Francesco D'Orazio & Giampaolo Nuti - Schnittke: Complete Works for Violin & Piano (2004)

Schnittke's complete works for violin and piano cut a wide stylistic swath, from the early, avant-garde pieces to some rather eclectic compositions he wrote as pleasant distractions from his work on film scores. The Sonata No. 1 (1963) features spiky, pointillistic applications of the twelve-tone method, yet the work holds together because of Schnittke's fairly traditional sense of phrasing and regular rhythm patterns, which give the listener something to grip on the bumpy ride. The Sonata No. 2 (1968) is more abrupt and disjointed, with a high reliance on short gestures and an emphasis on unusual violin techniques, and its questioning of norms and expectations fits in with the experimentalism of the time. The Suite in the Old Style (1972) imitates Rococo dance styles and is as serene and charming as the previous works are abrasive and challenging. Gratulationsrondo (1974), inspired by Mozart, and the parodistic Silent Night (1978) are amusing squibs that Schnittke wrote as thank you pieces for Rostislav Dubinsky and Gidon Kremer, respectively. The Sonata No. 3 (1994) returns to the brusque language of the first sonata, though with more formal refinements and even a few audible nods to Shostakovich. Violinist Francesco d'Orazio and pianist Giampaolo Nuti are admirably attuned and engaging in these performances, and Stradivarius provides excellent sound. ~ Blair Sanderson