Alfred Schnittke

Alfred Schnittke's Concerto Grosso No. 5 is completely different from the concerti grossi that preceded it. The first four made references to older composers or compositional styles; No. 5 is wholly characteristic of Schnittke. The first three involved a standard concerto grosso orchestra, with strings, soloists and continuo; the fifth uses the solo violin, an enormous symphonic orchestra, and a sort of "modern continuo" of harp, harpsichord, celesta, and the titular invisible piano, which is actually a piano placed behind the stage and amplified. Regardless of its breaks with Schnittke's tradition, this concerto is a good example of his late compositional style. The first three movements all develop a rhythmic motive introduced at the very beginning of the first movement. The solo violin dominates the Allegretto first movement. Its lines contrast with wind solos and very lightly scored accompaniment. A dance-like variant of the first motive is developed in the second movement. The third movement, marked Allegro vivace, begins with a long cadenza from the solo violin, which articulates an agitated variation of the first motive. After some orchestral elaboration and a climax punctuated by the amplified piano, the concerto moves directly into the last movement, marked Lento. This is a more reflective movement than the first three, with typical long, sustained notes in the solo violin. Schnittke shows his mastery of instrumental color in a magical moment at the movement's end, when the invisible piano plays a slow, quiet scalar passage and a thread of tone from the solo violinist hangs in the background. After the piano drops out, the violin becomes even quieter and its melody slowly rises, until at the piece's very end it sounds almost as if the violin line has drifted away into the silent air. Although this piece is not what one expects from a Schnittke Concerto grosso, it is a fascinating piece in its own right.