Symphony No.4 - Alfred Schnittke

Russian State Symphony Orchestra & Capella conducted by Valery Polyansky

I - Andante poco pesante (0:00) - "Cadenza" (9:46) - Moderato (14:59) - Molto pesante (20:02) - Vivo (31:11) - Moderato - Andante poco pesante (32:27) - "Coro" (39:06)

Schnittke's Fourth Symphony was composed in 1983 and premiered in Moscow on April 12, 1984. It's a choral symphony composed for countertenor, tenor, mixed choir and orchestra. Written in a single movement consisting of a cycle of variations on four different themes. It is made up of 22 variations, presented in the opposite way to the usual one. The variations are presented first and then the theme. The four themes represent Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Orthodox religious melodies.

Schnittke seeks a synthesis of religions, which he achieves at the end of the work. The variations follow one of the most popular traditions in the Catholic world, the rosary. The name comes from the Latin rosarium which means rose bush. The rose symbolizes the Virgin Mary. A Marian devotion that consists of a prayer made up of three series of five mysteries, each corresponding to the recitation of ten Hail Marys. The three series are designated as Joyful Mysteries, Sorrowful Mysteries, and Glorious Mysteries.

Each mystery commemorates a scene in the life of Jesus Christ from the point of view of the Virgin Mary. At the time of composition of this symphony there were only the 15 traditional mysteries. On October 16, 2002, Pope John Paul II promulgated the Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, in which he approved the addition of five new Mysteries to the rosary, the luminous mysteries. The symphony is structured in a single movement, which we can consider divided into three parts, each of them divided into five variations that correspond to the mysteries of the rosary.

The first part corresponds to the joyful mysteries. The announcement of the angel to the Virgin Mary, the visit of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, the Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the temple and the Child Jesus lost and found in the temple.

The symphony begins with three mysterious chords, continuing with the presentation of the basic motifs corresponding to the three Christian religions and Judaism. For this he uses two pianos and the harpsichord. A three-note structure with a semitone interval represents the Jewish roots. The string presents us with the Lutheran motif, followed by the Catholic theme of an almost Gregorian kind. Finally the orthodox theme is presented.

The first variation is energic, followed by one of the more seductive variations of the work, performed by the trumpet, the horn and the vibraphone in the form of a varied canon. It is followed by a solo piano cadenza, which contains elements of improvisation. The three enigmatic opening chords are heard again, before the tenor vocalizes a Jewish song.

The second part corresponds to the sorrowful mysteries. The prayer of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, The flagellation of the Lord, the crowning with thorns, Jesus carries the cross on his shoulders and the crucifixion and death of the Lord.

In the central part, the piano begins the first mystery quietly, but soon a tragic sequence begins. The music suggests chaos, vigorously played by violins and violas. We hear the chimes of the bells, returning the solo piano in a new variation immersed in the deep dramatic climate. Then the piano presents a variation in a quieter tone. The following variation corresponds to the countertenor singing without words, accompanied by the flute and the vibraphone. We arrive at a powrful climax, initiated by the strings through a trill that intensifies.

The third part corresponds to the glorious mysteries. The resurrection of the Lord, the Ascension of the Lord, the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Virgin Mary and the apostles, the assumption of Our Lady into Heaven and finally the coronation of the Virgin as queen of all creation.

The following variation has a more cheerful character. After a sudden pause, there follows a moderate variation. The light-weight andante is played by the keyboards in the form of a varied canon, which ends with a new chord trill. We reached the final part, with the four-part choir clearly singing the four motifs of the variations in a contrapuntal way. The themes of the previous variations are clearly presented. The text sung by the choir in Latin corresponds to that of Ave Maria. The chimes of the bells lead us to the coda, where the three mysterious chords of the beginning are repeated.

Picture: "Coronation of the Virgin" (1641-1644) by the Spanish painter Diego Velázquez.

Source: https://bit.ly/3mcANjX

Видео Symphony No.4 - Alfred Schnittke канала Sergio Cánovas