Alfred Schnittke, the composer, was born in Engels, the capital of the Volga German Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, to a Catholic mother of German origin and a German Jewish father.
Composer Biography
Schnittke, who was very attracted to Orthodox religion and music, converted to Catholicism in 1982, following in the footsteps of Mahler.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Schnittke developed a personal musical language he called 'polystylistic,' drawing inspiration from the past and exploring various aesthetic facets of his time.
Historical Context
Schnittke's parents were exempted from Stalin's deportation orders because his father was a German Jew.
Album & Artwork
The album's cover art, "Triangulaire Vert-Rouge (1974)" by Guido Molinari, reflects the Molinari Quartet's commitment to contemporary music, as Molinari was a Canadian artistic avant-garde figure.
Performer Biography
The Molinari Quartet, founded in 1997, is dedicated to performing 20th and 21st-century string quartet repertoire and is considered one of Canada's leading string quartets.
Performer Biography
The Molinari Quartet is the only quartet to have all eleven of R. Murray Schafer's string quartets in its repertoire.
