Schnittke: Penitential Psalms / Three Sacred Hymns
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ALFRED SCHNITTKE
Schnittke: Penitential Psalms / Three Sacred Hymns
RIAS Kammerchor, Hans-Christoph Rademann
[ Harmonia Mundi / CD ]
Release Date: Friday 4 March 2016
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The 'Penitential Psalms' for mixed choir a cappella were first performed on Boxing Day 1988, in the concert hall of Moscow University, by the USSR State Chamber Choir under the direction of Valery Polyansky. They deal with the motif of original sin and refer to the story of the treacherous murder of Vladimir's sons Boris and Gleb, later canonised and revered as martyrs, which their older half-brother Svyatopolk perpetrated in 1015 in the course of bloody conflicts over the succession.This masterpiece of exceptional density and rigour, at once contemporary and timeless, is performed here from the composer's autograph manuscript, which includes significant divergences from the published edition.
In the autumn of 1983, at the Moscow premiere of the 'Faust Cantata', Polyansky had asked Schnittke to write a new a cappella piece for his ensemble, a request that was initially declined. It was only after repeated urging that Schnittke relented, and the very next day after this renewed plea, he thrust into the surprised conductor's hand the manuscript of three choral movements setting prayers used in Russian Orthodox devotions - not without berating Polyasnky, tongue-in-cheek, as a 'dreadful fellow' for his tenacity. In comparison with the 'Penitential Psalms', the 'Three Sacred Hymns' are more strongly rooted in the Romantic tradition of Russian sacred music, such as Rachmaninov's 'All-Night Vigil'.
"The extreme vocal demands are well met by Hans-Christoph Rademann and his Berlin singers, whose performance follows the composer's autograph rather than the published score." The Irish Times, 17th March 2016
"Though fiercely complex and demanding, they have a piercing intensity, and the wordless final psalm with its aspiring harmonies is incredibly affecting. The sacred hymns that follow are much simpler, but equally well performed by the superb RIAS Chamber Choir." The Observer, 20th March 2016
"For those that find some of Schnittke's music difficult to assimilate this new disc will come as a surprise. Certainly there are very individual touches here but this is great choral music with many beauties. Hans-Christoph Rademann and the RIAS Kammerchor rarely let the temperature drop in these fine performances, full of passion, sorrow and tragic beauty. This is a stunningly vital disc." The Classical Reviewer, 21st April 2016
"The demands [of the Penitential Psalms] on intonation and colouristic range are [intense]. The Berlin-based RIAS Chamber Choir cope admirably with all and with the Russian texts…the three Sacred Hymns are a small but not unattractive bonus." Gramophone Magazine, May 2016
"even without a score we know the notes are written exactly as it sounds here, because the RIAS Chamber Choir under Hans-Christoph Rademann (arguably the world's best such ensemble) can be trusted to reproduce the music accurately, if nothing else. Beyond that considerable technical challenge, fortunately, they also invest the music with fervor so that it never sounds cerebral or dry or academic but instead written with an urgency, with passion, even warmth." MusicWeb International, May 2016
"a fine new recording … The choir and Rademann are completely inside this score, which they deliver with confidence and authority." Choir & Organ, July/August 2016
Tracks:
Schnittke:
Penitential Psalms (12)
Three Sacred Hymns
