This recording features two significant works by Alfred Schnittke. The Requiem (1975), originally conceived as instrumental material for a piano quintet, evolved into a deeply moving vocal work rooted in liturgical tradition. Schnittke infused the traditional Requiem text with modern expression and inserted a Credo, creating a dramatic, emotionally charged, and spiritually layered composition that reflects both personal loss and universal themes of death and salvation. The Symphony No. 4 (1984) carries a more conceptual and symbolic design. It draws its structure from the Catholic rosary—five joyful, five sorrowful, and five glorious mysteries—while also representing the musical languages of Orthodox, Catholic, and Lutheran Christianity, as well as their shared Old Testament roots. The symphony weaves together four thematic “intonation spheres” using abstract systems of linked tetrachords and trichords, forming a unique spiritual and musical journey. Performed by the Uppsala Academic Chamber Choir and the Stockholm Sinfonietta under conductor Stefan Parkman, this album highlights Schnittke’s synthesis of Western and Russian traditions, sacred symbolism, and compositional rigor.