Symphony No. 9 (Schnittke)
Encyclopedia
Symphony No. 9 by Alfred Schnittke
was written two years before his death in 1998. The reconstruction of the manuscript of a barely readable score was made by a younger generation composer – Alexander Raskatov
– hired by Irina Schnittke, the composer's widow. Raskatov not only reconstructed Schnittke’s Ninth but also wrote his own composition: Nunc dimittis – In memoriam Alfred Schnittke. The premiere recording of both pieces was conducted by Dennis Russell Davies
.
The opening movement originally had no tempo marking: Raskatov added one following Irina Schnittke’s suggestion that the composer’s idea was to escalate from a slow movement at the beginning to a faster one in the middle and a very fast movement at the end.
The Andante begins with the strings followed by the clarinet and the trombone. Raskatov called that section: “voice from beyond”. Consecutive events are interrupted by violent brass. The clarinet plays the leading role, gradually dominating the woodwind section.
The Moderato central movement begins with the strings followed by the wind instruments and harpsichord. The horn plays a delusive solo and the drum beats out a rhythm announcing a fast finale. That movement is a transformation from the first movement’s lamentation into the third movement’s impetus.
The Presto begins with the strings playing against the beat and the wind instruments building the wall of the sound. The strings and the piccolo carry on the dialogue. The harpsichord comes back for a while. A short wind chorale
increases and collapses and dissonant pianissimo
chords close the work.
James Leonard from allmusic.com writes: Schnittke’s Ninth may or may not be judged the equal or even the superior of his Eighth, but it is vastly better than Raskatov’s own Nunc dimittis that accompanies it here and ends his review with a cutting remark: But after hearing it [Nunc dimittis], the listener can be certain that its composer [Raskatov] added nothing of his own music to the score of Schnittke’s Ninth.
Robert Carl from ArkivMusic.com writes: I can’t help [in interpretation of Symphony No. 9] but feel making a piece out of the most basic, even banal, material may be something of a didactic point, or a dark joke in the spirit of Soviet era humor (even though the piece postdates the fall of that empire) and then moves to the review Nunc dimittis stating: No matter what my reservations about the Schnittke, however, the Raskatov is a revelation.
Composer and conductor William C. White concisely analyzes and interprets the Symphony No. 9 by Schnittke on his own web site. He writes: I think this is music of someone who is already dead – as Schnittke had been, having been pronounced clinically dead on several occasions during his strokes. Much of the music sounds like the exploratory wanderings of a ghost during his first encounter with a new, otherworldly universe and then concludes: It is a delicate work, to be sure, and I think there is a lot of richness to keep exploring in it’s nuances.
Alfred Schnittke
Alfred Schnittke ; November 24, 1934 – August 3, 1998) was a Russian and Soviet composer. Schnittke's early music shows the strong influence of Dmitri Shostakovich. He developed a polystylistic technique in works such as the epic First Symphony and First Concerto Grosso...
was written two years before his death in 1998. The reconstruction of the manuscript of a barely readable score was made by a younger generation composer – Alexander Raskatov
Alexander Raskatov
Alexander Mikhailovich Raskatov is a Russian composer.-Life:Alexander Raskatov, a son of a leading journalist of the magazine Krokodil, studied composition under Albert Leman at the Moscow Conservatory. In 1990 he was composer in residence at Stetson University and 1998 in Lockenhaus...
– hired by Irina Schnittke, the composer's widow. Raskatov not only reconstructed Schnittke’s Ninth but also wrote his own composition: Nunc dimittis – In memoriam Alfred Schnittke. The premiere recording of both pieces was conducted by Dennis Russell Davies
Dennis Russell Davies
Dennis Russell Davies is an American conductor and pianist. He studied piano and conducting at the Juilliard School where he received his doctorate...
.
Movements
Schnittke’s Symphony No. 9 is written in three movements – each consecutively faster than the previous one:- [Andante]
- Moderato
- Presto
The opening movement originally had no tempo marking: Raskatov added one following Irina Schnittke’s suggestion that the composer’s idea was to escalate from a slow movement at the beginning to a faster one in the middle and a very fast movement at the end.
Instrumentation
In the Symphony No. 9 Schnittke employed a large orchestra, including triple woodwind, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, strings, three percussionists and harpsichord.The Andante begins with the strings followed by the clarinet and the trombone. Raskatov called that section: “voice from beyond”. Consecutive events are interrupted by violent brass. The clarinet plays the leading role, gradually dominating the woodwind section.
The Moderato central movement begins with the strings followed by the wind instruments and harpsichord. The horn plays a delusive solo and the drum beats out a rhythm announcing a fast finale. That movement is a transformation from the first movement’s lamentation into the third movement’s impetus.
The Presto begins with the strings playing against the beat and the wind instruments building the wall of the sound. The strings and the piccolo carry on the dialogue. The harpsichord comes back for a while. A short wind chorale
Chorale
A chorale was originally a hymn sung by a Christian congregation. In certain modern usage, this term may also include classical settings of such hymns and works of a similar character....
increases and collapses and dissonant pianissimo
Dynamics (music)
In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic or functional . The term is also applied to the written or printed musical notation used to indicate dynamics...
chords close the work.
Critical Reactions
Schnittke’s Symphony No. 9 in the version prepared by Raskatov as well as its world premiere recording conducted by Davies have given rise to diverse – and conflicting – opinions.James Leonard from allmusic.com writes: Schnittke’s Ninth may or may not be judged the equal or even the superior of his Eighth, but it is vastly better than Raskatov’s own Nunc dimittis that accompanies it here and ends his review with a cutting remark: But after hearing it [Nunc dimittis], the listener can be certain that its composer [Raskatov] added nothing of his own music to the score of Schnittke’s Ninth.
Robert Carl from ArkivMusic.com writes: I can’t help [in interpretation of Symphony No. 9] but feel making a piece out of the most basic, even banal, material may be something of a didactic point, or a dark joke in the spirit of Soviet era humor (even though the piece postdates the fall of that empire) and then moves to the review Nunc dimittis stating: No matter what my reservations about the Schnittke, however, the Raskatov is a revelation.
Composer and conductor William C. White concisely analyzes and interprets the Symphony No. 9 by Schnittke on his own web site. He writes: I think this is music of someone who is already dead – as Schnittke had been, having been pronounced clinically dead on several occasions during his strokes. Much of the music sounds like the exploratory wanderings of a ghost during his first encounter with a new, otherworldly universe and then concludes: It is a delicate work, to be sure, and I think there is a lot of richness to keep exploring in it’s nuances.
Discography
- Alfred Schnittke, Symphony No. 9; Alexander Raskatov, Nunc Dimittis, Dresdner Philharmonie, The Hilliard Ensemble, Elena Vassilieva (mez.), Dennis Russell DaviesDennis Russell DaviesDennis Russell Davies is an American conductor and pianist. He studied piano and conducting at the Juilliard School where he received his doctorate...
(cond.), ECMECM (record label)ECM is a record label founded in Munich, Germany, in 1969 by Manfred Eicher. While ECM is best known for jazz music, the label has released a wide variety of recordings, and ECM's artists often refuse to acknowledge boundaries between genres...
, 2009, ECM New Series 2025, 476 6994. - Alfred Schnittke, Concerto grosso No. 1; Symphony No. 9, Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, Owain Arwel HughesOwain Arwel HughesOwain Arwel Hughes CBE is a Welsh orchestral conductor. Among his numerous titles are Principal Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London's Philharmonia Orchestra, Aalborg Symphony in Denmark and the National Youth Orchestra of Wales and Principal Guest Conductor of the Cape...
, BISBIS RecordsBIS Records is a record label founded in 1973 by Robert von Bahr. It is located in Åkersberga, Sweden.BIS focuses on classical music, both contemporary and early, especially works that are not already well represented by existing recordings....
, 2009, CD-1727. - Alfred Schnittke, The Ten Symphonies: Symphony No. 0, Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, Owain Arwel HughesOwain Arwel HughesOwain Arwel Hughes CBE is a Welsh orchestral conductor. Among his numerous titles are Principal Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London's Philharmonia Orchestra, Aalborg Symphony in Denmark and the National Youth Orchestra of Wales and Principal Guest Conductor of the Cape...
; Symphony No. 1, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic OrchestraRoyal Stockholm Philharmonic OrchestraThe Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is a Swedish orchestra based in Stockholm.The orchestra was founded in 1902 as the Stockholm Concert Society . The orchestra became a permanent ensemble in 1914. Since 1926, it has been based in the Stockholm Concert Hall...
, Leif SegerstamLeif SegerstamLeif Segerstam is a Finnish conductor and composer.He studied violin, piano and conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and conducting at the Juilliard School in New York with Jean Morel....
; Symphony No. 2 “St. Florian”, Mikaeli Chamber Choir, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic OrchestraRoyal Stockholm Philharmonic OrchestraThe Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is a Swedish orchestra based in Stockholm.The orchestra was founded in 1902 as the Stockholm Concert Society . The orchestra became a permanent ensemble in 1914. Since 1926, it has been based in the Stockholm Concert Hall...
, Leif SegerstamLeif SegerstamLeif Segerstam is a Finnish conductor and composer.He studied violin, piano and conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and conducting at the Juilliard School in New York with Jean Morel....
; Symphony No. 3, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic OrchestraRoyal Stockholm Philharmonic OrchestraThe Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is a Swedish orchestra based in Stockholm.The orchestra was founded in 1902 as the Stockholm Concert Society . The orchestra became a permanent ensemble in 1914. Since 1926, it has been based in the Stockholm Concert Hall...
, Eri KlasEri KlasEri Klas, is an Estonian conductor.Klas is of Jewish ancestry. Klas graduated as an opera and concert conductor in both Tallinn and Leningrad , beginning his conducting career at the Estonia Theatre in Tallinn and at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow...
; Symphony No. 4, Stockholm SinfoniettaStockholm SinfoniettaThe Stockholm Sinfonietta is a Swedish chamber orchestra. Its primary concert venue is the Swedish House of Nobility.The orchestra consists of 30 or 40 musicians from the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the Royal...
, Uppsala Academic Chamber Choir, Okko KamuOkko KamuOkko Kamu is a Finnish orchestral conductor.Kamu was born into a family of musicians. His father played double bass in the Helsinki Philharmonic. He began violin studies at age two and entered the Sibelius Academy at age six. He formed his own string quartet, the Suhonen, in 1964 where he played...
; Symphony No. 5 – Concerto grosso No. 4, Gothenburg Symphony OrchestraGothenburg Symphony OrchestraThe Göteborgs Symfoniker is an orchestra based in Gothenburg, Sweden. Founded in 1905, it was granted the title of the "National Orchestra of Sweden" in 1997...
, Neeme JärviNeeme JärviNeeme Järvi is an Estonian-born conductor.-Early life:Järvi studied music first in Tallinn, and later in Leningrad at the Leningrad Conservatory under Yevgeny Mravinsky, and Nikolai Rabinovich, among others...
; Symphony No. 6, BBC National Orchestra of WalesBBC National Orchestra of WalesThe BBC National Orchestra of Wales is a Welsh symphony orchestra and one of the BBC's five professional orchestras. The BBC NOW is the only professional symphony orchestra organisation in Wales, occupying a dual role as both a broadcasting orchestra and national orchestra.The BBC NOW has its...
, Tadaaki OtakaTadaaki Otakais a Japanese-born, British-based conductor. He studied composition, theory, and French horn, at the Toho Gakuen School of Music, and later was a conducting student of Hideo Saito....
; Symphony No. 7, BBC National Orchestra of WalesBBC National Orchestra of WalesThe BBC National Orchestra of Wales is a Welsh symphony orchestra and one of the BBC's five professional orchestras. The BBC NOW is the only professional symphony orchestra organisation in Wales, occupying a dual role as both a broadcasting orchestra and national orchestra.The BBC NOW has its...
, Tadaaki OtakaTadaaki Otakais a Japanese-born, British-based conductor. He studied composition, theory, and French horn, at the Toho Gakuen School of Music, and later was a conducting student of Hideo Saito....
; Symphony No. 8, Norrköping Symphony OrchestraNorrköping Symphony OrchestraNorrköping Symphony Orchestra is a Swedish professional symphony orchestra, based at the concert hall De Geerhallen, in the middle of Norrköping.-History:...
, Lü Jia; Symphony No. 9, Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, Owain Arwel HughesOwain Arwel HughesOwain Arwel Hughes CBE is a Welsh orchestral conductor. Among his numerous titles are Principal Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London's Philharmonia Orchestra, Aalborg Symphony in Denmark and the National Youth Orchestra of Wales and Principal Guest Conductor of the Cape...
, BISBIS RecordsBIS Records is a record label founded in 1973 by Robert von Bahr. It is located in Åkersberga, Sweden.BIS focuses on classical music, both contemporary and early, especially works that are not already well represented by existing recordings....
, 2009, CD-1767-68.
External links
- [ James Leonard – the review of Symphony No. 9 by Schnittke and Nunc dimittis by Raskatov]
- Robert Carl – the review of Symphony No. 9 by Schnittke and Nunc dimittis by Raskatov
- William C. White – the analysis and the interpretation of Symphony No. 9 by Alfred Schnittke