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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.Book Description
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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

some problems with this book
This book is a good, quick read, and, as it is apparently the only biography of Schnittke (at least in English), it will have to do.But it has more than a few printing errors; words are missing not only between pages 141 and 142, as another reviewer noted, but between 123 and 124; in addition, some lines are repeated on successive pages and there are other typos.Substantively, I did not feel after finishing the book that I knew what Schnittke was like as a person, other than that, later in life, he became a Christian of a mystical, if not crazy, bent, although the author would never put it negatively like that; he writes not a negative word about Schnittke or his music (though he does call him "a great human being").Another problem with the book is that some of the author's descriptions of the music are almost meaningless (though I acknowledge that it is difficult to describe music).Examples include, "At the end of the symphony Shostakovich appears to draw aside real space, transporting us from gloomy everyday occurrences into the infinity of astral space."Or, "At times a particular interval becomes the principal character of a work. ...All these symbols ... ultimately enable one to widen the frame of the music as though into outer space."Finally, the author repeatedly refers to Schnittke's popularity and the throngs who attend performances of his music.I am only lately acquiring a taste for Schnittke's music, but it is an acquired taste, and I remain sceptical of the author's claims as to his popularity.

A very lightweight and loosely edited biography with little analysis of the music
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.

A good survey for the lay reader, but too hagiographical
Ivashkin's biography of Schnittke is one of a number of titles now issued in Phaidon's consistently interesting series of books on contemporary composers. Ivashkin's book is very readable, and combines a potted biography of the composer with an introductory explanation of his major works. The book will certainly add some valuable knowledge to those who have heard--and been impressed by--Schnittke's music, and does not assume more than a surface knowledge of 20th century idioms.

The author makes little attempt at detailed technical descriptions of Schnittke's compositions, which may prove a demerit for the more serious student of music. I do not regard this as a flaw in the book--it is aimed at the lay reader, as are all in the series--but there are two more major issues I have with this book:

Firstly, it was written too early to cover the composer's last years, and the surprising return to composition--despite Schnittke's almost total paralysis--that yielded several as yet unrecorded works in the composer's last 18 months. Secondly, and more seriously, Ivashkin's closeness to the composer prevents him being entirely objective. Schnittke was far from being the most consistent composer of the post-war period, but Ivashkin seems very loath to make critical remarks about Schnittke's compositions--even when such criticism seems (at least to me) to be entirely merited. In one or two cases Ivashkin also avoids criticising Schnittke the man, even as he hints at grounds for doing so.

I hope a better biography will come along soon, but this will do for now. It's rather less of a book than this important composer deserves, but anyone reading it will know more about Schnittke the man and Schnittke the composer than they did before they picked it up.

excellent Schnittke book
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.

The book on Alfred Schnittke that you must have!
This book is the perfect introduction to the life of the late composer. I learned many details about his upbringing and his influences. The author let sometimes his own grief about the soviet system and some of its membersset on fire his style. But he made me miss even more the opportunity tomeet with Schnittke as he was in Banff in Canada few years ago. Thanks tothe author a biography exists. Sadly it will have to be updated.I wishedarticles by Schnittke would be available in english as well as a moreexhaustive interpretive catalog of his work and recordings. Thanks toPhaidon for a superb volume! ... Read more

Book Description
Schnittke's six-movement "Concerto Grosso" was premiered in Leningrad on March 21, 1977. The work is inspired by Baroque forms and style. Alfred Schnittke, born in 1934, is one of the most often performed of contemporary Russian composers. ... Read more

Book Description
A treasury of the composer's writings--many never before published,even in Russian. Here Schnittke speaks of his life, his works, and a broad rangeof topics in 20th-century composition, performance, and other arts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A deeper insight into Schnittke's world
The original book written in Russian was then translated into German. The German edition had many photographs, the only aspect I missed in this English abridged version. Otherwise Ivashkin conversations with Schnittke are very revealing of his world, and of his vision on the state of classical music.

The simple views that empty virtuosity is not enough, the view that the orchestra is like the universe, thus boundless and not an elitist frozen past are refreshing at a time where so many formations are in dire financial situation, principally because of the lack of imagination of their music directors. Check how many orchestras have programmed Schnittke's orchestra music this season and you'll understand...
The intricacy of good and evil, so present in his works are revealed to the reader.

Follows a series of more technical dissertations on XX Century works by other composers. I felt I was lacking the technical basis for fully benefiting from the discussion.
Portraits by friends were revealing about Schnittke but also about the friends own personalities: Rostropovitch preface in that regard is more about himself than anything else...

So in conclusion, a worthy effort in English by A. Ivashkin who should be commended for his relentless efforts in a time where the soup of the politically correct is our musical diet! ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Proceso, published by CISA Comunicacion e Informacion, S.A. de C.V. on August 16, 1998. The length of the article is 524 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Schnittke 1934-1998.(Alfred Schnittke, compositor de música; parte 1)(TA: Alfred Schnittke, music composer; part 1)
Author: José Antonio Alcaraz
Publication: Proceso (Magazine/Journal)
Date: August 16, 1998
Publisher: CISA Comunicacion e Informacion, S.A. de C.V.
Issue: n1137Page: p61(1)

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Book Description
Arranged for String Quartet. Contains score and parts. ... Read more

Book Description
Two of Schnittke's most popular orchestral works are included in this edition. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on June 1, 2003. The length of the article is 2289 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: A Schnittke Reader. .(Book Review) (book review)
Author: Peter J. Schmelz
Publication: Notes (Refereed)
Date: June 1, 2003
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: 59Issue: 4Page: 897(5)

Article Type: Book Review

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Book Description
This digital document is an article from Sensible Sound, published by Sensible Sound on January 1, 2001. The length of the article is 446 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony; Schnittke: Concerto for Piano and Strings. Constantine Orbelian, pianist and conductor; Moscow Chamber Orchestra. Delos DE 3259.(Review) (sound recording review)
Author: John Puccio
Publication: Sensible Sound (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2001
Publisher: Sensible Sound
Page: 95

Article Type: Sound Recording Review

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Book Description
For 2 violins or violin and tape. ... Read more