The Chamber Choir of the Moscow Conservatory, Alexander Solovyev - Alfred Schnittke: Faust Cantata; Requiem (2014)

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The Chamber Choir of the Moscow Conservatory, Alexander Solovyev - Alfred Schnittke: Faust Cantata; Requiem (2014)

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In the brilliant history of the Chamber Choir of the Moscow Conservatory a separate chapter is connected with the musical legacy of Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998). The composer’s music sounded In Minneapolis (USA), where the musicians from the Moscow Conservatory presented Russian choral music at the Sixth World Symposium of Choral Music (2002) and at the Fourth Usedom Musical Festival (2002, Germany). The Fifth Autumn Choral Festival of the Moscow Conservatory, which took place in October 2009 under the motto “Alfred Schnittke and his Contemporaries,” was devoted to the composer’s 75th anniversary. At the same time, in 2009 the Chamber Choir took part in two performances of episodes of Schnittke’s opera “The History of Doctor Johann Faust,” one conducted by conductor Vladimir Jurowskl In London, at the festival "Between two Worlds” and then at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall In Moscow.

In 2002 the ensemble under the direction of Boris Tevlin recorded Schnittke’s Choral Concerto set to the texts of Grigor Narekatsi and Three Sacred Pieces for Choir. The interest In the composer's music did not fade when the new artistic director, Alexander Solovyev took over. In 2013 the discography of the choir was complemented with Schnittke's Re­quiem. The run of the CD was distributed during the course of a year, and the Idea of re- releasing the recording coincided with the time that the choral ensemble turned to Schnittke’s other oeuvre - Faust Cantata (arrangement by Kuzma Bodrov).

Both compositions are united by the subject of faith and contemplation of what Is spiritual and spiritless. Despite the fact that chronologically the Requiem (1975) Is an earlier work than the Cantata (1983), on the CD they are presented in reverse order: fol­lowing Alexander Solovyev's conception, the narrative of Faust’s tragic death, coming as retribution for his sinful earthly life, must be followed by a memorial prayer, the Requiem.

In addition to the semantic arches, the Cantata and Requiem are united by a similarity of instrumentation, which in our case Is marked out even more in Kuzma Bodrov’s version, made to be performed by the chamber ensemble. In both compositions a noteworthy col­orful element is presented by the inclusion of the timbre of the electric guitar into the score, the solo role of the brass instrument, the predominating role of the organ part and the expanded group of percussion Instruments. The capabilities of the choir are interpreted broadly and diversely, endowing it with all kinds of vocal intonating (from cantus planus to shouting).

The use of Latin in the Requiem corresponds to the German In which the Cantata is performed. Usually in Russia the latter work Is taken in Russian, highlighting its theatrical operatic nature. The use of German In this performance shifted the semantic accents: in this case the connection with Bach’s Passions is perceived stronger, and the mystery qual­ity of the Cantata is brought out in greater relief.

The compact disc documented “live” performances: the Requiem was performed on September 17, 2013 at the Small Hall of the Conservatory, while the Cantata sounded out on September 29, 2014 at the Grand Hall of the Conservatory. At that, it is possible to mention its principally new rendition: the addition of the video images, in which the subtitles in Russian combined with a well thought out visual symbolism enhanced greatly the musical dramaturgy. In evaluating the performance, the composer’s wife, Irina Schnit­tke let the following commentary in the guestbook of the Chamber Choir: “I would like to thank the performers, especially for the reverential attitude to this music, especially for the expression in the performance, which captivated the whole audience.”

It seems that the live recording would not only be able to convey the inimitable ema­nation of energies and emotional Intensity that accompanied the performances of the Cantata and Requiem; it is possible and it is necessary here to appraise the inspiration and the high quality of embodiment of the composer’s will, demonstrated by the remark­able performers, musicians of the “Studio for New Music” ensemble and the Chamber Choir of the Moscow Conservatory under the direction of Alexander Solovyev.

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The Chamber Choir of the Moscow Conservatory, Alexander Solovyev - Alfred Schnittke: Faust Cantata; Requiem (2014)

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The Chamber Choir of the Moscow Conservatory, Alexander Solovyev - Alfred Schnittke: Faust Cantata; Requiem (2014)

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The Chamber Choir of the Moscow Conservatory, Alexander Solovyev - Alfred Schnittke: Faust Cantata; Requiem (2014)

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The Chamber Choir of the Moscow Conservatory, Alexander Solovyev - Alfred Schnittke: Faust Cantata; Requiem (2014)

Close