Alfred Schnittke: Film Music, Vol. 6 – Little Tragedies (1979)

Alfred Schnittke’s film music encapsulates almost everything that characterises the Russian composer’s compositional style. A self-described polystylist, he began writing for film in the 1960s, penning sixty-six scores between 1962 and 1984 for Soviet film companies. His method of drawing on the past was rejected by proponents of the avant-garde, but embraced by filmgoers and concertgoers alike. Volume six in this Schnittke’s Film Music Edition presents scores from the film series Little Tragedies (1979), which was based on popular novels by Alexander Pushkin. After lengthy research, conductor Vladimir Jurowski was also able to record parts of the score which had been excised for the final film version.