Cello quartet members make their own music Sep 24, 2008
In addition to compositions by Tchaikovsky, Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643), Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) and Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998), the Rastrelli foursome (which takes its name from the 18th century architect Barth-olomew Rastrelli) also will perform pieces by Dave Brubeck and George Gershwin. "Sergio does the arrangements for most of our pieces, which is a very difficult job," says Kratzoff. (Athens Banner-Herald)
Exaltation as big as all outdoors Jul 31, 2008
The concert began and ended with Russian music: the second string quartets of Sofia Gubaidulina and Alfred Schnittke, both written in the 1980s. Gubaidulina's work showed her usual intensity, as the players tested varieties of unison and near-unison, scampering away from these states in ways that could be heard as so many doomed escape attempts. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
A Russian cellist who stands on the shoulders of giants Feb 22, 2008
She was also a close friend of the composer Alfred Schnittke, and was mentored for much of her life by the piano titan Sviatoslav Richter. He once described her as "that extraordinary musician . . . one of the people with whom I've derived the most pleasure from making music.". (Boston Globe)
Obituary: Tikhon Khrennikov, 95, Soviet-era composer Aug 16, 2007
Although he reportedly helped Alfred Schnittke get his First Symphony performed, in 1974, he denounced him soon thereafter and never relented. In 1979 he criticized seven Russian composers - Elena Firsova, Dmitri Smirnov, Alexander Knayfel, Viktor Suslin, Vyacheslav Artyomov, Sofia Gubaidulina and Edison Denisov - for allowing their works to be performed outside the Soviet Union. (International Herald Tribune)
A surprising soprano near the top of his game May 9, 2007
According to the Male Soprano Page on the Web, some two dozen male sopranos, or "sopranists," as they are sometimes called, are making professional careers singing roles written for the fabled castrati of the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as modern music by such composers as Alfred Schnittke and Thomas Bloch. These are generally falsetto singers who have developed their upper range, or men who have hormonal abnormalities that stopped the maturation of their voice. (Boston Globe -- Living)
MSTISLAV ROSTROPOVICH: 1927-2007 Apr 29, 2007
During the '60s and '70s, these new pieces were all emerging so quickly, it seemed like every couple of weeks there was another piece. "(Cellist Gregor) Piatigorsky used to say, 'You know, I get so tired of hearing Slava play those same 39 concertos.' "As a colleague," Thomas went on, "he was so strong and so clear that you had to hold your ground with him, especially at the beginning. (San Francisco Chronicle)
The poverty and great wealth of Russia's new music Apr 18, 2007
Of particular concern in a country where Shostakovich captured the grim national mood decades ago is the absence of successors to the Soviet composers born around 1930 and thereafter: Edison Denisov, Alfred Schnittke, Gubaidulina and Arvo P. rt, among others. (International Herald Tribune)
Bittersweet 'Loss' Mar 30, 2007
REVIEW / Paul Taylor's 'Loss' is audience's gain. Enjoy, while you can. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
