# What are the better Alfred Schnittke works?



## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

I am listening to Schnittke's Requiem and I am astounded. What are the good (not just most popular) works by this composer?


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Clowns und Kinder


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## BachIsBest (Feb 17, 2018)

ORigel said:


> I am listening to Schnittke's Requiem and I am astounded. What are the good (not just most popular) works by this composer?


I think his viola concerto is generally acknowledged to be his greatest work. Other than that, amongst his shorter works, I don't mind this one for the haunting melody and interesting instrumentation






Musically, this next one may not be outstanding, but it's always fun to ask your peaceful aunt if she wants to hear a violin arrangement of _Stille Nacht_ and then play this

_



_


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## Philidor (11 mo ago)

Concerto for choir.
Piano Quintet.


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## Ludwig Schon (10 mo ago)

Philidor said:


> Concerto for choir.
> Piano Quintet.


Those are the definitive two for me… I like the cello concerto and 3rd SQ too…


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## Eva Yojimbo (Jan 30, 2016)

I went through most of Schnittke's oeuvre about a year or so ago and these were my favorites:

*Orchestral*

Symphony no. 1 - The largest scale work in Schnittke's postmodern style. It's a very exuberant, extroverted work that covers a broad range of genres. It's often been described as "musical channel surfing," and it's a lot of fun as long as you aren't expecting coherence and can just enjoy the ride.

Concerto grosso no. 1 - IMO Schnittke's best postmodern work. Here the genre shifts happen more between movements rather than within, and there are more unifying motifs and themes. I'm particularly fond of the movements that sound as if Schnittke stuck Corelli into a microwave and watched it melt.

Cello Concertos no. 1 & no. 2 - The largest scale works among Schnittke's concertos. Both are among the more accessible and traditional of Schnittke's concert works, and I feel both pack a tremendous punch, especially in the cataclysmic climaxes.

Violin Concerto no. 4 - IMO the best of Schnittke's violin concertos. Memorable themes with a nice balance of extroverted excitement, emotion, and intelligent craftsmanship.

Concerto for Piano and Strings - Among Schnittke's most lyrical works and also very accessible. Not profound, but very enjoyable. At times it sounds a bit like a dark, demented lullaby. 

*Chamber*

Piano Quintet - Written after the death of his mother and the mournful emotions are on full display. Probably Schnittke's most emotive work. It's also quite accessible, so perhaps a good starting place.

String Quartet no. 2 - Schnittke's string quartets are generally fine works but this one is especially memorable given its violent whirlwind of a second movement.

String/Piano Trio - These are the same work but in different arrangements. Both are excellent. This is again Schnittke in a more lyrical mode

Cello Sonatas no. 1 & 2 - Interesting thing about this pair is that, in contrast to the cello concertos, they belong to completely different periods of Schnittke's work, with the first being quite early and the latter being very late. Early Schnittke was more extroverted and rich, late Schnittke more introverted and spare, and that contrast shows in these works, but both are excellent examples of both styles.

Some other works I really like: Violin Concerto no. 3, In Memoriam, Concerto for Choir and Orchestra, Passacaglia, Symphonies no. 3, 5, & 8, Concerti Grossi no. 2 & no. 5, String Quartet no. 3, Viola Concerto, & Peer Gynt.


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## Philidor (11 mo ago)

Ludwig Schon said:


> Those are the definitive two for me… I like the cello concerto and 3rd SQ too…


I agree ... 3rd string quartet, yes, essential Schnittke.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

I don't really rate the symphonies and have never understood how so many enjoy the very much overlong 1st. I suppose the 5th (aka 4th Concerto Grosso) is OK. I do greatly like the first cello concerto, the piano concerto (piano and strings) and the viola concerto. I enjoy the Faust Cantata (Seid Nuchtern Und Wachet) for its craziness. And I like the last two quartets, the piano quintet and the fourth violin concerto.


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## Subutai (Feb 28, 2021)

I highly recommend the 'Gogol Suite' available on BIS, conducted by Lev Markiz with the Malmo SO. It was the piece that made me want to find out more. He's borderline genius to be fare. Enjoy!


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## progmatist (Apr 3, 2021)

If you're also a fan of rock music, his 3rd Symphony incorporates overdriven electric guitar.


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## Bruce (Jan 2, 2013)

Three of my favorite works of his are his 3rd symphony, his second violin sonata, and the piano quintet. Best--for me, perhaps not objectively.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Bruce said:


> Three of my favorite works of his are his 3rd symphony, _his second violin sonata_, and the piano quintet. Best--for me, perhaps not objectively.


Any work which quotes _La Cucaracha_ for no fathomable reason must have something going for it. I once wondered if it was an oblique reference to Trotsky's assassination in Mexico. Probably not...


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## Eva Yojimbo (Jan 30, 2016)

Enthusiast said:


> I don't really rate the symphonies and have never understood how so many enjoy the very much overlong 1st.


I enjoy it for the sheer audaciousness. It's very much an "...and the kitchen sink" work in which a young, talented composer decided to throw everything he could into a compositional blender, and it's fascinating to hear how it moves through so many styles and genres. Overlong? Perhaps. Lacking coherency? Sure. I still think these other features make it a very fun, invigorating work.


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

If you want a fun Schnittke piece, look no further than "(K)ein Sommernachtstraum", where a charming classical melody is taken on a journey of existential nightmares... in a good way


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

ORigel said:


> ... What are the good (not just most popular) works by this composer?


I suspect it would be helpful if composers themselves ranked their works by categories such as "Good", "Eh...Passable", "Not So Good", and "Absolutely Terrible -- don't listen to this one at any cost."

In the meantime, I suppose we will simply have to trust our own individual tastes and categorize by preferences. "Works we love", "Works we somewhat like", "Works we have little favoritism for", "Works we want to obliterate from the consciousness of humankind, including to put a hammer to the disc recordings of the work we have on hand." Alas ....

Since Schnittke himself will prove of little help in selecting his "good" works, and since you have little reason to trust my (or anyone-here's) judgment, perhaps the best thing to do is simply to start exploring the Schnittke oeuvre to see what you can see ... or, rather, to _hear what you can hear._

The thing that immediately struck me about this composer is that he is stylistically vast and varied, often within a single work. I find the First Symphony an absolute monstrosity of sound, and I love it. Some of Schnittke's "tamer" pieces prove less interesting to me. But his music is always worth a first encounter. And much of it will likely invite further listenings on your part.

So, join the Schnittke crowd, and just start listening. I'm sure Schnittke himself would find he could approve of _that_ endeavor as a "good" thing.


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## dko22 (Jun 22, 2021)

the two cello concertos, depressing thought they are. The piano quintet, the Concerto for choir and, as something lighter, the Concerto Grosso no. 1 is great fun. The symphonies are interestingly eclectic but patchy in my view.


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## Eva Yojimbo (Jan 30, 2016)

Reichstag aus LICHT said:


> If you want a fun Schnittke piece, look no further than "(K)ein Sommernachtstraum", where a charming classical melody is taken on a journey of existential nightmares... in a good way


He also has the charming "Suite in the Old Style" in which he plays it absolutely straight... at least until the end:


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## Helgi (Dec 27, 2019)

The first cello sonata is a current favourite


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Subutai said:


> I highly recommend the 'Gogol Suite' available on BIS, conducted by Lev Markiz with the Malmo SO. It was the piece that made me want to find out more. He's borderline genius to be fare. Enjoy!


If I may, I would compliment this with _Sketches_, an enlargement of the _Gogol Suite_. In 1985 the choreographer Andrei Petrov staged a ballet called _Sketches_ to commemorate the 175th anniversary of Gogol's birth. As Schnittke was asked to provide the music he was able to press the earlier _Gogol Suite_ back into service while fleshing it out with over a dozen new pieces, thus creating the expanded work on the recording below.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

my faves are: Symponies 1, 5, 7, 8/ SQ 2, 3/ peer Gynt/ choir concerto/ faust cantata/ requiem/ psalms of repentance/ piano quintet


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## leonsm (Jan 15, 2011)

Cello Concerto no. 1 (essential)
Requiem (essential)
Piano Quintet (essential)
Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra (essential)
String Quartet no. 2 (essential)
String Quartet no. 3 (essential)
Symphony no. 2 "Saint Florian" (essential)
Collected Songs Where Every Verse is Filled With Grief
Concerto Grosso no. 3
Choir Concerto
Psalms of Repentance 
Moz-Art à la Haydn
Concerto Grosso no. 4 - Symphony no. 5
Three Sacred Hymns
The Waltz Suite
The Glass Harmonica Suite
The Story of the Unkown Actor Suite


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## kuniklo (Jun 21, 2020)

I haven't heard that much of Schnittke's work but I quite like Psalms of Repentance:


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

His opera, Life With An Idiot. The ambitious Peer Gynt is another piece I enjoy. And concerto grosso no.2.


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## MartinDB (9 mo ago)

I would echo the recommendation of the piano quintet, in particular, and the piano trio, as easy ways into Schnittke. The viola concerto with Bashmet is also worth trying. I like the symphonies but don't have a clear picture of them to make recommendations of where to start. Perhaps the concerto grosso 4/symphony?


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## MrMeatScience (Feb 15, 2015)

I wouldn't want to be without his Symphonies Nos. 3 and 8, really any of concerti, the piano quintet, the Requiem, the Gogol Suite, or the first Concerto Grosso. There's loads of stuff I would place in (the still very good) tier below those as well.


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## Shoskofiev (5 mo ago)

elgar's ghost said:


> If I may, I would compliment this with _Sketches_, an enlargement of the _Gogol Suite_. In 1985 the choreographer Andrei Petrov staged a ballet called _Sketches_ to commemorate the 175th anniversary of Gogol's birth. As Schnittke was asked to provide the music he was able to press the earlier _Gogol Suite_ back into service while fleshing it out with over a dozen new pieces, thus creating the expanded work on the recording below.


I second this. A fun score!


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

leonsm said:


> Moz-Art à la Haydn


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