Alfred Garrievich Schnittke is a genius composer

The tireless hard worker is Alfred Schnittke. The music created by him is large and large in its heritage. To the composer everything was subject: operas and ballets, orchestral compositions, music for films, chamber and choral works. She speaks with us in modern language, maintaining an unchanged connection with what is considered to be classics.

Family and childhood

The family in which Alfred S. Shnitke was born (1934 - 1998) was completely unconventional. His father is a German Jew from Liepaja, his mother is a German. For both relatives was the German language, which they used, talking at home among themselves. Poly-linguism was characteristic of all members of this family. And for a little Alfred, and his brother, and his sister, and grandmother, who was engaged in research and translation from German into Russian and vice versa. During the Patriotic War father, Garry Viktorovich, served in parts of the Soviet army. And after the war he was sent a correspondent to Vienna for two years. The capital of Austria has always been one of the musical centers of the world. In an environment filled with music, the future composer Alfred S. Shnitke began his musical education.

Return to the USSR

When the work abroad ended, the parents settled in the Moscow region and both began working in a newspaper published in German, which was called "New Life". While parents were translating Soviet literature into German, Alfred managed to finish both the school, the Moscow Conservatory, and postgraduate studies. In 1960, Alfred S. Schnittke was accepted into the Union of Composers. After that, he begins to teach at the conservatory in which he studied. Then, feeling that this is not enough, he begins to compose music for movies. Particularly worthy of note is his work with the remarkable director Larisa Shepitko, who shot a truthful and terrible film about the war "Ascension" (1976). The eternal theme of betrayal and sacrifice was reflected in the music created by Alfred S. Schnittke, was filled with tragedy and mysticism and combined with them a deep psychology, as well as biblical motifs. This allowed the director and actors to more fully reveal the drama of Vasil Bykov. In general, they wrote music to more than sixty films and several performances. In 1989, Alfred S. Schnittke will receive the "Nika" award for his music for the film "Commissioner." He worked only with our best directors, whose films with the music of Alfred Schnittke became events: Andrei Mitta - "Crew", Andrei Smirnov - "Autumn", Elem Klimov - "Agony". Quotations and themes from music to films are used by the composer when creating concert works.

Marriage

The first marriage to Galina Koltsina was short (1956 - 1958). But the second marriage was happy and full of harmony. Future spouses met as a teacher and student. And, as usual, the teacher fell in love. After some uncertainty of Irina Katayeva in 1961, the marriage was registered. The pianist and composer united their destinies. By this time the unique style of the composer began to take shape.

Originality of music

The composer masterfully mastered all existing modern genres. A mighty talent and great diligence made it possible to create a huge number of works: operas and ballets for the stage, orchestral works. Including in his work there is a classical direction, avant-garde, chorals, waltzes, polka, jazz. He boldly combined in one work heterogeneous techniques, as well as stylistic directions. It seemed incommensurable, but it simply shook listeners, as it happened with the "First Symphony". Later it will be more harmoniously combined in "Requiem" and Piano Quintet. For mature Schnittke, and most of the works were written in the last 13 years, when the composer was sick (suffered a stroke), characterized by the use of baroque motifs, echoes of everyday music, associations with German classical music. But this is all - not an end in itself, but a natural contact with music of different epochs, like breathing. Since 1977, after touring abroad, Schnittke was spoken by the whole world, paying tribute to his talent.

"Revizskaya fairy tale" - "Gogol-suite"

For the performance of the Taganka Theater, the composer composed a suite in which the main character was N.V. Gogol. It consists of eight parts. It uses music to reveal Chichikov's childhood, the drama of the artist, who feels a loss of talent and wants to destroy all his masterpieces. Overcoat, like an unattainable dream, suddenly turns into a beloved, not a thing, but a friend. She and only her hero gives his fervent love. Officials - this impersonal mass, creaking feathers in the presence of places, is a living anthill, which lives the same. They do not even have any attempts to become a person, because they do not know what it is. In the scene of the ball, which turns into a sabbath, the Artist sees all his creepy characters. And completes all the appearance of the three beautiful graces. Without them, life is a desert. And music, having made a breakthrough, tears the listener from earthly cares, immersing himself in his pure world. So it sounds "Gogol-suite".

Hamburg

In 1990, Alfred Schnittke, whose biography makes a turn at the most critical time, was invited to Germany to teach the composition. He did not emigrate, he had an apartment in Moscow, but for health reasons he needed treatment abroad. In recent years he has been disturbed by vascular disorders, but the composer still works a lot. He can no longer write with his right hand. Conductor G. Rozhdestvensky, visiting him, deciphers his fuzzy notes. At 63 the great composer passed away. He was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.