# Masterpiece Theatre: Part Eighteen - Schnittke's Peer Gynt



## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

Masterpiece Theatre: Part Eighteen - Schnittke's _Peer Gynt_












































The ballet Peer Gynt has already been labeled by some as Alfred Schnittke's masterpiece. Written for American choreographer John Neumeier's adaptation of Ibsen's play, Schnittke's score is a monumental work of will -- a massive score for huge orchestra which Schnittke continued to work on even after his first major stroke in 1985. And as a collective whole, the ballet offers perhaps the best single introduction to Schnittke's music -- to his characteristic sound-world and gestural vocabulary, to his famous "polystylistic" approach, and to his larger aesthetic philosophy.

The orchestral sound of Peer Gynt is unmistakably Schnittkean. The core is composed of Schnittke's phantasmagoric "continuo" ensemble -- bells, glockenspiel, vibraphone, marimba on the one hand, and piano, harpsichord, celesta, and harp on the other; the strings constitute work's the wide, often sprawling lyric line; and the winds and brass frequently serve an emblematic Schnittkean role as demonic, menacing forces.

Stylistically, Peer Gynt is all over the map. Schnittke pays due homage to Edvard Grieg's famous precedent with the "fakes" of Act II. But on a larger level, Schnittke's ballet also constitutes a tribute to the great ballet-tradition of his own Russian heritage, from Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty and Romeo and Juliet, through Stravinsky's Firebird and Petroushka, to Shostakovich's The Bolt, and especially the particular melodic brilliance of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet. Upon this scaffolding Schnittke piles yet more allusive density, from faux-ragtime (on a mis-tuned upright piano reminiscent of Berg's Wozzeck), to ruthless parodies of schlocky Hollywood film scores, to the venerable Russian choral tradition summoned by Peer Gynt's extraordinary Epilogue. Finally, Schnittke's ballet is a tour-de-force of leitmotivic associations worthy of Wagner's music-dramas, its themes returning in countless and perpetual transformations through the very last bars.

As a representation of Schnittke's aesthetic stance, Peer Gynt occupies a special position, bridging the gap between his earlier career and the work he would produce following his 1985 stroke -- after which Schnittke felt everything "must be different." Whereas the Schnittke of the 1970's and early 80's "had the sense that things outside [him]self had a specific crystalline structure," he confessed in 1988 (after finishing Peer Gynt) that "things [were] different: [he] [could] no longer see this crystalline structure, only incessantly shifting, unstable forms. -- Our world seems ... to be a world of illusions, unlimited and unending. There is a realm of shadows in it…"

It is difficult to imagine Schnittke speaking in such terms before writing Peer Gynt; the entire story of Ibsen's original play by deals with the search for reality amidst "a world of shadows," in which the greatest evils are distraction and illusion, and the will of self-discovery is constantly threatened by corruption, temptation, triviality, and betrayal. While Schnittke was always fascinated with such issues, after his first stroke these concepts seem to solidify anew. Whether the composition of Peer Gynt actually transformed Schnittke's perceptual foundations, or whether it simply offered the ideal outlet for them, the ballet is Schnittke's greatest epic of the moral and artistic shadow world.

This is best illustrated by Schnittke's and Neumeier's approach to adapting Peer Gynt from the theatrical to the balletic stage. The two conceived of the story unfolding in four Kreise, or "different spheres of activity." The first three Kreise constitute, respectively, Peer's Norway childhood, his flight into a "world of illusions," and his disillusioning return home as an adult; the fourth Kreis materializes only outside reality as the pure "sound-space" of the half-hour Epilogue. Schnittke felt that the "entire music of the ballet [was] like a preliminary stage to this last Kreis."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

A magnificent work, IMHO. There's nothing like this ballet out there. Another interesting take on _Peer Gynt_ is from Harald Sæverud, but Schnittke gives this ballet a modern update. I haven't heard this work in ages. I should revisit it. What do you guys think about this work? One of Schnittke's greatest works?


----------



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I've read some negative reviews of this piece but I like it. It's a huge, ambitious work that contains quite a bit of good music, imo. I need to revisit it soon since I have the CD.


----------



## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

starthrower said:


> I've read some negative reviews of this piece but I like it. It's a huge, ambitious work that contains quite a bit of good music, imo. I need to revisit it soon since I have the CD.


I always read negative reviews about Schnittke. He's a composer you either _get_ or have some kind of negative reaction towards all the time. I didn't quite understand his music initially, but, man, when I started getting into works like the SQs, _Faust Cantata_, all of the _Concerti Grossi_, the _Piano Quintet_, the concerti, et. al., I was absolutely hooked. By the time I got into _Peer Gynt_, I was a full-fledged Schnittkian.


----------



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Try his wacky opera, Life With An Idiot. The music is bold and quite entertaining.


----------



## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

starthrower said:


> Try his wacky opera, Life With An Idiot. The music is bold and quite entertaining.


Yep, I've heard it (and own the recording --- Rostropovich on Sony). It's been years, though, so I may have to refresh my memory of it.


----------



## maestro267 (Jul 25, 2009)

AAAAH!!! I LOVE this work! One of the most extraordinary pieces I've ever heard! Especially the stunning transcendent Epilogue which lasts about as long as either Act II or III. The constant presence of the (taped) choir underneath gives it a truly haunting quality, and the initial appearance right at the climactic point of Act III is a real coup de theatre.

The booklet that comes with the BIS recording of the ballet is one of the best such booklets to come with any recording. It's absolutely essential reading to guide you through the ballet as you listen.


----------



## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

maestro267 said:


> AAAAH!!! I LOVE this work! One of the most extraordinary pieces I've ever heard! Especially the stunning transcendent Epilogue which lasts about as long as either Act II or III. The constant presence of the (taped) choir underneath gives it a truly haunting quality, and the initial appearance right at the climactic point of Act III is a real coup de theatre.
> 
> The booklet that comes with the BIS recording of the ballet is one of the best such booklets to come with any recording. It's absolutely essential reading to guide you through the ballet as you listen.


And all the more reason why I prefer the physical medium over digital downloads or streaming. I own most of those Schnittke BIS releases and they're liner notes are always informative or, at least, the ones I've read so far. I also agree with what you say about _Peer Gynt_. It seems that Schnittke's star has faded considerably since his death, but I do hope there's a resurgence of interest in his music. I'd love to hear a new recording of _Peer Gynt_ --- are you reading this Vladimir Jurowski?!?!?


----------



## maestro267 (Jul 25, 2009)

Have listened to this again this evening, inspired by the thread. One of the leitmotifs, when Peer becomes Emperor of the World in Act II, sounds a lot like the opening of the Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker. And another leitmotif, the troll-theme, reminds me of Climb Ev'ry Mountain from The Sound of Music.

This is one of the great ballet scores of all time and deserves to be more well-known. Schnittke's _klangwelt_ is totally unique to him.


----------



## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

maestro267 said:


> Have listened to this again this evening, inspired by the thread. One of the leitmotifs, when Peer becomes Emperor of the World in Act II, sounds a lot like the opening of the Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker. And another leitmotif, the troll-theme, reminds me of Climb Ev'ry Mountain from The Sound of Music.
> 
> This is one of the great ballet scores of all time and deserves to be more well-known. Schnittke's _klangwelt_ is totally unique to him.


I share your sentiments regarding this ballet, but it'll never been well-known and, from the way things are going, is doomed to be forgotten like much of Schnittke's music. I say this with a saddened tone in that I love this composer's music, but it seems this enthusiasm will never be widely shared.


----------



## Eva Yojimbo (Jan 30, 2016)

I love Schnittke, but I'd only rank Peer Gynt around the middle of his works. It's certainly one of his most accessible pieces, and despite his more polystylistic (his term for "postmodern") approach it remains much less challenging than most of his oeuvre that makes more consistent use of dissonance and other contemporary techniques. What Peer Gynt does demonstrate, similar to Schnittke's "Suite in the Old Style," is that he was a fine musical craftsman in the classical sense and easily could've taken that path if he'd wanted to. Personally, I'm simply drawn to the Schnittke that was could take certain classical elements and put them through the blender of contemporary harmonies and styles. His first Concerto Grosso remains my benchmark for that, with the 2nd movement (Toccata) in particular sounding like Schnittke putting Corelli into a microwave and watching it melt. The 2nd movement (Agitato) from the 2nd String Quartet is another example. It's fascinating and exciting in a way I just don't find much of Peer Gynt to be. Peer Gynt is a work in which I can listen to and frequently admire the craftsmanship while never feeling fully engaged or thinking that Shnittke was particularly inspired; though I can also understand why those who prefer a more classical approach may find it to be among the best of his works. It's certainly among his richest in terms of orchestration and variety. I will say that, excepting his 1st and 3rd, I do prefer it to his symphonies.


----------



## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

Eva Yojimbo said:


> I love Schnittke, but I'd only rank Peer Gynt around the middle of his works. It's certainly one of his most accessible pieces, and despite his more polystylistic (his term for "postmodern") approach it remains much less challenging than most of his oeuvre that makes more consistent use of dissonance and other contemporary techniques. What Peer Gynt does demonstrate, similar to Schnittke's "Suite in the Old Style," is that he was a fine musical craftsman in the classical sense and easily could've taken that path if he'd wanted to. Personally, I'm simply drawn to the Schnittke that was could take certain classical elements and put them through the blender of contemporary harmonies and styles. His first Concerto Grosso remains my benchmark for that, with the 2nd movement (Toccata) in particular sounding like Schnittke putting Corelli into a microwave and watching it melt. The 2nd movement (Agitato) from the 2nd String Quartet is another example. It's fascinating and exciting in a way I just don't find much of Peer Gynt to be. Peer Gynt is a work in which I can listen to and frequently admire the craftsmanship while never feeling fully engaged or thinking that Shnittke was particularly inspired; though I can also understand why those who prefer a more classical approach may find it to be among the best of his works. It's certainly among his richest in terms of orchestration and variety. I will say that, excepting his 1st and 3rd, I do prefer it to his symphonies.


Great post! Nice to meet another Schnittkian.  Reading over what you wrote reminds me of this quote from him _"I set down a beautiful chord on paper—and suddenly it rusts."_


----------

