Schnittke: Symphonic Prelude / Symphony No. 8 / for Liverpool
2/1/2006, 7 Tracks, 1:06:49
Featuring
Lü Jia
Norrköpings Symfoniorkester
Alfred Schnittke
Did you know?
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Composer Biography
Schnittke's extensive work as a film music composer during the 1960s and 70s inspired his non-linear and picture-centred approach to instrumental composition.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Alfred Schnittke, the composer, believed the orchestra should be a "vast theatre of universal individualization" with subtle, spontaneous connections between musicians, similar to jazz.
Compositional Technique
Schnittke's earlier works often employed a "polystylistic" method, involving swift changes of modes and styles within the same piece.
Composer Biography
Despite suffering three strokes, Schnittke had a particularly productive period in the early 1990s, composing or premiering over twenty new works between 1991 and 1994.
Performer Biography
Lü Jia, the conductor, established himself as an outstanding young Asian conductor after winning the Antonio Pedrotti Competition in Italy in 1990.
Instruments
In Schnittke's music, the electric guitar is not just a guitar, but functions as a "basso continuo, a large harpsichord for today."
Composer's Artistic Vision
Schnittke aimed to overcome the gap between "serious music" (Ernste Musik) and "entertainment music" (Unterhaltungsmusik).
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