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Schnittke: Symphony No. 1

5/31/1994, 5 Tracks, 1:16:49

Featuring

  • Leif Segerstam
  • Carl-Axel Dominique
  • Ben Kallenberg
  • Åke Lännerholm
  • Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Audience
  • Alfred Schnittke
  • Miscellaneous

Did you know?

1/7

Critical Reception

The premiere of Schnittke's First Symphony in 1974 sparked extensive discussion and hostility in Soviet specialist publications, with some critics calling it an 'anti-symphony' or 'destruction of the symphony'.

Source: Booklet

Cultural Impact

Schnittke's First Symphony gained worldwide recognition as the music for the second act of John Neumeier's ballet 'A Streetcar Named Desire', which was danced over a hundred times by 1992.

Source: Booklet

Composition History

Schnittke's First Symphony was deeply influenced by his multi-year work on the music for Mikhail Rom's film 'And Still I Believe', which he described as a 'strictly organized chronicle of the 20th century'.

Source: Booklet

Composition History

Schnittke's First Symphony was an attempt to reconstruct the classical four-movement symphony form from fragments and leftovers, incorporating both his own material and classical quotations.

Source: Booklet

Compositional Technique

The symphony employs a 100-piece orchestra, including quadruple woodwind, saxophones, a large percussion section, all keyboard instruments including organ, and often divided string sections, along with electric guitar, bass guitar, double tubular bells, and harps for specific sonic effects.

Source: Booklet

Composer Biography

Alfred Schnittke, born in 1934 in Engels, capital of the former Volga German republic, lived in various cities including Vienna, Moscow, and Hamburg, where he became a professor.

Source: Booklet

Composer's Artistic Vision

Schnittke developed a compositional style called 'polystylism' around 1968, which allowed him to freely combine and juxtapose different musical styles from past and present.

Source: Booklet

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©℗ 1993 BIS