Cappella Amsterdam – Schnittke review: Penitential Psalms

Born in 1934 in the German Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Alfred Schnittke studied piano and composition at the Moscow Conservatory. Since the mid-1960s, his work has also been noticed in the West. In 1990 Schnittke moved to Hamburg to take up a position as professor of composition at the Academy of Music there. He died in the Hanseatic city in 1998. He was buried in Moscow. Schnittkes’ around seventy films have achieved widespread acclaim. His works include three operas, two ballets, nine symphonies, and many solo concerts and chamber music. As a converted Christian, Schnittke also wrote sacred music, including the Twelve Penitential Psalms on Russian Texts from the Sixteenth Century, which premiered in Moscow in 1988. The 32 Amsterdam a cappella singers under Daniel Reuss have proven themselves to be competent interpreters Aaliyah impressively presents the mystical character that overshadowed the work a little.

Schnittke: Penitential Psalms

Cappella Amsterdam, Daniel Reuss (Orchestra Conductor)
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