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Schnittke – The Ten Symphonies


This album is also available as an album bundle.

BIS is proud to present the only available collection of the complete symphonies by Alfred Schnittke. The recordings, part of the Schnittke Edition begun in 1987, have been brought together in a 6-CD boxed set which also includes an initiated essay by Schnittke’s close associate Alexander Ivashkin: a fascinating chapter in the history of the late 20th-century symphony, at the price of only two discs.

The music of Alfred Schnittke reflects a highly complex and fragile late twentieth-century mentality: a mixture of old and new styles, of modern, post-modern, classical and baroque idioms. Within his oeuvre – which includes three operas, three ballets, six concerti grossi, concertos for various instruments and a great number of chamber works – the symphonic genre holds a special place. The present collection offers a unique opportunity to follow Schnittke’s trajectory as symphonist, from the youthful Symphony No.0 – performed only once (in 1957) before the 2006 recording included here – to the Ninth, which Schnittke composed when he was already severely affected by the series of strokes which would end his life in 1998. As a group the symphonies demonstrate a rare diversity in terms of both style and technique as well as underlying ideas. Symphony No.0 reveals important influences in Schnittke’s music, while Symphony No.1 combines a revolutionary vision and technique with montages of various types of music, forms and genres. In the Second and Fourth Symphonies elements from Roman Catholic liturgy are incorporated, while the Third and the Seventh focus on Germany and contain German ‘symbols’. The Fifth incorporates a concerto grosso, a favourite genre of the composer, as well as a symphony. The Sixth Symphony illustrates Schnittke’s move towards a new, bare and almost ‘minimalist’ musical language, rejecting the large gestures of earlier compositions. The Eighth seems to be addressed to death, while Symphony No.9 shows the new direction in which Alfred Schnittke was heading in his last years, purifying his music and opening it up to new dimensions. The Schnittke Edition on BIS consists of 25 titles, featuring works from a number of genres, the jewel being the present recordings of the complete symphonies.
 
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$ 64.24
 
Extra material for download
 
 
Disc 1
 
  Composer: Schnittke, Alfred
  Symphony No. 1 (1972) 76:43
01 I. Senza tempo 21:22 $ 3.21 USD
02 II. Allegretto 14:46 $ 2.22 USD
03 III. Lento 08:59 $ 1.35 USD
04 IV. Lento 27:16 $ 4.09 USD
05 Applause 04:20 $ 0.65 USD
 
 
Disc 2
 
  Composer: Schnittke, Alfred
  Symphony No. 2, ‘St Florian’ (1979–80) 59:18
01 I. Kyrie. Recitativo 10:31 $ 1.58 USD
02 II. Gloria. Maestoso 05:11 $ 0.78 USD
03 III. Credo. Moderato 08:50 $ 1.33 USD
04 IV. Crucifixus. Pesante 08:24 $ 1.26 USD
05 [IV. Coda] Et resurrexit. Agitato – Maestoso 03:37 $ 0.54 USD
06 V. [Introduction] Sanctus & Benedictus. Andante 03:57 $ 0.59 USD
07 [V. cont.]. Andante 08:00 $ 1.20 USD
08 VI. Agnus Dei. Andante 10:48 $ 1.62 USD
 
 
Disc 3
 
  Composer: Schnittke, Alfred
  Symphony No. 3 (1981) 48:34
01 I. Einleitung 11:54 $ 1.79 USD
02 II. Sonatensatz. Allegro 12:30 $ 1.88 USD
03 III. Scherzo. Allegretto 07:15 $ 1.09 USD
04 IV. Finale. Adagio 16:55 $ 2.54 USD
 
  Symphony No. 7 (1993) 21:28
05 I. Andante 05:00 $ 0.75 USD
06 II. Largo 02:31 $ 0.38 USD
07 III. Allegro 13:57 $ 2.09 USD
 
 
Disc 4
 
  Composer: Schnittke, Alfred
  Symphony No. 4 (1984) Version for counter-tenor, tenor,
mixed choir and orchestra
41:13
01 Andante poco pesante – 09:00 $ 1.35 USD
02 ‘Cadenza’ – 04:33 $ 0.68 USD
03 Moderato – 04:39 $ 0.70 USD
04 Molto pesante – Moderato – 11:39 $ 1.75 USD
05 Vivo – 01:15 $ 0.19 USD
06 Moderato – Andante poco pesante – 05:02 $ 0.76 USD
07 ‘Coro’ 05:05 $ 0.76 USD
 
  Concerto Grosso No. 4/Symphony No. 5 39:00
08 I. Allegro 04:39 $ 0.70 USD
09 II. Allegretto 08:38 $ 1.30 USD
10 III. Lento – Allegro 16:34 $ 2.49 USD
11 IV. Lento 09:09 $ 1.37 USD
 
 
Disc 5
 
  Composer: Schnittke, Alfred
  Symphony No. 6 (1992) 33:08
01 I. Allegro moderato 13:50 $ 2.08 USD
02 II. Presto 04:07 $ 0.62 USD
03 III. Adagio 10:08 $ 1.52 USD
04 IV. Allegro vivace 05:03 $ 0.76 USD
 
  Symphony No. 8 (1994) 35:42
05 I. Moderato 08:35 $ 1.29 USD
06 II. Allegro moderato 04:19 $ 0.65 USD
07 III. Lento 15:59 $ 2.40 USD
08 IV. Allegro moderato 05:07 $ 0.77 USD
09 V. Lento 01:42 $ 0.26 USD
 
 
Disc 6
 
  Composer: Schnittke, Alfred
  Symphony No. 0 (1956–57) 40:07
01 I. Allegro ma non troppo 12:58 $ 1.95 USD
02 II. Allegro vivace 07:08 $ 1.07 USD
03 III. Andante 10:26 $ 1.57 USD
04 IV. Allegro 09:35 $ 1.44 USD
 
  Symphony No. 9 (1997) Reconstruction by Alexander Raskatov (2006) 33:01
05 I. [Andante] 18:03 $ 2.71 USD
06 II. Moderato 07:57 $ 1.19 USD
07 III. Presto 07:01 $ 1.05 USD
 
  Album total 433:59
ComposerSchnittke, Alfred
PianoDominique, Carl-Axel
Negro, Lucia
ViolinKallenberg, Ben
TromboneLännerholm, Åke
OrchestraBBC National Orchestra of Wales
Cape Philharmonic Orchestra
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Norrköping Symphony Orchestra
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
ConductorHughes, Owain Arwel
Jia, Lü
Järvi, Neeme
Kamu, Okko
Klas, Eri
Otaka, Tadaaki
Segerstam, Leif
ChoirMikaeli Kammarkör
Uppsala Academic Chamber Choir
Counter-tenorBellini, Mikael
TenorEliasson, Goran
Parkman, Stefan
AltoErnman, Malena
BassBorelius, Torkel
EnsembleStockholm Sinfonietta

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