Sacred Music by Alfred Schnittke: Three Sacred Hymns, Concerto for Choir

Featuring

Andrei Petrenko
Yekaterinburg Philharmonic Choir
Alfred Schnittke

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Critical Reception

Alfred Schnittke's Choral Concerto not only marked a spiritual renaissance in Russian music of the 1980s but also reflected the composer's luminous personality.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Alfred Schnittke, the composer, believed in an 'invisible other reality' and that the spiritual existence of people is infinitely more important than their brief physical existence.

Composition History

Alfred Schnittke's Choral Concerto was influenced by a conversation with his confessor about the idea that a person's moral account does not end with death.

Performer Biography

The Yekaterinburg Philharmonic Choir, led by Andrei Petrenko, has received prestigious Russian musical awards, including the 440 Hertz Grand Orchestral Award and the Pure Sound Award.

Compositional Technique

Alfred Schnittke's Choral Concerto employs a diverse array of techniques, including early European polyphony, Armenian monody, and super-polyphony with up to 16 voices, to create stereophonic effects and a sense of cathedral acoustics.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded in the Grand Hall of Sverdlovsk Philharmonic in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in July 2025.

Composition History

For his Choral Concerto, Alfred Schnittke turned to the 'Book of Lamentations' by Grigor Narekatsi, a 10th-century medieval poet and theologian, which is considered a spiritual testament of Christian Armenia.