Inspired by a visit to Bruckner’s resting-place at St Florian, Schnittke’s Second Symphony is his attempt at a Symphony-cum-Mass. The movements shadow those of the Catholic liturgy, each being initiated by a sung Gregorian chant upon which the orchestra then supplies a massively imposing commentary.
Reviewing the rival BIS version, AW gave the piece fairly short shrift, and I could echo almost every word. There is something dilettantish and slapdash about Schnittke’s manner, which can be engaging when he is in grand guignol mood but which lets him down when his intentions are, as here, serious. The Second Symphony is full of Lutoslawskian techniques of elaboration, but they are carried out with only a fraction of the Polish master’s professionalism. On the level of symbolism it is all very plausible – the chants stand for Religion, the 12-note rows for Culture, the overtone series for Nature. But as a listening experience it is dire.
Valery Polyansky was chorus master for the first recording of the work (conducted by Rozhdestvensky on Melodiya and more successful than either of the more recent accounts). His own performance is satisfyingly intense but not always carefully balanced – Schnittke’s effects depend on keyboard instruments balancing better with the harp than they do here, for instance, or on electric guitars being more audible (as in the “Crucifixus”). The only advantage with the Chandos issue is a superior booklet-note (by Schnittke’s friend and confidant Alexander Ivashkin).'