This series of texts could only begin with one of my favorite twentieth-century composers, the German-Russian Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998). He is one of the reasons why I began to engage with contemporary music, long after I first encountered some of his works. Similarly, he is one of those composers for whom I could mention other works in this series, as many of them not only appeal to me but also hold a special place in the repertoire.
At some point during my undergraduate studies in the second half of the 90s, my professor gave me a Schnittke piece for piano to study. It was Improvisation and Fugue, written in 1965, and it was a compulsory piece in the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow the following year. When I first played it, it was rather unknown to the general public, probably because it was still only available in a Russian edition. Later, the Sikorski publishing house in Germany released it, the work gained popularity, and it is now considered a classic among both contemporary piano repertoire and the composer’s works.
Prompted by my study of it, I sought out recordings of the composer, on CD back then. I discovered, first, the Concerto for Piano and Strings from 1979 – an established concerto in the contemporary repertoire, chronologically the second of Schnittke’s five concertante works for piano and orchestra. But primarily, the revelation – and the first of the “23” works in the title – was his Requiem, a work from 1975.
The official title of the work is Requiem from the incidental music for Schiller’s Don Carlos for soloists, choir, and ensemble. The soloists are three sopranos, one contralto, and one tenor. The ensemble refers to a small instrumental group, not even a chamber orchestra, consisting of trumpet, trombone, organ, piano/celesta, electric guitar and electric bass, and percussion (including drums). The choice of instruments is already very distinctive: high instruments (e.g., flute, oboe) are avoided, as are very low ones (e.g., double bass, bassoon), and strings are entirely absent! Schnittke seems to choose instruments that remain within the range of the human voice. Even the organ or piano, which have a wide range, do not exploit their full extent, avoiding their extreme registers.
This Requiem, though not as well-known as those by Mozart or Verdi, is a fantastic work. It is an excellent example of Schnittke’s polystylistic writing,* where various musical genres are blended. Of course, both the choice of a large form with many movements – thus allowing for a rather distinct style in each – and the composer’s skill make it particularly pleasant and easy on the ear.
Specifically, old music exerts a great influence, probably due to the subject matter, in the form of imitations of Gregorian chant or medieval polyphony (in the Kyrie, Recordare). Furthermore, in relation to the text and voice, Schnittke “composes” hymns that resemble Orthodox ones (Kyrie, Agnus Dei). Finally, one cannot ignore a primitive rhythmic repetition, somewhat reminiscent of Carl Orff’s three great cantatas (Trionfi: Carmina Burana, Catulli Carmina, Trionfo di Afrodite) in the Tuba mirum and Rex tremendae, where we also find narrative singing (an influence from Schönberg?).
Listening to the work, one cannot help but admire many of its passages. The Requiem – the first movement – is a long and slow crescendo (meaning a gradual increase in overall dynamics from soft to loud) and then the opposite, actions achieved by the gradual addition – and corresponding reduction – of voices and instruments, but with minimal changes in the writing. Moreover, the melodic-thematic material of the choir is first presented in a minor key and then in a major key! Schnittke introduces electric instruments in the Kyrie, although the organ dominates its orchestration. Shostakovich’s symphonic influence on the one hand, and a small rhythmic development à la Stravinsky, are evident in the Dies irae. Observe the Lacrimosa, where an atmosphere is created with minimal instruments – as if they are not there – and the most transparent writing: the text is in the foreground. In the following Domine Jesu, the bells, along with the dissonant chords, abruptly change the mood, albeit only temporarily. The sacrifices (Hostias) that follow are magnificent. In contrast, in the subsequent Sanctus, the repetition of the motif as a bass ostinato accompanying the tenor at its beginning and end, on the electric bass and vibraphone respectively, is rather chilling. The Benedictus is a chromatic chorale by the choir accompanied by the organ. We arrive at the Credo, a movement that does not originally belong to the Catholic Church’s funeral service. Although it continues slowly and quietly, maintaining the same devotional character as the preceding Agnus Dei, it introduces elements of musical theatre and rock’n’roll with the appropriate use of electric guitar and drums!
The composer’s exceptional technical skill is placed at the service of the text and art – or even worship, one might say – as a means rather than an end in itself. After all, as it was probably impossible to compose a purely religious work in the Soviet Union of the 1970s, the pretext was Friedrich Schiller’s play Don Carlos, for which it was intended as incidental music. At the same time, Schnittke approached Christianity after his mother’s death in 1972 and eventually converted to Catholicism in 1982.
Beyond the aforementioned, more or less musicological and/or aesthetic elements, Schnittke’s Requiem is a masterpiece. Listen to it at your leisure, either by choosing a recording online or on CD/vinyl if you are a collector. Even better, if there happens to be a live performance of the work near you, do not hesitate to go. From the internet, I suggest this one with the Moscow Philharmonic and the Moscow State Chamber Choir under Timofei Golberg, with a score for anyone who wants to follow the text and musical notation. If you don’t have a particular connection to contemporary music, you will be especially surprised. If you do, you will recognize many familiar elements from a plethora of other composers.
* In Schnittke, polystylism refers to the – often abrupt – juxtaposition of different musical styles, which, moreover, are sometimes contradictory.
