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Kremer Plays Schnittke |  | Creators: Alfred Schnittke, Heinrich Schiff, Gidon Kremer, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Yuri Smirnov
Label: Dg Imports
Category: Music
Buy New: $23.99
as of 7/29/2010 14:52 CDT details
Seller: Amazon.com
Rating:  reviews
Sales Rank: 161151
Format: Import
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
UPC: 028944552027
EAN: 0028944552027
ASIN: B000001GNL
Release Date: August 22, 1994
Shipping: Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping
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| Tracks:
| • | Con grosso No.1: 1. Prelude: Andante | | • | Con grosso No.1: 2. Toccata: Allegro | | • | Con grosso No.1: 3. Recitativo: Lento | | • | Con grosso No.1: 4. Cadenza [without tempo marking] | | • | Con grosso No.1: 5. Rondo. Agitato | | • | Con grosso No.1: 6. Postludio. Andante-Allegro-Andante | | • | Quasi una son - Gidon Kremer/Yuri Smirnov | | • | Moz-Art a la Haydn - Gidon Kremer/Titiana Grindenko | | • | A Paganini - Gidon Kremer |
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| Customer Reviews:
A DEFINITE MAYBE November 9, 2009
DAVID BRYSON (Glossop Derbyshire England)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
After a period as a composer of 12-note serial music Schnittke came to think that this musical technique was unable `to suggest anything comparable to the perspectives of tonal music', to quote the liner note accompanying this disc. I could probably have told him that myself, but I thought I ought to gain some idea of how Schnittke's new scheme worked out. He was deeply impressed, apparently, by Webern's perception of `the basic principle of sonata form as a contrast between Strict and Free', and consequently he tried to replicate this duality by alternating tonal with atonal in his own music. Without any preconceptions of what I was going to find, I thought it a safe bet that there would not be any better exponent of it than Gidon Kremer, one of the greatest and boldest violinists of his generation.
This expectation has certainly been fulfilled. Helped by good clear 1986 and 1990 recordings, Kremer puts his prodigious technique and enormous commitment at the service of the music, in the roles of soloist and conductor. The first piece here is a `concerto grosso', and the liner note tells us about its `polystylisticism', [I kid you not], but does not mention the essential feature of any concerto grosso, namely its opposition of a small `concertino' group of solo instruments against the full or `ripieno' band. Here Kremer is partnered by Tatiana Grindenko in another violin part, and there are also roles for a harpsichord and a `prepared' (sc messed-around) piano, although I would myself think of these instruments as `continuo' or background harmony. There is a wide range of effects among the six movements of this piece, I was pretty impressed with the way they were handled by everyone concerned, and I like to think that those more familiar than I am with the music might share this view.
The next item is a work for solo violin and orchestra called `Quasi una sonata'. Kremer conducts as well as doing the solo, and again there is a minor piano part. If you work at it, as the liner note does, you can apparently find Schnittke's replication of Webern's idea of sonata form here, but in honesty I think this is all hot air. Alternation of any two stylistic features is much like alternation of any other two features, if we want to be as theoretical as this. I would seriously question the credentials of any listener who would claim to hear any such abstraction in performance. More significant to me is the alternation between piano and violin at the start. This is splendidly dramatic and declamatory, and I would say that the players' sense of belief is likely to hold most listeners' attention throughout the 20-plus minutes that the piece lasts.
The other two items are rather lighter. One is archly entitled Moz-Art a la Haydn, and consists of some jocularity in playing around with themes by Mozart, starting in darkness if we were present at a live concert performance. The hilarity is consummated by having the players leave the platform one by one, in the manner of Haydn's `Farewell' symphony. The conductor in such a performance is further instructed to keep beating time in silence at the end, and for what it's worth the following interval between tracks on the disc faithfully reflects this. I confess that all this is not my own idea of an interesting musical or other kind of event, but whether intentionally or not the first few notes of Mozart's G minor symphony, in such a context, made me realise more than ever how marvellous that composition is. Lastly there is `A Paganini', a kind of capriccio for solo violin similar to Paganini's own efforts, consisting of an introduction and two cadenzas and played with stupendous despatch and virtuosity by Kremer.
5 stars is my measure of how well this music is performed here. The caption to this review reflects my opinion of the music, which is basically agnostic - I like it well enough, but whether it all amounts to much I'm not sure. For many years the devotees of the avant-garde controlled the conversation when it came to discussing classical music, but a reaction seems to have set in. It's the way of such reactions that they over-react, and the interesting thing about Schnittke is that he backtracked partly down the same route much earlier, although only partly. Whatever any of us think of the music, it is at least interesting from a historical standpoint, or even from a seat on the fence.
 Near-definitive performances of classic Schnittke, but this issue is superseded April 4, 2008
Christopher Culver
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
The violinist Gidon Kremer was a close friend of the late Russian composer Alfred Schnittke, and we are fortunate that Deutsche Grammophon recorded his classic performances of some of Schnittke's popular early pieces. Although this particular disc is increasingly difficult, two of the pieces on it appeared on a reissue in the label's "Echo 20/21" series.
Alfred Schnittke achieved such fame for combining a modernist aesthetic with frequent references back to the Classical and Romantic repertoire. An early piece of this "polystylism" innovation was "Quasi una sonata" for violin and chamber orchestra (1968, chamber orchestra version 1987). Like other Soviet composers, in the '60s Schnittke dabbled with twelve-tone serialism. And like other Soviet composers, by the end of the decade he had tired of it. However, he was still uncomfortable composing without the guidelines of that technique, so he wrote a work that combines serialism with traditional tonalism. Just as a sonata puts two themes in oppositions, Schnittke decided to pit serialist elements against tonal ones. While the beginning of the 20-minute piece is vague and tentative, it quickly finds its footing and gives the listeners a moving musical drama.
The "Concerto grosso no. 1" for two violins, harpsichord, prepared piano, and string orchestra (1977) is performed here by the Chamber Orchestra of Europe conducted by Heinrich Schiff with Kremer and Tatyana Gridenko on violin and Yuri Smirnov on both harpischord and prepared piano. By this time, Schnittke had developed his "polystylism" further, where the most modern techniques are combined with throwbacks to baroque and classical sounds in a way that, strangely, isn't incongruous. Among composers whose work Schnittke has absorbed here in parody or direct quotation are Vivaldi, Mozart, Beethoven, Webern, and Tchaikovsky. The work is even rounded out by a tango on the harpischord. A fun work, though I prefer the Soviet-era performance--also with Gridenko and Kremer--that is available both on a disc in the Moscow Studio Archives series and on a Collegno collection of Schnittke pieces.
"Moz-Art a la Haydn" (1977) is an installment in a series of "Moz-Art" works which all make use of thematic materials from various Mozart pieces. An eery beginning on tremolo strings gives way to a shifting and multi-layered stream of quotations. The Haydn part of the title comes in the "Farewell" symphony-like departure of some of the musicians, who walk off playing with a couple of others stay behind and play a rhythmic pattern. If you like Luciano Berio's "Sinfonia", you'll probably find this piece highly entertaining.
Having listened to Schnittke's music for several years now, I find that "Quasi una Sonata" is not the most immediately accessible of Schnittke's works, but ultimately one of the most substantial impressive. If you are a fan of the composer, you owe it to yourself to get this disc with it and some other fine early pieces where Kremer performs.
good starters cd for schnittke April 2, 2003
stephen jones (loganholme, queensland Australia)
5 out of 10 found this review helpful
I have just started to listen to schnittke music. I saw this and got it and have not stopped listening to the power of the music.
The concerto grosso for violins, harp, and piano is something else
Great Introduction to Schnittke Courtesy of Kremer November 29, 2002
John Kwok (New York, NY USA)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
This is a splendid introduction to those like myself who are unfamiliar with Schnittke's oeuvre. It's a fine mixture of chamber music and small orchestral pieces, highlighting the splendid playing of violinist Gidon Kremer and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Judging from this CD, Kremer surely must be regarded as one of Schnittke's most passionate advocates, judging from his electrifying, technically brilliant playing which has ample doses of lyricism. Without question, the most emotionally gripping work is the Concerto Grosso, which sounds like a post-modern take on Bach's or Vivaldi's music. The sound quality is splendid for an early Deutsche Grammophon recording.
classical, or a creature of its own? July 30, 2002
Andrew David Burt (Portland, OR United States)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This was my first exposure to Schnittke, and it (the Concerto Grosso on this album) was hypnotizing. It sounded less like most classical pieces I'd been familiar with, and more like an hour-long trip of experimental mood textures built up upon each other, then destroyed dramatically, others thrust down your throat before you had a chance to take a breath (this is one of those few experiences when I sometimes had to remember to breath .. Dylan Thomas being another). It sometimes has the mood impression of a piece of 'trance' music, is sometimes wistful, sometimes angry, other times whimsical .. it is very hard to turn off after the first 10-15 minutes. The references to other classical pieces are also fascinating .. it is amazing how different familiar passages can sound couched in such different surroundings. This is a fantastic recording, and one which has changed my expectations for new music (classical or otherwise) forever.
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