Alfred Schnittke
Evening Music | May 6, 2010
Alfred Schnittke (1934–1998) would have been seventy today. We salute this Russian composer in our last hour, so stay tuned and get ready for some birthday cake.
Scott Joplin was born on this day also, but in 1868. His "Elite Syncopation" gets us off to a jaunty start, as performed by pianist Marcus Roberts. But that’s just a taste! We hear much more Joplin when the Great American Main Street Band gives us Daniel Paget's ' Sampler,'—an arrangement of pieces from Joplin's opera "Tremonisha."
Hour two brings us the "Jupiter," Mozart's great last symphony, No. 41 in C, (K. 551 for those of you who keep track of Köchel listings). Our own James Levine conducts the Vienna Philharmonic in a sublime reading.
Steve Reich’s "Triple Quartet" is one of our third hour features. The Kronos Quartet performs the version for three quartets, having pre-recorded quartets two and three to play along with. You can hear another version (probably the one for 36 members of an orchestral string section) live, December 2,3,or 4, as the New York Philharmonic gives their premiere performance of the work.
Birthday Boy Alfred Schnittke wrote his 1976 orchestral suite, "The Revisionist's Tale after Gogol" as incidental music for a play based on several of Gogol’s writings. Tonight we offer the world-premiere recording of the two-piano version, played by Natalia Zusman and Inna Heifetz.
Scott Joplin was born on this day also, but in 1868. His "Elite Syncopation" gets us off to a jaunty start, as performed by pianist Marcus Roberts. But that’s just a taste! We hear much more Joplin when the Great American Main Street Band gives us Daniel Paget's ' Sampler,'—an arrangement of pieces from Joplin's opera "Tremonisha."
Hour two brings us the "Jupiter," Mozart's great last symphony, No. 41 in C, (K. 551 for those of you who keep track of Köchel listings). Our own James Levine conducts the Vienna Philharmonic in a sublime reading.
Steve Reich’s "Triple Quartet" is one of our third hour features. The Kronos Quartet performs the version for three quartets, having pre-recorded quartets two and three to play along with. You can hear another version (probably the one for 36 members of an orchestral string section) live, December 2,3,or 4, as the New York Philharmonic gives their premiere performance of the work.
Birthday Boy Alfred Schnittke wrote his 1976 orchestral suite, "The Revisionist's Tale after Gogol" as incidental music for a play based on several of Gogol’s writings. Tonight we offer the world-premiere recording of the two-piano version, played by Natalia Zusman and Inna Heifetz.
