Alfred Schnittke

The Profile

Alfred Schnittke (1934–1998) was a Soviet‑born Russian composer renowned for polystylism, blending baroque/classical idioms with modernist language. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory, wrote extensively for film, and produced symphonies, concertos, chamber and choral works. After several strokes in the mid‑1980s, he continued composing and spent later years in Germany.

Key figure in late‑20th‑century music; hallmark polystylism; major works span symphonies, concertos, chamber and choral music; trained at Moscow Conservatory; extensive film scores; internationally championed by performers such as Gidon Kremer and Yuri Bashmet.

Two passionate reviews frame Alfred Schnittke as a towering late‑20th‑century voice. Chamber Music spotlights the Fuga for Solo Violin, Stille Musik, and the Piano Quintet (with Irina Schnittke), balancing dissonance and tonal resolution. Psalms of Repentance, sung a cappella by the Swedish Radio Choir under Tõnu Kaljuste, is praised as a timeless, sacred edifice. Themes of anxiety, truth, and spiritual searching dominate.