Schnittke: Concerto for Piano and Strings - Prokofiev: Symphony No. 2 (Cleveland Orchestra) Review

 

Schnittke: Concerto for Piano and Strings - Prokofiev: Symphony No. 2

Length: 54 minutes

Soloist: Yefim Bronfman

Conductor: Franz Welser-Möst

Orchestra: Cleveland Orchestra

   This new album released by Cleveland Orchestra on their very own recording label is interesting. The program of Schnittke and Prokofiev is certainly unusual on the first glance but upon listening the two pairs incredibly well with one another. 

    The Soviet-German composer Alfred Schnittke (1934 - 1998) is one of my favorite composers of the late twentieth century, and his Concerto for Piano and Strings is most definitely a crowd pleaser. It is a very "schizophrenic" piece in that the entire one-movement concerto is made up with these episodes of clear, crispy, jazzy piano solos with mad, intense, toccata-esque orchestral tutti that switches back and forth. 

    The piece really demonstrates Schnittke's masterfulness in his compositional language, melting these completely opposing themes into a coherent whole that is both satisfactory and emotional. This specific recording by pianist Yefim Bronfman and the Cleveland Orchestra with conductor Franz Welser-Möst is one of the best recordings of the piece in my opinion alongside the recording by pianist Israela Margalit and the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Donald Barra on Decca.

    Both recordings have their goods and bads, the Decca recording is much crispier when it comes to the string section which gave that recording a very bangy character that some might enjoy very much, where as I feel this recording with the Cleveland Orchestra more so focuses on the opposing nature of the two types of episodes. The strings are slightly muddier than the Decca recording but it is in my opinion more intense, and if you want to really feel this opposition in material I suggest you try out this recording of the Schnittke's Concerto for Piano and Strings.

    The pairing that go with the Schnittke is Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953) Symphony No, 2. 

    Of course Schnittke and Prokofiev are two different generations of composers, and their works do sound quite different on the ear. However, in some ways the two pieces are actually quite similar at the center of it all. The Prokofiev symphony was inspired by the industrialization happening in eastern Europe at the time and the music reflect that, in that the symphony is consist of many phrases of very beautiful melodies, some feels influenced by folkish tunes, however there are very often either interjected or go in parallel with loud, sudden brass chords. It is similar to a lot of what Schnittke was doing on his concerto, but in a less radical, and very much Prokofiev way. 

    When it come to the recording of this symphony, I think once again this recording is one of the best recordings of the Prokofiev Symphony No 2, mainly because the way the orchestra brings out the intensity in the "industrial noises" while maintaining the clarity of this symphony's melodic materials, and was a much more pleasant experience than certain other recordings (Walter Weller, London Phil.)

    The booklet of the album which could be found on the album, and also on IDAGIO in PDF form does not really go into the pieces themselves, more so the situation around the recording, which is rather interesting. The Prokofiev was recorded weeks before the COVID 19 Lockdown occurred, and the Schnittke was recorded during the pandemic since string players and the piano soloist could play the piece with masks on. It is an interesting read, and if you like the recording I do suggest you to check it out.