Lev Markiz, the conductor, was the leader and soloist of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra for eight years and later founded two new orchestras in Moscow.
Composition History
Alfred Schnittke's In Memoriam is an orchestral version of his Piano Quintet, which he composed in memory of his mother, Maria Vogel, who died in 1972.
Composer Biography
Alfred Schnittke's Viola Concerto has a temporary farewell character, as ten days after finishing it, he suffered a heart attack that led to a second phase of his life.
Compositional Technique
The fifth movement of In Memoriam is a 'mirror-image passacaglia' where the main theme is repeated fourteen times, while other sonic events are shadows of a disappeared tragic perception.
Composition History
The orchestral version of In Memoriam was created after conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky heard the Piano Quintet and immediately wanted an orchestral arrangement.
Compositional Technique
The second movement of Schnittke's Piano Quintet, which became In Memoriam, is a B-A-C-H waltz, a musical motif often used by composers to pay homage to Johann Sebastian Bach.
Performer Biography
Nobuko Imai, a violist featured on this album, is the only violist to have won the highest prizes at both the Munich and Geneva International Viola Competitions.
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