Search - Alfred Schnittke, James DePreist, Leif Segerstam :: Faust Cantata

(K)EIN SOMMERNACHTSTRAUM UNDERRATED

Jenny Hanniver | 03/05/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For the past two years I have been reccommending this CD to everyone i thought would be interested. Constantly touting (K)ein Sommernachtstraum as the superior piece on the disc, I have thrust it into the faces of everyone I know, always with the same "have you heard this?". Without fail, after hearing the disc only once, all have shared my enthusiasm for it.
However, after reading some reviews of this disc online and elsewhere, it has come to my attention that fewer people share my enthusiasm for the Somernachtstraum, prefering, as is their right, the Faust cantata.
The faust cantata is, by far, one of the worlds best pieces of music ever written. It never ceases to make me smile and give me goosebumps. Still, I believe (K)ein Sommernachtstraum outshines it in sheer compositional ingenuity, bravery, and overall intelligence. It starts innocently enough with a quasi-baroque phrase borrowed (if not entirely reworked)from one of Schnittke's earlier works and continues to mold and transform it until it is almost unrecogniseable by the time the piece climaxes. All the while Schnittke weaves modern and classical themes related to the initial phrase throughout and gradually immerses the listener in his "poly-stylism" . . .oops! gotta go!
GIVE IT A SECOND CHANCE!! P.S. Fans of this disc will also LOVE Schnittke's first Concerto Grosso; a word of warning, however: The Deutsche Grammophon recording with Kremer is inferior to the Col Legno recording although the soloists are the same. The DG version seperately tracks the individual movements, and the packaging is nice, but the harpsichord gets lost in the mix and when Schnittke's favorite tango rears its head toward the end of the piece, some of the momentum is lost."

Faust

villegem | canada | 06/20/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Faust Cantata is another Schnittke masterpiece and this recording is raptuously better than the Gerd Albrecht version of the third act of Historia!
Passacaglia, Kein summernachtstraum are orchestral marvels that should be played by North American orchestras! It would wake up audiences and put an end to the tepid music programming that we have to suffer: no mysteries that they can't fill up the halls!
I had the privilege to listen live to Keinsummer... at the 2001 Barbican Schnittke Festival, conducted by Eri Klas: Magical!"

Five stars for the Faust Cantata alone!

Christopher Culver | 11/09/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This BIS disc comes in the label's attempt to record the entire output of the late Russian composer Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998). Swedish ensembles proved steadfast composers of Schnittke's music, and here the Malmo Symphony Orchestra conducted by James DePriest or Leif Segerstam performs in four orchestral works. These all date from the first half of the 1980s, when Schnittke had perfected his polystylistic idiom and before his first stroke which led him to change course dramatically.



"(K)ein Sommernachtstraum" for orchestra (1985) starts off with a charming little ditty which the composer called fake Mozart or Schubert, stretches this theme into harmonic realms that seem a little too daring for that era, and then subjects it to a number of variations that all lead to crushing dissonance. If you like Schnittke's works that take an innocent tune and then bash its head in, such as the Concerto Grossos No. 2 or or No. 3, this will be a familiar effort to you. However, it's not all doom and gloom, and "(K)ein Sommernachtstram" is Schnittke at his most playful and transparent. It's no surprise that this has proven a popular piece, especially in the UK, even as his more radical orchestral compositions are quickly being forgotten.



One example of an unfairly neglected piece is the "Faust Cantata" for contralto, counter-tenor, tenor, bass, mixed chorus and orchestra (1983). Written as the last act of a Faust opera (ultimately completed in 1994), this is an irresistibly catchy work, using elements of late 20th century musical theatre as much as the German operatic tradition. In the climactic movement, "Es gesach...", the Devil appears as a female contralto with a sultry voice (Schnittke intended it for the Russian pop singer Alla Pugacheva) who mockingly sings of the death of Faust in couplets set to a wild tango rhythm. This is music that you will hum for days or weeks to come, and that this has not entered the standard repertoire is obscene. This recording on BIS is, as far as I know, the only one of the standalone cantata, but ATTENTION! fans of Schnittke, don't assume this is a minor thing to be picked up later. Get it as soon as you are drawn into the work of the composer.



The remaining two works show that Schnittke wasn't all about juxtaposition of old and new, but that he could also write in a style where all his disparate influences were securely reconciled. They will appeal especially to fans of the Symphony No. 4. "Ritual" (1984-1985) is a short (8-minute) work for large orchestra which develops as a canon on a single melodic line. While written in memory of the victims of World War II, it nonetheless feels somewhat ephemeral, like a longer than usual fanfare. The "Passacaglia" (1980) is also for large orchestra, and generally all its elements are put to use in a nebulous haze reminiscent of the first movement of Lutoslawski's Symphony No. 2. The composer was reportedly inspired by ocean waves in the piece, whose bass currents throw up a variety of swells."