Schnittke: Piano Quintet / String Trio / Piano Quartet / Canon

Featuring

Tale Olsson
Patrik Swedrup
Ingegerd Kierkegaard
Helena Nilsson
Roland Pöntinen
Tale Quartet

Alfred Schnittke

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Composition History

The String Trio was commissioned by the Alban Berg Society of Vienna in spring 1985 to commemorate the 100th birthday and 50th death anniversary of Alban Berg, an Austrian composer.

Composer Biography

Alfred Schnittke, the composer, began writing his Piano Quintet in 1972, immediately after the death of his mother, Maria Vogel.

Compositional Technique

The Piano Quintet uses quarter-tone passages in the string quartet to create sonic haziness and tension, especially in the third movement and final sections.

Performer Biography

Roland Pöntinen, the pianist on this album, debuted with the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra at age 17 and has appeared on 24 other BIS records.

Composition History

Schnittke's Piano Quintet took four years to complete, with the composer describing its genesis as complicated due to the emotional difficulty of composing in his mother's memory.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Schnittke's String Trio reflects his memories of Vienna from his piano student years, incorporating echoes of Schubert, Mahler, and the Viennese School.

Composition History

Schnittke's Piano Quartet is based on a 17-bar scherzo fragment by the 16-year-old Gustav Mahler, which was intended for an unfinished piano quartet by Mahler.