Russian composer Alfred Schnittke wrote his Symphony No. 4 in 1983. It is a choral symphony,Wilson, New Grove (2001), 24:848. written for tenor, countertenor, chorus, and orchestra. It was first performed on April 12, 1984, in Moscow.Schnittke xxiii.
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." The result, Ivan Moody writes, is that Schnittke "attempts to reconcile elements of znamennïy and Gregorian chant, the Lutheran chorale and Synagogue cantillation ... within a dense, polyphonic orchestral texture"Moody, New Grove (2001), 22:566.
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 contrapuntallyWeitzman, notes for Chandos 9463, 7. as a four-part choir sings the Ave Maria. The choir can choose whether to sing the Ave Maria in Russian or Latin. The programmatic intent of using these different types of music, Schnittke biographer Alexander Ivashkin writes, is an insistence by the composer "on the idea ... of the unity of humanity, a synthesis and harmony among various manifestations of belief."Ivashkin, Schnittke, 165. Overview While in Vienna in 1980, Schnittke decided to embrace Christianity and be baptized but was not sure what church to join. His father had been born JewishIvashkin, Schnittke, 15. but was an atheist and both his parents had been devoted to Communist ideals. He was drawn to Catholicism but felt that, as a Russian, a move toward Russian Orthodoxy might be more appropriate. Schnittke decided to be baptized as a Catholic but made his confessions twice yearly afterwards to a Russian Orthodox priest who would visit his Moscow apartment.Ivashkin, Schnittke, 160.
The Fourth Symphony reflects Schnittke's religious dilemma.<ref name="ivashkin161">Ivashkin, Schnittke, 161.</ref> The symphony is based on the traditional 15 Mysteries of the Rosary of the Roman Catholic Church, which retrace the life of Jesus through the eyes of his mother Mary.Weitzman, notes for Chandos 9463, 5. In the 22 variations that make up the symphony's single movement,The actual number of variations in the Schnittke Fourth Symphony is "a subtle non-synchronicity," of the piece, considering the "3 by 5 scheme" of the Rosary upon which these variations are reportedly based. Weitzman, notes for Chandos 9463, 5. Schnittke "follows the canons of the Passions of Jesus Christ," depicting "decisive moments in Christ's life"Weitzman, notes for Chandos 9463, 6. and, as in the Second Symphony, giving a detailed musical commentary on what is being portrayed.
Alexander Ivashkin writes that when the symphony received its first performance in Paris, "Schnittke was generally pleased with the European precision of the playing. He nevertheless felt it should be sung by a Russian Choir. A Western performance might be brilliant, but it would inevitably lack the Russian intensity of extreme religious sensation."
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 bassoonBrass 1 horns 1 trumpets 1 trombonesPercussion timpani
gong tam tam tubular bellsKeyboards glockenspiel vibraphone celesta harpsichord pianoStrings'''
1 violin I 1 violin II 1 viola 1 cello 1 double bass
It was published by Sovetsky kompozitor in 1986.See . Title: Chervertai︠a︡ simfonii︠a︡ : dli︠a︡ solistov i kamernogo orkestra: partitura.
Notes
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).