Alfred Schnittke: Faust-Kantate "Seid nüchtern und wachet" auf CD

Alfred Schnittke (1934–1998) presents himself as a key figure in Russian musical art of the second half of the 20th century. His music presents crossroads for the most important trends of the art of composition from that time; it absorbed into itself everything – or almost everything – which the 20th century was distinct for, and this fusion generated the composer’s unique inimitable style. Notwithstanding the rather dynamic creative evolution, at times radically changing the aesthetic key points as well as the principles of technique (the avant-garde period, the polystylistics, “new simplicity”, the period of “quiet music”, the synthesis of styles and the late period), Schnittke’s style always contains certain tendencies that are invariable and unshakeable – namely, the expressiveness, the boldness of musical utterance, the sharpness of contrasts (it is not perchance that he has been called Dostoyevsky in music).

Alfred Garrievich Schnittke was born in the city of Engels, the center of the Republic of the Volga Region Germans, into the family of journalists and translators.

During the years 1946–1948 he lived with his family in Vienna, where his father worked in the German newspaper “Österreichische Zeitung”. There the boy received his first musical impressions, started taking piano lessons and began composing. This time period was imprinted into the composer’s memory for the rest of his life: his life was permeated with the effects of Austria and Austrian culture, its traditions, reaching back to bygone ages (according to the expression of the composer himself, “the link, bound by the sense of the historical chain” and “the aura of the past”).

Having returned to Russia, Schnittke completed studies at the October Revolution Music College (presently the Schnittke Music College, a subsidiary of the Moscow State Schnittke Institute of Music) in 1953, then continuing studies at Moscow Conservatory, graduating in 1958 and completing its post-graduate studies in 1961. From 1961 to 1972 he was a faculty member at Moscow Conservatory, where he taught orchestration, score reading and counterpoint; he had only one student in composition, since at that time the “avant-gardists” Alfred Schnittke and Edison Denisov were not trusted to teach young composers at the Conservatory.

During the Soviet regime Schnittke’s music did not have any official support. For a long time he was virtually bereft of the possibility of going abroad due to his position which did not go in accord with that of the leadership of the Composers’ Union. With the advent of the perestroika the music of Schnittke became more well-known and accepted in his native country and abroad too. In 1988-1990 a whole set of festivals took place, dedicated to his works – in Gorky, Malmo, Goteborg, Stockholm, Berlin and London. In the late 1980s Schnittke frequently went abroad, leading a composition class in the Hochschule fur Musik and Theater in Hamburg since 1989, and in 1991 he moved to Hamburg. Nonetheless, the composer never lost touch with his native country, where he obtained acknowledgement and love of his audience.

Alfred Schnittke is the composer of over 200 compositions in the most varied genres. His preference for large-scale genres is connected with his conceptual and dramaturgical sharpness and sense of conflict of musical thinking. During the course of his entire life he also wrote music for cinema and theater, which enabled the formation of the trend of polystylistics and the connection within his musical language of the high and the banal as a means of perception of the contemporary world.

The music of Schnittke combines the experimental explorations for the new and the foundation on profound tradition, a sharp expressivity of sound and a neo-romantic beginning. The composer is closely connected with Russian culture (Gogol, Dostoyevsky) as well as with German culture; he embodied in his music the most important traits of the Russian and German mentality – a lofty spirituality, a philosophical mind and a complex emotional world. A characteristic feature of the musical art of the 20th century is presented by the dialogue with the past, for instance, the revival of historical genres. Among the latter a special position is held by the genre of the concerto grosso. This is a type of concerto, widespread during the Baroque period, in the works of such composers as J. S. Bach and Handel, for orchestra and a concerting group of solo instruments. Schnittke turned to this genre during the course of his entire life (the First Concerto Grosso, the most popular of all, was written in 1977, and the final, the Six – in 1993, five years prior to the composer’s demise).

Concerto grosso №2 for violin, cello and symphony orchestra (1981–1982) was written using the technique of polystylistics: the basis of the Baroque style is combined with the musical language of the 20th century. The four-movement cycle is built according to the principle of contrast. In the introduction the solo cello (later joined by the violin) states the main leitmotif theme of the composition – this is sort of a personal reflection, the composer’s own voice. It is interrupted by cheerful motor music – here the allusions to the Baroque concerto are the most obvious, albeit the dissonant incursions remind the listener of modernity (the technique of “muddying up” of the stylistic model).

The second movement is a Passacaglia, presenting variations on a bass theme (a genre, also characteristic of the Baroque period). It combines the century-old semantics of the genre (from Bach to Shostakovich) with individual expression, which elevates this music to the heights of a genuine tragic element. This “core” the work is emotionally the most unveiled; it is subject to hostile incursions and charged with internal conflicts. The music of the Passacaglia pertains to some of the best pages of Schnittke’s works. The third movement – which features a return to the world of the images of the first movement – contains the same Baroque motor qualities, vigorous major character of the music and actively advancing type of development. In its culmination, the theme of the Passacaglia is sounded out and the movement closes with a dramatic breakdown.

The fourth movement (which follows the third movement without a break) presents an afterword, an overall resume of all that occurred prior. It is built solely on the material of the introduction theme. The echoes of the other themes (the Passacaglia, the Baroque concerto motives and the funeral chorale) do not changed the character of their sound, which is brightly contemplative and cathartic.

The Cantata “The History of Doctor Johann Faust,” written in 1983, is one of the most crucial compositions by Alfred Schnittke. The theme of Faust is generally prevailing in his work. The Cantata turned out to be a certain kind of final outcome in the composer’s musings on the issues of good and evil, of guilt and redemption from it by sacrifice, death and spiritual immortality – everything which creates a special atmosphere of his music: the spirit of high tragedy lives in it. Originally, the composer conceived of an opera based on the second part of Goethe’s “Faust”, but soon turned to the “Volksbuch” of Johann Spies, written in 1587.

The figure of Faust turned out to be extremely appealing to the composer – as a quintessence of the religious-philosophical subject matter which concerned him throughout all of his life. On this subject, already eleven years afterwards, four years prior to his death Schnittke created an opera in which the music of the Cantata became the third act.

As a libretto to his “Cantata,” Schnittke took the final chapters of the “Volksbuch” which recounted about the end of Faust’s life. The text fit the music preconceived by him so well, that he did not change a single word; the original German text was used (the world premiere took place in Vienna: the Cantata was written upon commission from the Viennese Concert Society, in honor of the 125th anniversary of the Viennese Vocal Academy), and for the performance in Russia the composer’s brother, the well-known poet and translator, Victor Schnittke, made an equirhythmical translation. In itself, the genre of the Cantata already implies the baroque period; however, this work bears more resemblance to an oratorio – or, to be more precise, to a certain type of “Passion” or “anti-Passion,” – in the composer’s terminology, a “negative passion”. Even the distribution of parts in general corresponds to a “Passion”: the Narrator (Evangelist) is a tenor, Faust (an antagonist of Christ) is a bass and the chorus carries out a double function of a participant of the action and a commentator of the events.

The figure of Mephistopheles lies at a distance from the other characters. The decision of the composer in this case is very original: Mephistopheles presents himself in two likenesses – as a “sweet-voiced seducer” (the countertenor) and the “harsh chastiser” (the contralto).

The Cantata has 10 episodes:
1. Prologue. “Here is the story of the severe, frightening death of Doctor Faust” (chorus). 2. Close is the hour. “When 24 years have elapsed…” (Narrator, Mephistopheles, chorus). 3. Faust’s farewell to his pupils and friends. “Everybody goes to the tavern and sit down at the table…” (chorus, Narrator). 4. Faust’s confession. “Esteemed, beloved sirs, friends of mine…” (Faust, chorus and narrator). 5. Lament of Faust’s friends. “Since it is so and no other outcome is possible…” (chorus, Narrator). 6. “False consolation” (of Faust by Mephistopheles). “O, my Faust, what kind of faint-heartedness is this?...” (Mephistopheles – both parts, in two voices). 7. The death of Faust. “While, after twelve, towards the stoke of one at night…” (Mephistopheles, chorus) 8. After Faust’s death. “The same masters, bachelors, students…” (Narrator, chorus). 9. Epilogue (chorus) 10. Conclusory chorale (the resume of the Cantata, edification to the descendants). “So keep awake, keep vigil! Continuously your biter enemy, the Devil thirsts for victims!” (four soloists, chorus).

The culmination of the Cantata – the scene of Mephistopheles’ overcoming of Faust. How should it be introduced into the music? This presented a problem to the composer. At first the composer decided to recreate this episode by means of expressive, dissonant music, which is quite appropriate for the aesthetics of the 20th century. However, soon after that he realized that he would not achieve the necessary effect. This is how he tells about it himself: “In order to convey the atmosphere of an infernal chasm, a new stylistic type of denigration is needed, notably, a shocking stylistic contrast. So for this end I made use of the rhythm of the tango.” “A popular song style presents a good mask for all sorts of devilry, a means of enveloping the soul, hence I see no other way of depicting evil in music other than adding an element of popular style.”

This episode produces the strongest possible impression on the listener. The clock strikes twelve. And with the final stroke, Mephistopheles the killer, the chastiser appears. A popular singer (originally the plan was to invite Alla Pugachova for this role) with a microphone walks across the entire concert hall, mounts the stage and, simultaneously, sings a popular melody. The contrast between the elementary tune and the frightening naturalistic text, describing the most horrifying details of Faust’s death, is striking. This in particular is what the composer had at a certain point called “denigration and banality”.

The concert fate of this composition was not simple. After the first rehearsal (with Alla Pugachova) the concert was banned. It so happened that the world premiere of “Faust” took place in Vienna, and only four months later, on 23 October 1983 (after numerous petitions and despite the continuing obstacles) – in Moscow; later, in 1984 it was performed in Leningrad (in the latter performance, already with Raisa Kotova in the role of Mephistopheles the chastiser).

(melody. su)