Symphony No. 4 (Schnittke)

Structure#

The symphony is written in a single movement of 22 variations and is approximately 45 minutes in length. Ronald Weitzman writes, “The form of Schnittke’s Fourth Symphony is at once cross-shaped and spherical…. The composer draws musically on the three main strands of Christianity—Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant—while underlying this is a three-note semitone interval motif representing synagogue chant, thus symbolizing the Jewish source of Christianity.” A tenor and a countertenor also sing wordlessly at two points in the symphony. Words are saved for a finale in which all four types of church music are used contrapuntally as a four-part choir sings the Ave Maria.

Instrumentation#

The symphony is scored for solo tenor, counter-tenor, a chamber choir and a chamber orchestra comprising the following instruments: Woodwinds : : 1 oboe : 1 clarinet : 1 bassoon Brass : 1 horns : 1 trumpets : 1 trombones Percussion : timpani : gong : tam tam : tubular bells Keyboards : glockenspiel : vibraphone : celesta : harpsichord : piano Strings : 1 violin I : 1 violin II : 1 viola : 1 cello : 1 double bass It was published by Sovetsky kompozitor in 1986.

References#

• Ivashkin, Alexander, Alfred Schnittke (London: Phaidon Press Limited, 1996). .
• Sadie, Stanley (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Second Expanded Edition, 29 vols. London: Macmillan, 2001. .
• Schnittke, Alfred, Aleksandr Ivashkin, John Derek Goodliffe (trans). A Schnittke reader Indiana University Press, 2002. .
• Weitzman, Ronald, notes to Chandos 9463, Schnittke: Symphony No. 4; Three Sacred Hymns; Iarslav Zdorov, countertenor; Dmitri Pianov, tenor; Igor Khudolei, piano; Evgeniya Khlynova, celesta; Elena Adamovich, harpsichord; Russian State Symphonic Cappella and Russian State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Valery Polyansky (Colchester: Chandos Records Ltd., 1996).