Alfred Schnittke's 3rd Symphony was commissioned for the ceremonial opening of the new Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Germany.
Compositional Technique
Schnittke coined the term 'polystylistic' to describe his compositional technique, which involved generating art from particles of past traditions and borrowing from various styles like folklore, jazz, and tango.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded at the Haus des Rundfunks, RBB, Berlin, Germany in July 2014, with the organ recorded separately at the Seifert organ of the St. Matthias-Kirche, Berlin-Schöneberg in October 2014.
Compositional Technique
In his 3rd Symphony, Schnittke immortalized 22 composers, deriving dodecaphonic scales from the letters of their names.
Composer Biography
Alfred Schnittke, born in Engels, Russia, described himself as a 'Russian without a drop of Russian blood' due to his German-Jewish heritage.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Schnittke's polystylism was an aesthetic program to break through the self-satisfied avant-garde music and write music closely related to social reality.
Compositional Technique
The 3rd Symphony opens with an adaptation of the opening theme from Richard Wagner's opera 'Rheingold,' fanning out over 66 strings.
