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
PENTATONE SACD PTC5186485 [52.16]
Michael Cookson’s review covers much of the background to this release,
and like Kirk McElhearn I’m left free to provide some personal ramblings.
One of many treasured box sets in my re-purposed fireplace, The Ten
Symphonies of Alfred Schnittke on BIS-CD-1767/68 is rather special, and
the performance of the Third Symphony with the Royal Stockholm
Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Eri Klas remains a stunning reference.
This disc couples the Third with the Seventh Symphony by
the way, while it stood alone on the original release on BIS-CD-477.
With luxury packaging and added SACD enhancement this Pentatone release
oozes quality, and while there are time when forensic clarity is not always
necessarily the best thing when Schnittke is generating his fields of sound,
there is a refinement of balance in this recording which results in even
more spine-chilling effects in the first movement. Eri Klas sets up a pulse
towards the end of this first movement which is rather machine-like, the
softer-toned bass guitar and less insistent tubular bells and percussion in
Jurowski’s version sounding less like an Eastern-Block foundry. The weight
of the organ is greater as well, and the climax at 10:00 is
breathtaking.
The second movement Sonatensatz is rich in witty and surreal
classical-musical allusions, and Jurowski is a little more measured in tempo
when compared to Klas. This allows more atmosphere to be created by those
mournful brass chorale interjections, and the urgent interruption of the
second section is terrifically exciting. The harpsichord in the third minute
is more present as well, and there are new details to be discovered and
relished in just about every moment. Check out the organ at 6:05, and there
is an all-round feeling of high-octane virtuosity about the playing which I
have to say beats the competition by quite a margin.
Rock-distortion opens the Scherzo with high-tensile impact, the
addition of a sweet-sounding instruction of Allegretto something of
a joke amidst the dark sonorities and Ives-like mixture of harmonic and
stylistic material which rolls over us like an implacable military tank. The
heavy passacaglia-like nature of the third movement melts into a mournful
continuation in the fourth, marked Finale. Adagio. This is the kind
of heartrending stuff which makes me want to down tools and go off to become
a sheep farmer. Schnittke may have wanted to signal the redundancy of the
symphony as a musical form in the 20th century, but at the same
time he was indeed our very own Gustav Mahler, at least in the emotional
character conveyed by the deepest gestures of this movement.
This release is a must-have for Schnittke fans, and even for those who
possess the BIS recording. Good as this is, the Pentatone version surpasses
it in every respect, with an emphatically wonderful performance recorded in
state of the art clarity. This is a release capable of communicating the
compelling shocks and intensity of feeling unique to a composer who threw
down a gauntlet encrusted in pearls with clenched teeth.
Dominy Clements
Previous reviews: Michael Cookson
(Recording of the Month) and Kirk McElhearn
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