Schnittke was a prolific film composer in the 1960s and 70s, writing around sixty film scores, which he found artistically rewarding and a venue for experimentation under the Soviet system.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Schnittke's music is described as having an "all-embracing, all-encompassing genius" by Mstislav Rostropovich, using everything invented before him as his palette, including diatonic music alongside complex atonal polyphony.
Composer Biography
Alfred Schnittke's successful cello compositions were largely shaped by his friendships and collaborations with exceptional musicians like Mstislav Rostropovich, Alexander Ivashkin, and Natalia Gutman, to whom he dedicated works.
Compositional Technique
Schnittke's ballet Peer Gynt features polystylistic sections, including a pastiche tribute to Grieg, which became his trademark.
Performer Biography
Roland Pöntinen, the pianist on this recording, made his debut in 1981 with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and has since performed with major orchestras worldwide.
Performer Biography
Torleif Thedéen, the cellist on this recording, gained international recognition in 1985 by winning three of the world's most prestigious cello competitions.
Composer Biography
After his first stroke in 1985, Schnittke's music became more expressionistic, using more dissonances and feeling comfortable in a "disturbing, nervous and restless world of 'disharmony'."
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10 Preludes, Op. 23, No. 10: Largo in G-Flat Major (Arr. for Cello & Piano by Julian Riem)
Schnittke: Cello Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2 / Musica Nostalgica / Peer Gynt: Epilogue
12 Romances, Op. 21, No. 7: Zdes' khorosho (Arr. for Cello & Piano by Julian Riem)
Prokofiev / Rachmaninov: Cello Sonatas
Rachmaninov: Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op.3, No.1: Elégie
Russian Cello Music
Rachmaninoff: Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14 (Arr. Rose for Cello and Piano)
Myaskovsky & Rimsky-Korsakov: Cello Works
Myaskovsky: Cello Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 81
Shostakovich, D.: Cello Sonata, Op. 40 / Viola Sonata, Op. 147 (Arr. for Cello and Piano)
