This biography of the Russian composer Alfred Schnittke (born in 1934) presents a portrait of a man whose musical input has been inextricably linked to the strictures of life in the Soviet Union. His music, as a reflection of Russian cultural and social traditions, as well as mentality, enjoys tremendous popularity in his own country, and increasingly on an international level. Sixtieth-birthday celebrations in 1994 left no doubt as to the stature of this prolific composer, who has suffered three strokes since 1985. Born in the Volga German republic of the USSR, Schnittke enjoyed early formative musical experiences in 1940s Vienna. For most of his adult life in Russia, however, his music was powerfully shaped by the frustrations of the Soviet period; he reacted strongly against the ideology of the era. After his controversially dissonant oratorio, "Nagasaki" (1958), he was attacked for writing music with "bourgeois" and "formalistic" tendancies. But despite and perhaps because of official disapproval, his music, particularly from the "First Symphony" (1969-1972) onwards, achieved immense popularity in Russia, and later abroad. Schnittke has also established himself as one of the country's foremost film music composers, working for the Mosfilm studios in the 1970s and 1980s. His symphonies lie arguably at the end of the Germanic symphonic tradition, but each represents a new concept of the genre for the 20th century. His works are strongly original, but also reveal the influence of Shostakovich (of whom Schnittke has been described as the musical heir); however, each of Schnittke's compositions can be understood primarily to offer a unique synthesis of many different influences and styles. The author gives detailed and admiring discussion of Schnittke's music and his theories, arguing that the various stylistic elements in his works - his "polystylism" - may be perceived as part of a new, more universal language. This text is part of the 20th-century composers series, examining composers in a biographical context, and offering a comprehensive study of key figures in the creation of 20th-century music. None of the books in the series presume a knowledge of specialized terms or musical notation. Each book in the series features a list of works, a bibliography, and a discography.
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The story of Soviet composer Alfred Schnittke is one that will give pause even to the gods of irony. The descendent of German and Jewish inhabitants of what was once the German Volga S.S.R. in the Soviet Union, he received his first musical training as a young boy in Soviet-occupied Vienna. Baptized as a Roman Catholic at age 48 (although he had strong Russian Orthodox tendencies), this son of dedicated Communists employed a musical idiom almost as varied as his background. One of the most interesting aspects of Alexander Ivashkin's lucid account of the composer's life is his long struggle in the face of the hostility shown by the apparatchiks that ran the Soviet composer's union, a hostility that made it impossible for Schnittke to attend many performances of his works when they required a travel permit outside Soviet territory. Fortunately, as the regime approached collapse, the difficulties experienced by Schnittke and his fellow Soviet artists during the decades of Soviet rule abated. This entry in Phaidon's 20th-Century Composers series offers a well-written account of the essential aspects of Schnittke's life and work.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The book on Alfred Schnittke that you must have!,
By villegem "villegem" (canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alfred Schnittke (20th Century Composers) (Paperback)
This book is the perfect introduction to the life of the late composer. I learned many details about his upbringing and his influences.
Ivashkin has managed to give an overview of Schnittke and replaced him in the history of Soviet composers. The author let sometimes his own grief about the soviet system and some of its members set on fire his style... Having discovered Schnittke's music abroad, I would comment that his music goes beyond the Russian borders and in this sense, Ivashkin's natural focus on Soviet ties may be only showing one side of the equation. But he made me miss even more the opportunity to meet with Schnittke as he was in Banff in Canada few years ago. Thanks to the author a biography exists. Sadly it will have to be updated. I wished articles by Schnittke would be available in english as well as a more exhaustive interpretive catalog of his work and recordings. Thanks to Phaidon for a superb volume!
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
excellent Schnittke book,
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This review is from: Alfred Schnittke (20th Century Composers) (Paperback)
This book is an excellent biography and overview of the music of Alfred Schnittke. The casual listener probably wouldn't be interested, but for those that love Schnittke's music this is a goldmine. It provides plenty of insight in the personal life of Schnittke and the events that helped shape his music. It details many of his personal political struggles (which would truly make comparisons to Shostakovich even clearer.)There is also, of course, discussions on the music. No in depth analysis or anything, just good commentary on them. I don't have a musical education and the book was still quite enjoyable to me. Another wonderful inclusion is the discography and the catalogue of works. This will probably be the definative account of Schnittke's life (in English anyway.) One can only hope though that it will be updated as the book was written two years before Scnittke's death. I highly recommend this excellent book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A very lightweight and loosely edited biography with little analysis of the music,
This review is from: Alfred Schnittke (20th Century Composers) (Paperback)
This entry in Phaidon Press' biographies of 20th century composers describes the life and work of Alfred Schnittke, the great Russian postmodernist, and is written by noted Russian cellist and friend of the composer Alexander Ivashkin. The work was published in 1996, two years before Schnittke's death. However, because Schnittke's last years were fraught with ill health, there is a general supposition that his career had ended. How surprised Ivashkin must have been to see a final bust of activity from the composer's pen shortly after the book's appearance.
As with all of Phaidon Press' biographies, the focus here is on the life and surroundings of the composer. Ivashkin describes in detail the composer's youth in Engels and Vienna, his tribulations in the Moscow Conservatory, and his marriage and family life. His pieces are often mention in connection to the events that inspired them, such as the death of his mother that led to his Piano Quintet. Unfortunately, there is very little in the way of analysis of his works. What few scores are shown in the book are given only to spice up the text with illustrations, they are not used by Ivashkin to point out the important innovations of Schnittke's music. Beyond this lightweight nature, the book is fraught with other problems. There is a lot of repetition, many events are presented out of chronological order (for example, a chapter on the 1970s going back to the 1960s), and much tighter editing was necessary. There is even an error with typesetting where a sentence somehow disappears between pages 141 and 142. Becuase the work was rather obnoxious in these regards, I wouldn't recommend it except to hardcore fans of Schnittke who want to read as much as possible about him, or to people who just want to know the general outline of his life without knowing how his pieces work.
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