative forces in the Soviet musical bureacracy.

In 1985 Schnittke suffered the first of a series of disabling strokes, and his writing broke the connection with the past of the polystylism phase and became intensely personal. The "Cello Concerto No. 1" is one of the first works he wrote after the stroke. The first three movements are closely connected with the pre-stroke Viola Concerto written earlier that year in that both involve "suicide by orchestra" for the soloist. The cellist weaves poignant melodies and seems involved in a search for truth, while the orchestra goes on with everyday brash notes. The confrontation between the two leaves the soloist drained of all strength, and at the end only the orchestra survives. But unlike the viola concerto there is a remarkable ressurection, for the fourth movement, "largo" and quite long at 13 minutes, has the cello rise through a passacaglia from death to victory. This is an incredible ending. I'm not a fan of all of the late Schnittke--works like the sixth symphony seem to go nowhere--but this concerto shows that even after 1985 he remained at the height of his powers.

The two pieces here are among Schnittke's best, although I think that the works on the other MSA release (the "Concerto Grosso No. 2" and the "Viola Concerto") are even better. Both discs are highly recommended listening for any fan of contemporary music.

essential recordings for Schnittke devotees.......2005-06-12

This release in the valuable new Moscow Studio Archives series includes the 1986 premiere recording of Schnittke's "Cello Concerto No. 1" and a live 1988 recording of the well-known "Concerto Grosso No. 1" that is the earliest recording currently available, though certainly there must be an earlier recording of the 1977 composition somewhere.

Gidon Kremer and Tatiana Grindenko are the violinists on CG1, with Yuri Bashmet conducting a Moscow ensemble live in St. Petersburg. (This is the same recording as the one on the Col Legno Collage series Schnittke disc that was released in 2000 -- it has an orange cover.) This is an impassioned version of Schnittke's polystylistic work, which includes harpsichord and prepared piano, Baroque passages as well as a brief section of a tango. While essential for the Schnittke devotee, I would recommend the studio recording from later in 1988 in Berlin, also featuring Kremer and Grindenko, for someone looking for the single best version. (It can be found on the DG 20/21 Echo disc called CONCERTI GROSSI NOS. 1 & 5 -- see my review.) While not as intense, it is much better recorded, with no noisy audience, and the orchestral playing is better.

The story for the Cello Concerto is similar. This is the first recording, by Natalie Gutman, the dedicatee, with Gennadi Rozhdestvensky conducting the USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra. Gutman had premiered the work live in Munich earlier in the year. While historic, and excellent in its own right, a much better 1999 recording was recently issued on the Chandos label, with Alexander Ivashkin on cello, and Valeri Polyansky conducting the Russian State Symphony Orchestra (paired with Schnittke's Symphony No. 7 -- see my review). Ivashkin's tone is rich and singing, while Gutman is rawer, and Polyansky, who is gradually recording all of Schnittke's symphonies for Chandos, leads the orchestra to a deeper and richer performance than Rozhdestvensky.

In summary then, these are important historic recordings, but not the first choice for either work.

Schnittke: Symphony 6 / Concerto Grosso 2 / Polyansky

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As with all Chandos' i Schinttke
An inaccessible symphony and a poor performance of a good concerto grosso
elegant tragedy, superbly performed and recorded
The Sixth, finally!

Schnittke: Symphony 6 / Concerto Grosso 2 / Polyansky
Alfred Schnittke , Tatiana Gridenko , Alexander Ivashkin , Valery Polyansky , and Russian State Symphony Orchestra
Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0001IXRS8
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Tracks:

I Allegro Moderato - Russian State Symphony Orchestra
II Presto - Russian State Symphony Orchestra
II Adagio - - Russian State Symphony Orchestra
IV Allegro Vivace - Russian State Symphony Orchestra
I Andantino - Allegro - Alexander Ivashkin
II Pesante - Alexander Ivashkin
III Allegro - Alexander Ivashkin
IV Andantino - Alexander Ivashkin

Customer Reviews:

As with all Chandos' i Schinttke.......2006-03-31

Very fine performance.
I'll leave the other reviews to talk about the works and performances.
To those who do not know Schnittke, work your way through Shostakovich first, don't jump ahead.
For those who are stuck in the classical/romantic eras, avoid Schnittke, its not for you. For those who who know Varese, second viennese school, Elliot Carter, some Messiaen, Pettersson, I believe you will come around to Schnittke.
Its eclectic with a broad range of musical arrangements of ideas.
For me at least, Schnittke, like pettersson speaks the language of the modern life. Modern man is facing very tough issues and is resulting in early life stage heart attacks, cancer, and deep depression. Well god gave us music to deal with this evil.
Pettersson and Schnittke are 2 composers that can help you in life's struggles.
Also liked to make note to Schnittke fans, you definetly want to get a copy of the book, A Schnittke Reader, edited by Ivashkin. Music students as well need to read this book.
Schnittke is the only composer I know that not only scored music of high genius, from beginning to end for the most part, not a dud in his entire ouvre, but as well wrote comments on life, modern culture, and music that is profound and pentrating.
A must read..
Kindly

Paul

An inaccessible symphony and a poor performance of a good concerto grosso.......2005-08-17

This Chandos disc contains two works by Alfred Schnittke, the Sixth Symphony and the Second Concerto Grosso performed by Russian State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Valeri Polyansky, with Tatiana Gridenko and Alexander Ivashkin in the solo parts of the concerto.

The four-movement "Symphony No. 6" dates from 1992, after the composer's second stroke. As with many of his late works, the symphony is grim and sparsely written, and lacks the extensive use of quotations which marked his works of the 1970s and 1980s. The symphony at its hard is an instrumental meditation on evil, it was composed at the same time that Schnittke was working on his Faust opera, but he also intended it to convey the idea of struggle and fatigue so that the audience could understand in what kind of state this sickly man was working. While some of the writing for strings is admirable, I find this work very difficult to enjoy, especially because the opening movement takes nearly 15 minutes to get anywhere. It certainly doesn't have the accessibility of most of Schnittke's oeuvre.

The second work present is Schnittke's "Concerto Grosso No. 2" for violin, cello, and orchestra, originally written for the Soviet dynamic duo of violinist Oleg Kagan and his wife the cellist Natalie Gutman. An electrifying recording of a performance with these two can be had in the Moscow Studio Archives series. Schnittke's first concerto grosso was a stately and serious piece in which a distinctly modern tone was occasionally invaded by quotation from baroque works. This second concerto grosso, on the other hand, is comical. The violin begans by playing the well-known tune "Silent Night" before the orchestra brashly interrupts with a quotation from Bach's Sixth Brandenburg Concerto. The work then becomes positively zany as electric guitar and a rock drum kit join in the performance of the Handel quotation. Over the first movement, tension is built by pairing baroque writing and more Handel quotations against menacing modern moments. In the second movement, "Silent Night" returns, but it becomes ever more obvious that orchestral forces are out to stop the tune from reaching the listener. In the third movement, the Brandenburg quotation waltzes triumphantly over the scene, but eventually collapses under its own weight, letting "Silent Night" return at the end without impediment.

Unfortunately, this performance by Tatiana Grindenko on violin and Alexander Ivashkin on cello distorts the work heavily. Gone is the brashness of the piece, the comical theatrics of the components' incompatibility, and instead we get a very even and humourless performance. While the Chandos line of recordings of Schnittke works has gained some praise, this disc isn't a must-have Schnittke purchase. If you've never heard the work of this iconoclastic Russian composer, I'd suggest the aforemention MSA recording of the Second Concerto Grosso or the DG disc (part of the "Echo 20/21" series) with Gidon Kremer performing on two other concerti grossi.

elegant tragedy, superbly performed and recorded.......2005-06-12

Here is a superb performance of "late Schnittke," Symphony No. 6, composed in 1992, after the composer's second stroke. Written for a chamber orchestra, it is an elegant, streamlined, deeply tragic work. The Sixth follows a traditional form -- allegro, presto, adagio, allegro vivace -- and that introduces an element of dissonance by leading the ear to expect what it does not receive, and that is any sort of standard resolution. Instead, there is only brokenness, and tortured hope before the void.

This is the latest in the Chandos series of Schnittke symphonies with Valeri Polyansky conducting the Russian State Symphony Orchestra. I have heard four of them so far, and they are uniformly stunning. Polyansky has yet to record Schnittke's 3rd or 5th, and I hope he is the first to record the 9th, one of the last compositions before the composer's death in 1998. I look forward to these with great anticipation -- though there are recordings of the 3rd and 5th on the Swedish BIS label, I am waiting on Chandos and Polyansky.

This disc also includes a new recording of the "Concerto grosso No. 2," featuring Tatiana Grindenko on violin and Alexander Ivashkin on cello. It's not bad, but the original recording with Oleg Kagan and Natalie Gutman is much better, warmer and more compelling -- see my review of that recording in the Moscow Studio Archives series, paired with the amazing first recording of the "Viola Concerto" by Yuri Bashmet.

The Sixth, finally!.......2004-05-19

Thanks to Poliansky conducting an impeccable orchestra splendidly recorded, Schnittke's enigmatic sixth symphony comes to life. Forgotten the babble of the previous bis recording of this work: now the orchestral colors are revealed. Close to the 5 aphorisms for piano, the structure is ascetic and borrow a theme from the St Florian, second symphony and expand it to the point of disjointing it with long pauses. One may think of Tarkovsky in the way Schnittke explores in this arduous work.

So why only 4 stars?
Because of the Concerto Grosso number 2 hysterical rendition by Gridenko and Ivashkin. One can only recall what musicians like Oleg Kagan and Gutman brought to this wonderful music (Russian recording, USSR ministry of Culture Symphony Orch. Rozhdestvensky conducting 1986/87) to measure our loss... Here: lost the humour, the lyricism, the mystery and the music alltogether. Too bad since the pairing was quite smart, Poliansky was again amazing and the recording quality superb.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful music.......2006-05-13

This Cd is a must have for anyone interested in Schnittke's music. Not only the presence of the composer during the recording sessions is a guarantee that the works will be performed as intended, but also this disc has a very special performance of the piano sonata n.2 by Irina Schnittke the composer's wife, dedicatee of the work.
The piece breathes life as opposed to Berman cold, intellectual rendition.
This approach to his piano work reminds me of Svetlana Ponomareva first sonata performance recently released at ponomarevapianist.com.
Rostropovich conducting on the English Chamber Orchestra is sensitive while Lubotsky, perhaps not as organically interesting as Kagan delivers a good performance.

Alfred Schnittke: Concerto Grosso No. 3 / Sonata for Violin & Chamber Orchestra / Trio Sonata (arranged by Yuri Bashmet for String Orchestra)

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Alfred Schnittke: Concerto Grosso No. 3 / Sonata for Violin & Chamber Orchestra / Trio Sonata (arranged by Yuri Bashmet for String Orchestra)
Alfred Schnittke , Lev Markiz , Christian Bergqvist , Patrik Swedrup , Tale Olsson , Christian Bergqvist , Stockholm Chamber Orchestra , and Mayumi Kamata
Manufacturer: Bis
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Schnittke: Symphony 6 / Concerto Grosso 2 / Polyansky
Faust Cantata

ASIN: B0000016HS
Release Date: 1994-04-04

Tracks:

I. Allegro
II. Risoluto
III. Pesante
IV. Pesante
V. Moderato
I. Andante
II. Allegretto
III. Largo
IV. Allegretto Scherzando
I. Moderato
II. Adagio

Alfred Schnittke: Cello Concerto No. 2; Concerto Grosso No. 2

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Alfred Schnittke: Cello Concerto No. 2; Concerto Grosso No. 2

Manufacturer: Bis
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Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000016IL
Release Date: 1994-10-12

Tracks:

I. Moderato (Attacca)
II. Allegro (Attacca)
III. Lento (Attacca)
IV. Allegretto Vivo (Attacca)
V. Grave
I. 6/1. Andantino - 6/2. Allegro
II. Pesante (Leading Into)
III. Allegro (Leading Into)
IV. Andantino

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Highlights from Alternatives

Manufacturer: Art & Electronics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Percussion | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00000DWJ6
Release Date: 1988-01-01

Tracks:

Concerning Water, Dead and Alive, Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra
Calcium Light Night
Symphony No. 2 for Flute, Piano, Strings and Percussion
Moldavian Dance, Improvisiation for Saxophone - Simon Schirman
Sonata of Meidiation, for Percussion Ensemble-3rd MVT. Evening
Wenn Bach Bienen Gezuchtet Hatte-Tabula Rasa and Fratres
Garden of Joy and Sadness, for Chamber Orchestra-Excerpt (Trio for ...)
Remembrances of Alpine Rose
Sonorous Letters, for Solo Cello - Alexandr Ivashkin, Ivan Monigetti
Three Pieces for Two Pianos
Music from Behind a Wall
Trivium for Organ - Akif Abjullayev, Alexei Lubimov, Marina Naldshan, Victoria Postnikova

Schnittke: Cello Concerto No. 2/(K)ein Sommernachtstraum

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Read Chris' comments about the power and spirituality
Retrovisions on Future Events

Schnittke: Cello Concerto No. 2/(K)ein Sommernachtstraum

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Alfred Schnittke: Symphony No. 4/Three Sacred Hymns
Schnittke: Symphony No. 1
Schnittke: Symphony No. 8; Concerto grosso No. 6

ASIN: B00000IYNB
Release Date: 1999-05-18

Tracks:

Cello Concerto No. 2: I Moderato-
Cello Concerto No. 2: II Allegro
Cello Concerto No. 2: III Lento-
Cello Concerto No. 2: IV Allegretto mino-
Cello Concerto No. 2: V Grave
(K)ein Sommernachtstraum: (Not) A Midsummer Night's Dream

Amazon.com

Alfred Schnittke's extraordinary--and now legendary--compositional adroitness is brilliantly displayed in the two pieces on this new Chandos release. The Cello Concerto No. 2 (1990) contains some of this (or any) century's most difficult writing for the instrument. (Indeed, it's almost as if Schnittke wants to see just how far he can push the cello as an instrument.) The soloist here is Alexander Ivashkin, whose ability to traverse this demanding landscape mirrors that of Mstislav Rostropovich, the only other performance of the concerto in print worth mentioning. The Chandos ambiance--also legendary--has never sounded more full-bodied and expressive. It clearly supersedes the Sony recording. Schnittke fans will also like the satirical (K)ein Sommernachtstraum--or (Not) A Midsummer Night's Dream--of 1985, a kitschy masterpiece. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews:

Read Chris' comments about the power and spirituality.......2006-04-15

OF Schnittke's genius.There's not much I can add to his convincing testimony of the tremendous heights and depths that Schnittke takes the soul.
Read all my comments on Schnittke.
I now have complete Schnittke. Almost all of BIS, Chandos, Melodyia, RCA, and a few others. 29 cd set's in all.
When I discovered Schnittke late last yr, 05, I made an all out effort to research every recording made of Schnittke's music. With countless hours on the net, I have managed to locate almost every great Schnittke work and the finer recordings.
Schnittke will be known as one of the greatest 20th century composers.
His Star is on the ascent.

Retrovisions on Future Events.......2001-05-09

It must have been 1992, one Thursday afternoon I sat waiting in my car for the postoffice to open after lunch. I had Radio 3 on, and caught about the last 20 minutes of a new kind of music that frankly mesmerized me. It lead to my studying music theory and composition so you can say it was a pivotal determining event in my life. Up to that moment, my knowledge of modern classical music was restricted to Bartok, Stravinsky, Reich and various "filmcomposers" [there are hidden masterpieces to be found here!]. Schnittke opened my eyes forever. The cello concerto is no more difficult than Eine Kleine Nachtmusik: it transports the listener to a state of transcendental consciousness. Let me put it this way: it sometimes happens that you come out of a (movie)theatre or out of a book with your senses so sharpened you seem to be able to grasp the inner and outer limits of your existence. This composition does the same. Schnittke unleashes the same dramatic power as say Gustav Mahler in his 6th. In a way, Mahler was in a similar emotional position as Schnittke: always a foreigner. "As a Bohemian in Austria, as an Austrian in Germany and as a Jew all over the world". Yet no Weltschmerz here, but a composer whose fights against ill health [which he ultimately lost in 1996-and another link to Mahler] reaffirmed his will to live. This concerto will change your view on contemporary music forever.

Lockenhaus Collection [Philips Digital Classics]

Average customer rating:

Lockenhaus Collection [Philips Digital Classics]
Heinz Holliger (oboe) , Gidon Kremer (violin) , Erwin Schulhoff (composer) , Franz Schubert , and Alfred Schnittke
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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