Schnittke: Concerto grosso No.1 / Quasi una sonata / Moz-Art à la Haydn

After a period as a composer of 12-note serial music Schnittke came to think that this musical technique was unable `to suggest anything comparable to the perspectives of tonal music', to quote the liner note accompanying this disc. I could probably have told him that myself, but I thought I ought to gain some idea of how Schnittke's new scheme worked out. He was deeply impressed, apparently, by Webern's perception of `the basic principle of sonata form as a contrast between Strict and Free', and consequently he tried to replicate this duality by alternating tonal with atonal in his own music. Without any preconceptions of what I was going to find, I thought it a safe bet that there would not be any better exponent of it than Gidon Kremer, one of the greatest and boldest violinists of his generation.

This expectation has certainly been fulfilled. Helped by good clear 1986 and 1990 recordings, Kremer puts his prodigious technique and enormous commitment at the service of the music, in the roles of soloist and conductor. The first piece here is a `concerto grosso', and the liner note tells us about its `polystylisticism', [I kid you not], but does not mention the essential feature of any concerto grosso, namely its opposition of a small `concertino' group of solo instruments against the full or `ripieno' band. Here Kremer is partnered by Tatiana Grindenko in another violin part, and there are also roles for a harpsichord and a `prepared' (sc messed-around) piano, although I would myself think of these instruments as `continuo' or background harmony. There is a wide range of effects among the six movements of this piece, I was pretty impressed with the way they were handled by everyone concerned, and I like to think that those more familiar than I am with the music might share this view.

The next item is a work for solo violin and orchestra called `Quasi una sonata'. Kremer conducts as well as doing the solo, and again there is a minor piano part. If you work at it, as the liner note does, you can apparently find Schnittke's replication of Webern's idea of sonata form here, but in honesty I think this is all hot air. Alternation of any two stylistic features is much like alternation of any other two features, if we want to be as theoretical as this. I would seriously question the credentials of any listener who would claim to hear any such abstraction in performance. More significant to me is the alternation between piano and violin at the start. This is splendidly dramatic and declamatory, and I would say that the players' sense of belief is likely to hold most listeners' attention throughout the 20-plus minutes that the piece lasts.

The other two items are rather lighter. One is archly entitled Moz-Art a la Haydn, and consists of some jocularity in playing around with themes by Mozart, starting in darkness if we were present at a live concert performance. The hilarity is consummated by having the players leave the platform one by one, in the manner of Haydn's `Farewell' symphony. The conductor in such a performance is further instructed to keep beating time in silence at the end, and for what it's worth the following interval between tracks on the disc faithfully reflects this. I confess that all this is not my own idea of an interesting musical or other kind of event, but whether intentionally or not the first few notes of Mozart's G minor symphony, in such a context, made me realise more than ever how marvellous that composition is. Lastly there is `A Paganini', a kind of capriccio for solo violin similar to Paganini's own efforts, consisting of an introduction and two cadenzas and played with stupendous despatch and virtuosity by Kremer.

5 stars is my measure of how well this music is performed here. The caption to this review reflects my opinion of the music, which is basically agnostic - I like it well enough, but whether it all amounts to much I'm not sure. For many years the devotees of the avant-garde controlled the conversation when it came to discussing classical music, but a reaction seems to have set in. It's the way of such reactions that they over-react, and the interesting thing about Schnittke is that he backtracked partly down the same route much earlier, although only partly. Whatever any of us think of the music, it is at least interesting from a historical standpoint, or even from a seat on the fence.

The Concerto Grosso is one of Schnittke's best known works and gives a good introduction to his "polystylistic" works. The other works have thier attractions and Moz Art A la Haydn is a very theatrical treatment of Mozart material that would work even better inlive performance as the lights come on when the first unison string chord is played. It is very playful and inventive. the Violin Sonata gives an insight into how Schnittke chose to move away from strict serial music to a richer musical vocabulary. To be honest the Paganini piece is a stocking filler in comparison.

The performances are excellent with plenty of bite and energy. This is a fine introduction for newcomers to Schnittke's music.