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Schnittke / Pettersson 2 late 20th century master

Thought I'd recommend some classical composers I've recently made an encounter with.
Have most of their works now, and find both to be outsanding.
Some of you might already know about Schnittke, and I would further recommend a book A Schnittke Reader/edited Alexander Ivashkin. Ivashkin also has written a excellent biography on Schnittke.
Many of his thoughts as given in A Schnittke Reader reveal a brilliant mind, which is shown in his mnusic.
Alan Pettersson wrote 15 syms, numbered 2-16. Sym #12 is a choral sym and sym 16 to me is like a sax concero.
I recommend starting with 7,8,6.
But really his syms 2-11 then continuing to 13-15 are all like movements to one monumental symphonic cycle. I love all those syms, with only #4 being "the least interesting" still worth the hearing, and even his 4th trumps most classical syms, in any period.
Both can be considered heirs to the Shostakovich legacy, and quiet often surpass the great composer.
I would suggest picking up Schnittke's work titled Concerto Grosso 4/Sym 5 , goes by that tiltle for the dual nature of the work.
Its on BIS/Jarvi/Gotenburg.
On the early syms 1-4 look for the rare OOP, Rozhdestvensky/USSR/Melodyia. So far almost every cd I picked up by Schnittke has been phenomenal.
Pettersson's syms are complete on the CPO label, and Segerstam has recorded several on the BIS label. Both are excellent. I might ever-so-slightly prefer the SEgerstam.

Another great master I'd like to recommend is Elliot Carter, who I consider america's greatest composer, and surely takes a place on side of both the above in late 20th century classical. I hear Carter's music as standing heir to the great second viennese masters, Schnoberg, Berg, Webern.
bartokfan
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bartokfan OP
664 posts
 
Rushton, I have found both the Segerstam/BIS very good, with the CPO series to be near equal. In fact comparing the 2 make a pointless case. Segerstam takes a more civil approach, CPO more gutsy. I have accepted Segerstam's handling only til recently. The notes to the 7th/BIS makes a slight mention of Segerstams' "more forgiving" approach. You may find that only one works for you. I'm a very devoted Pettersson fan so can accept both.
Bot to say that I agree with every recording in the 7th. The Dorati is most popular and highly praised, with the Stockholm. But it didn't dio much for me. The Comissiona live/Swedish RSO neither, its good, but not necessary with comparison to the CPO and BIS.
Basically there are only the CPO and BIS releases, can't go wrong with either.
I could go on about the significance of Pettersson for modern man's predictment, but this is not the forum to do so. Neither are classical music forum s a place to open up talking about the meaning and depths to Pettersson. They prefer their Beethoven :-)
Another master composer you really want to consider is Alfred Schnittke. Probably the most profound composer that I know. Schnittke was also a very deep thinker, as revealed in the book, A Schnittke Reader.
The first 30 pages are an interview with Schnittke on music and modern man's dilema.
Pick up a copy of the Concerto Grosso this weekend, follow up with a post.
i'd like to hear about your experience.
Both Schnittke and Pettersson were heirs to Shostakovich, and at times surpass the great master. Yet I don't draw a line of sepatation between the 3, as all threr stand as memvers of a spiritual family, beginning with Vivaldi, Corelli, Bach, many others, then going through Mozart, Haydn and continuing on.
Opps, where does Beethoven fit in...gee, he's in that line of course but has to bow before Mozart, with genuine respect.
rushton's avatar
rushton
2,445 posts
 
Bartokfan, thanks for the recommendations and the nice summary. It's good to hear from someone else who appreciates Pettersson's music. I have very little of Schnitke's work in my collection, I shall have to seek out some more of his work.
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