Alfred SCHNITTKE (1934-1998)
CD 1
Die Geschichte von einem unbekannten Schauspieler / The story of an unknown
actor (Alexander Sarchi / Mosfilm 1976) [18:38]
Die Kommissarin / The Commissar (Alexander Askoldow / Mosfilm 1967/87) [47:26]
CD 2
Clowns und Kinder / Clowns and Children (Alexander Mitta, Mosfilm 1976) [8:57]
Der Walzer / The Waltz (Viktor Titow / Mosfilm 1969) [11:09]
Die Glasharmonika / The Glass Harmonica (Andrei Khrzhanovsky, 1968) [20:46]
Der Aufstieg / The Ascent (Larissa Schepitko / Mosfilm 1976) [14:15]
CD 3
Das Märchen der Wanderungen / The Fairytale of the Wanderings (Alexander Mitta,
Mosfilm 1982/83) [44:55]
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (Alexander Sguridi / ZentrNaútschFilm, 1976) [24:03]
CD 4
Sport, Sport, Sport (Elem Klimow, Mosfilm 1970) [25:21]
Die Abenteuer eines Zahnarztes / The adventures of a dentist (Elem Klimow,
Mosfilm 1965) [24:36]
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin/Frank Strobel
rec. Jesus Christus-Kirche, Berlin-Dahlem, 2003-2005
CAPRICCIO C7196 [4 CDs: 280:23]
Alfred Schnittke’s film music is probably better known by
reputation rather than as something familiar to listeners, though Frank Strobel’s
work in this field has made some of this large archive of music more accessible
in recent years. Schnittke wrote more than 60 film scores between 1961 and
1984, earning more in this way that was ever likely to be possible through
his ‘serious’ work bearing in mind the difficulties he and other contemporary
composers suffered in the USSR. Schnittke continued to write for film for
much of his life, and was apparently by no means uncomfortable in being known
as a film music composer.
Divorcing film music from the pictures and narratives for which they were
written is rarely ideal, but Frank Strobel’s large scale project in fact complies
with Schnittke’s wish that his film music should be brought to life in the
concert hall, so what we have here are scores painstakingly gathered together
and recorded in excellent audio rather than original soundtracks. There is
of course a big difference between these polished recordings and the raw and
distinctive character of the originals and I would hesitate to say which is
ultimately preferable, but for the audio-only experiences these recordings
are excellent.
This four disc box set is a re-release of single discs which originally had
an SACD layer. Earlier editions have been covered on MusicWeb International:
volume 1 (see review)
and volume 2 (review).
This set on standard stereo CDs is nicely presented and well documented, with
notes on each film.
The Story of an Unknown Actor has some lovely nostalgic themes and
a rather gentle orchestral sound, with plenty of quite lush string writing.
The Commissar also opens quite sweetly, but darker undertones break
through, the klezmer-style Wedding overrun with violence by a subsequent
Attack. This score has more fingerprints of Schnittke’s style, with
playfulness set surreally against unfeeling angularity and the heavy intensity
of clustered chords. Orchestration is also more extensive, with a large percussion
section and timbres such as dampened piano strings all adding impact and atmosphere
to performance which also include some terrific folk-fiddling.
Clowns and Children has grand circus music of which Shostakovich might
have been proud, the childishness and jollity always infected with a quasi-comic
clumsiness and some minor-key melancholy. Reading about The Waltz conjures
some strange ideas which include Johann Strauss as a character, his waltz
theme being put through all kinds of torture before emerging triumphant. The
Glass Harmonica is rather special, being a through-composed score which
plays for the entire duration of a 19 minute cartoon. The instrument’s glassy
sound is recreated with a celesta, harp and prepared piano, and there are
all kinds of stylistic pastiche from Baroque to the strangest of modern effects
using Theremin and other electronic instruments. It’s worth seeking out the
disturbing original.
The Ascent is a harrowing story of Soviet partisans during the darkest
days of WWII. Schnittke’s oppressive score generates sound-textures as much
as it does music in the first track, Sotnikov’s Death, and there is
a chilling atmosphere throughout, with powerful and dispiriting climaxes.
The Fairytale of the Wanderings is a strange adventure, the tale of
which is too complicated to summarise. This was a significant project for
Schnittke, and his collaboration with film-maker Alexander Mitta resulted
in extensive and wide-ranging music of the highest calibre. The content is
distinctively Schnittke, from the main theme and melodies both witty and beautiful
to the sheer imagination and variety in the orchestration, all qualities which
draw you in and keep you involved from start to finish. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
is Rudyard Kipling’s famous Mongoose from the Jungle Book, and
the wide-screen and large-scale production is reflected in Schnittke’s opulent
and often more Western-sounding score. Grand, heroic gestures are there to
inspire, while atmospheric scoring describes nocturnal scenes, the threat
of the snakes, battle and ultimate triumph.
Sport, Sport, Sport is a satire on fitness, and Schnittke’s score
is a “good humoured caricature of the ambitious movers.” This and numerous
other films of this kind were banned by the Soviet authorities, and Schnittke
rescued and recycled portions of these scores to make his Suite in old
Style for violin and piano. This includes The Adventures of a Dentist,
which is another satire, the moral of which in this case “is that he who stands
out is soon cut down.” There are some terrific numbers in both of these scores,
with Schnittke at his best when undermining his own distinctive themes through
stylistic adaptation or distortion. There are portions which enter ‘classical
sitcom’ territory, nods to Shostakovich in Jazz Suite mood, as well
as an embracing of neo-classical nuance which sails close to Stravinsky, and
moments which seem to satirise bloated versions of the kind of Western culture
that revels in gold-leafed New Year celebratory crassness. There’s also a
fantastic Charleston with saxophones and banjo and just so much to
enjoy and so many ways of interpreting what Schnittke might be wanting to
tell us: this is the kind of stuff which can keep you entertained and stimulated
for a lifetime.
With an inevitable smoothing out of those rough edges that can charm and shock
in those original film recordings, this is a collection very much worth acquiring.
If you’ve been put off by Schnittke’s modernity in the past then this can
be a way into understanding his musical language from a different angle. Having
heard the technical virtuosity with which he solves the problems of applying
music to the widest variety of imagery and narrative, one comes to appreciate
even more the sheer facility and genius of this composer. These scores enhanced
and heightened the effect of the films for which they were made, and to an
equal extent the best of Schnittke’s concert music can enhance and heighten
your experience of life. Go on, give it a try. It’s not like smoking – it
won’t harm you, really.
Dominy Clements
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