The musical material for Schnittke's Violin Concerto No. 4 is derived from monograms of Gidon Kremer, Alfred Schnittke, and in the last movement, also Edison Denisov, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Arvo Pärt.
Performer Biography
Oleh Krysa, the violinist on this recording, was a student of David Oistrakh at the Moscow Conservatory and a prizewinner at several international competitions, including the Paganini Competition.
Compositional Technique
In his Violin Concerto No. 3, Schnittke uses an unbalanced orchestral force of thirteen wind instruments and only four strings, saving the strings for a dramatic entry in the third movement.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Alfred Schnittke, the composer, aimed to create a unified system of intonations that organically links tonal and atonal sound worlds, exploring transitions between them.
Composition History
Schnittke's Violin Concerto No. 3 was originally intended to be part of a program that included Hindemith's Piano Concerto and Alban Berg's Chamber Concerto.
Instruments
Schnittke's Violin Concerto No. 4 requires a large romantic orchestra, reinforced by instruments with striking sonic character like the saxophone, flexatone, and an unconventional battery of chord instruments.
Composition History
Schnittke's Violin Concerto No. 4 was a commission from the Berlin Festival and is dedicated to violinist Gidon Kremer, who significantly contributed to the spread of Schnittke's works.
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