Alfred Schnittke - Symphony No.0; Nagasaki (Oratorio for mezzosoprano, Chorus and Orchestra)

Alfred SCHNITTKE (1934-1998)

Symphony No.0 

Nagasaki (Oratorio for mezzosoprano, Chorus and Orchestra)

Cape Town Opera Voice of the Nation (Chorus)

Cape Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor: Owain Arwel Hughes

Alexandre Ivashkin, Schnittke biographer and gatherer of the Schnittke archives in London has persuaded Irina Schnittke to release the rights for the two works by a 22 then 24 years old composer still in the graduate program of the Moscow Conservatory.

Symphony No.0 is of course totally inspired by Shostakovitch. However in a twist we learn that the slow movement of this symphony may have indeed inspired him in his own 11th symphony slow movement beginning (double bass pizicatti). Staged for a modest size orchestra, the symphony is very tamed by Schnittke's standards. However the slow movement is a forebearer of greatness. It will take another 12 years before Schnittke would start writing the seminal first symphony...

Written two years after Symphony No.0, it is a much more confident Schnittke who writes the oratorio Nagasaki and this is felt from the get go. Set for a larger ensemble and chorus, Schnittke's influence is surely Carl Orff "Carmina Burana" but there is no msitaking some original orchestrations for anyone else. Indeed I also found similarities with sonorities explored in Britten's War Requiem, a few years later. Schnittke rewrote the finale -to the disappointment of Shostakovich we learn, who liked the first version and regretted to see Schnittke bowing to external pressures... But the lesson of independence was learned as we've seen much later during Schnittke's career!-. My regret is that the South African choir is not Russian speaking and thus not as clear as one would like. But this critic is minor compared to the formidable effort it took to stage the premiere of this piece in Cape Town, in November 2006. Ivashkin and those who have contributed to making this CD possible deserve our appreciation and our support. Schnittke fans will no doubt find this recording a must have.

The orchestra is very good and well conducted. The recorded sound is solid with plenty of Organ bass in the oratorio.

In conclusion, Thank you Alexander Ivashkin: now we need the dedicatee of Symphony No.9 to record this last symphony!