Schnittke: Choir Concerto; Voices of Nature; Minnesang

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
If the idea of an unaccompanied choral work, sung in Russian and lasting more than 40 minutes, sounds like hard work, don't be too quick to dismiss it. Schnittke's Choir Concerto (1984-85) has the unmistakable whiff of greatness and is unquestionably one of his most compelling achievements. It finds him in ecstatic mode, setting eloquent prayers by a 10th-century Armenian poet. The result is mellifluous, compelling, and quite overwhelming. Technically and musically, it's a real challenge to any choir, let alone an amateur one such as the Holst Singers. All credit, then, to conductor Stephen Layton for turning fine individual singers into a group of the first rank.

Two other works bulk out the disc. Voices of Nature is a short, wordless piece for 10 female voices with the ghostly addition of a vibraphone. It's the earliest composition here (1972) and the very embodiment of the simplicity that Schnittke had newly embraced. Minnesang is a clear precursor of the Choir Concerto, both technically and musically, with the 52 voices honed with intense precision to powerful effect. But it's the Concerto that makes this disc indispensable. Rather like the Górecki Third Symphony phenomenon a few years back, the Concerto has the potential to become a cult work, and this performance more than does it justice. --Harriet Smith

Amazon.com

If the idea of an unaccompanied choral work, sung in Russian and lasting more than 40 minutes, sounds like hard work, don't be too quick to dismiss it. Schnittke's Choir Concerto (1984-85) has the unmistakable whiff of greatness and is unquestionably one of his most compelling achievements. It finds him in ecstatic mode, setting eloquent prayers by a 10th-century Armenian poet. The result is mellifluous, compelling, and quite overwhelming. Technically and musically, it's a real challenge to any choir, let alone an amateur one such as the Holst Singers. All credit, then, to conductor Stephen Layton for turning fine individual singers into a group of the first rank.

Two other works bulk out the disc. Voices of Nature is a short, wordless piece for 10 female voices with the ghostly addition of a vibraphone. It's the earliest composition here (1972) and the very embodiment of the simplicity that Schnittke had newly embraced. Minnesang is a clear precursor of the Choir Concerto, both technically and musically, with the 52 voices honed with intense precision to powerful effect. But it's the Concerto that makes this disc indispensable. Rather like the Górecki Third Symphony phenomenon a few years back, the Concerto has the potential to become a cult work, and this performance more than does it justice. --Harriet Smith

Customer Reviews:

A decent recording, yet not outstanding.......2002-10-12

This recording is a nicely polished performance of fantastic choral music. If you don't know the choral music of Alfred Schnittke, you are in for a treat. The notes are all there, which can be the hardest part in singing Schnittke.
One important thing is missing. It took me a while to figure out what bothers me about this recording, and I think that it can all be summed up in one word: shallow. This recording misses all of the depth in Schnittke's music. The singing, while accurate, is a bit too whistling and straight for this deeply personal music. The earth doesn't open up when this choir hits a climax; the listener just gets hit with a wall of sound. In the end, it just seems like the chorus misses the point; there is more to this music than getting the notes.
I know the Choir Concerto well. By far, the best performance of this piece I have heard was by the Swedish Radio Choir in concert in Ann Arbor. I anxiously await them to record this stunning piece. The best recording of this Concerto on disc is the Polyansky; just ignore the sopranos in their highest register.

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

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