Besedy s Al'fredom Shnitke by A. G. Shnitke A. V. Ivashkin (review)

Abstract

REVIEWS 739 authoritativestatements'(p. 62). ForHerschkowitz,musicwas a successionof great masterworks written by Austro-German composers, though those admittedto his listof the greateventuallynumberedjust seven (Bach,Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, Mahler, Schoenberg and Webern) and even then Beethoven was consideredto have 'only six symphonies'(p. 8). The book is neither a biography nor a study of Herschkowitz'swork;after an introductionthere follows a seriesof recollections of lessons and conversations between Herschkowitz and Smirnov over a period of nearly twenty years, with examples from Herschkowitz's writings used to provide more detailed comment on his ideas. (The introductory chapter was originally written as an article in thejournal Tempo L'990, PP. 34-38] and would have benefited from thorough rewriting since it frequently duplicates material found laterin thebook.)The book also includesa discussionof Herschkowitz's compositions, which he regarded 'in second place' (p. 227) to his writingson music. Although this part of the book is necessarily sketchy (only a few of Herschkowitz'sscores are available), Smirnov does manage with the help of musical examples to give a strong sense of what this music is like (distinctive connections with Webern and Beethoven) and to draw parallels between Herschkowitz'scompositions and his teachings. At the heart of the book is Herschkowitz's approach (following Webern's practice), to analysisof Beethoven, in particularhis piano sonatas. (The book has plentiful musical examples but is best read with a copy of the Beethoven sonatasto hand.)Analysisproceeds in the main fromconsiderationof opening thematic statements,definedas 'sentence', 'period'or 'threepartsong'. There is here perhaps an overemphasison labels at the expense of consideration of process, but Herschkowitz'spurpose is clear; 'Why is it so important [... .] to decide whether this is a sentence or period? [. . .] only by this way can we understandthe beauty of this music' (p. 148). Structuralimplicationsof these thematic definitionsare explored, but it is only in the finalpartof the book which could fruitfullyhave been expanded that Smirnovattemptsto apply Herschkowitz's methods in a more thorough examination of whole movements. But this is not a straightforwardtheory book; although Smirnov's preface expressesthe hope that it 'could help to filla gap in musicaleducation' (p. vii) it is hard to see the book having its greatestvalue as a theory textbook it simply isn'twrittenlike that. It will, however, be of immense value to anyone interestedin post-warSoviet music, or thepedagogical methods of the Second Viennese School or indeed anyone simply fascinated by the unending conundrumsof writingabout and tryingto explain music. HerfordCollege, Oxford H. R. COLLINs RICE Shnitke,A. G. and Ivashkin,A.V. Besedy sAlfredom Shnitke. Compiled with an introduction by A.V. Ivashkin. Klassika-XXI, Moscow, 2003. 3I8 pp. Index. Priceunknown. AL'FRED SHNITKE (perhaps better known as Alfred Schnittke, I934-98) was not only one of the outstanding Russian composers of the twentieth century, 740 SEER, 82, 3, 2004 but also a fascinatingpersonalityin his own right, and a perhaps emblematic figure in the music of his time, being a postmodernist through and through. Unlike such Westerncomposers as Berio, for instance, Shnitkedid not quote as such but, rather, recycled workswhich were either thoroughly cliched or drawn from his own earliercompositions. In the dozen or so years before his death he won considerablepopularityin Great Britainfor his often startling, always fresh compositions. Most of his works are now recorded on compact discs, and Professor Ivashkin, the organizer of these 'conversations', has himself recorded all Shnitke'smusic for cello, as well as writing an accessible yet learned English-language guide to his works (see SEER, 76, 3, 1998, pp. 549-5 i). He has also been successful in attracting the valuable Shnitke archiveto London where it providesa valuablesourcefor research. Besedy s AlfredomShnitke first appeared in I994 (Moscow: RIK 'Kul'tura') and was translated into various languages. The second edition here under review contains three new items:the text of Shnitke'stalkat the Molodezhnyi Klub; a shortarticleby him on the pianistMarinaludina; and a reminiscence of him by the violinist Mark Lubotskii. It also contains a corrected and expanded catalogue of Shnitke'sworks.The discography,however,whichwas alreadywell out of date and inadequate in view of the explosion of recordings of his music, has been dropped. The book is in three parts:'Conversationswith Al'fredShnitke';'Introductions , articlesand...