MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             

Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger

REVIEW Plain text for smartphones & printers


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Chandos recordings
All Chandos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 


Support us financially by purchasing this from
Alfred SCHNITTKE (1934-1998)
Symphony No. 3 (1981) [52.16]
Tobias Berndt (organ), Heike Gneiting (piano)
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin/Vladimir Jurowski
rec. 2014, Großer Sendesaal, Haus des Rundfunks, RBB, Berlin; Seifert organ, St. Matthias-Kirche, Schöneberg, Berlin, Germany
PENTATONE SACD PTC5186485 [52.16]

Michael Cookson’s review of this same recording here on MusicWeb International says a lot more than I could every say about the work and its background. However, approaching this recording as a Schnittke novice, I find myself quite astounded by the density of this Third Symphony. This is a massive work for 111 musicians, including organ, harpsichord and electric guitar, which, at times, seems formless, and at others, has an Ivesian sound, with a juxtaposition of many styles and forms. There is much in the liner-notes about how the composer weaves the names of 28 Austro/German composers in this music – in the manner that Bach wrote his name in the Art of Fugue but all that background information tells nothing about the music itself.

I have heard few musical works that contain as many multitudes as this symphony. It is resolutely modern – composed in 1981 – yet it lacks that specious modern sound of music that could almost be generated by chance ... and sometimes is. Schnittke seems to be both a mystifier and a master musician. In a 2004 article, Alex Ross called him a 'Connoisseur of Chaos', and this Third Symphony contains sections that are as chaotic as, say, Ruggles’ Sun-Treader, but others that have a Mahlerian musicality. Schnittke seems to be quoting nearly every composer in the history of western music; an exaggeration but at times, certain phrases, textures, or orchestrations recall specific composers. The opening which quotes Wagner’s Das Rheingold; the occasional Mozartean riff; the Mahlerian sound here and there; it is almost as though James Joyce had composed a symphony.

Pentatone give us excellent sound quality, something that is truly essential for a recording of this type, with such orchestral density. It’s interesting to note that the organ was recorded separately from the orchestra. I understand that recording an organ in a work of this scale is technically quite difficult, and this approach allows the engineers to ensure that the sound remains balanced.

Schnittke is definitely an acquired taste. Michael Cookson, in his review, called this recording of the month, and said it would be “undoubtedly be one of my 2015 Records of the Year”. As someone new to this music, I can only say that if you want to hear a challenging orchestral work, performed impeccably, this disc is for you.

Kirk McElhearn
Kirk McElhearn writes about more than just music on his blog Kirkville.

Previous review: Michael Cookson (Recording of the Month) ; Dan Morgan (high-res download)