This album presents Alfred Schnittke’s Cello Concerto No. 1, performed by Torleif Thedéen with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra under Leif Segerstam, along with two other profound works for cello: Klingende Buchstaben and Four Hymns. Composed after a serious stroke in 1985, the Cello Concerto No. 1 is a deeply personal journey through suffering, resistance, and ultimately spiritual triumph. With its fragmented monologue, catastrophic orchestral surges, and final chorale of cosmic dimension, it embodies Schnittke’s vision of the soloist as a voice navigating a hostile world—culminating in a radiant finale of hope. Klingende Buchstaben (1988) is a short, expressive solo piece built on musical cryptograms derived from the dedicatee’s name and Schnittke’s own initials. The Four Hymns (1974–77) form a striking cycle of chamber works centered on the cello, drawing on Orthodox chant, spiritual symbolism, and bell sonorities. Together, these works reveal Schnittke’s spiritual and sonic depth, brought to life with intense expressivity by Thedéen and his ensemble.