It was not until I read a biographical note by Alexander Ivashkin in A Schnittke Reader that I finally reached some understanding of the composer's intentions. I had previously had no idea that Schnittke had written 66 (!!) film scores in the course of his career. Suddenly his most famous quote, taken from "On Concerto Grosso No. 1," made sense to me.
"... and then it dawned on me: my lifelong task would be to bridge the gap between serious music and music entertainment, even if I broke my neck in the process."
There can be no doubt today that Schnittke is among the most important composers of the second half of the twentieth century. Though he may not have been the first to introduce the use of polystylism in musical composition, he deserves full credit for having recognized its importance to modern music and for having formulated its theoretical dimensions in his seminal essay "Polystylistic Tendencies in Modern Music" (1971). It is perfectly fitting that Juilliard should honor this genius on the 80th anniversary of his birth with a weeklong festival that celebrates not only his own music but also that of those composers closest to him.
The opening night concert on Friday evening began with the performance of a new version of La Sindone (2005, revised 2013) by Arvo Pärt. Ever since I heard Fratres and Für Alina earlier this season at a Mannes piano recital, I have been fascinated by Pärt's creations. I thought the title given that recital, The Mystics, was a very apt description of the composer's music. There is something inexpressibly moving in his tintinnabular style that makes listening to this composer's work an almost religious experience. It was an inspired choice that Pärt should have been commissioned to write this piece whose first performance was given at Turin Cathedral on the occasion of the 2006 Winter Olympics. The new version represents a major revision of this work. As noted in the program:
"The revision of La Sindone turned out to be in many ways a new piece, a fundamental clarification and condensation of the original. The entire central section was completely recomposed."
The next work was Daytime Prayers for chamber ensemble, clarinet and "boy soprano" (1990) by the Georgian composer Giya Kancheli. As is apparent from the title, this was another work with clear cut religious overtones. It represented the second part of a four part cycle entitled Life Without Christmas, a reference to the repression of religious beliefs in Georgia under the Soviet regime. The use of a clarinet soloist, here Yeon-Hyung Lim, and child soprano - sung here incredibly well by twelve-year old soloist Augie Regger of the Saint Thomas Choir School - imparted to the piece so ethereal a tone that one might indeed have been listening to a prayer sung in a church.
The program concluded with Schnittke's own Symphony No. 4 (1984) in the New York premiere of its sinfonietta version scored for small chamber ensemble, piano, soprano, alto, tenor and bass. This was the first opportunity I'd had to hear one of the composer's longer works for orchestra and thought it much more successful than many of the the chamber works which unfortunately sometimes appear too self conscious and strive too hard for effect. Here the piano, expertly played by Naomi Causby, percussion and choral parts blended seamlessly together. As in the other works on the program, this piece too incorporated a set of references to religious motifs. The program noted that in this symphony Schnittke "turned his attention to unifying features in the music of three strands of Christianity ... with additional references to Jewish chant." The final result was counterintuitive to the extent it possessed a unity one would not normally have expected from the intermingling of such diverse sources. The program further noted:
"Unlike many of Schnittke's works, which are constructed as collages of disparate yet unified elements, this Symphony unfolds in a single direction, almost obsessive in its sense of purpose."
There is an enlightening article in The Juilliard Journal by Joel Sachs (who also wrote the above quoted program notes), founder of the New Juilliard Ensemble and conductor at yesterday evening's concert, that provides a great deal of insight into Schnittke's career and the achievements of his circle of associates. Mr. Sachs deserves a great deal of credit for bringing Schnittke's music to the attention of Western listeners in the first place. It was he who led the American premiere of Schnittke's Concerto Grosso No. 1 in January 1980, thus providing Western audiences their first encounter with the composer's oeuvre. Mr. Sach's conducting on Friday evening was sensitive and fully respectful of the various composers' intentions. The performance by the student musicians was of the highest order and made this flawless performance truly an evening to be remembered.
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