Little Tragedies

Film music, an important pillar of his livelihood, embodies almost everything that characterizes Alfred Schnittke's music as a whole. As a self-declared polystylist, he began working in 1960 as a film composer for Soviet film production companies and created a total of 66 film music works between 1962 and 1984. His principle of incorporating and using worn remnants from music history was not well received by the bastions of the avant-garde, all the more so by filmgoers and concert audiences. This sixth edition of the Schnittke Film Music Edition contains for the first time the complete music for the multi-part film "Little Tragedies" from 1979, based on Alexander Pushkin. After extensive research, conductor Vladimir Jurowski also presents those parts of the score that fell victim to the final film cut.