Gidon Kremer, Christoph Eschenbach - Schnittke: Complete Violin Concertos (2000)

It's good to have all four of Schnittke's violin concertos in one slimline two-disc set in definitive performances by Gidon Kremer, a passionate advocate for his friend's music. Concerto No. 1 is a student work revised in 1963 that is still worth hearing. Concerto No. 2 is a knotty work with a subtext based on the life of Jesus. The Third Concerto is scored for a wind-heavy chamber orchestra and ranges across a musical landscape that includes Mahler, Schubert, Russian Orthodox chant, Berg, and Hindemith, yet remains a fascinating personal statement. The magnificent Fourth is the prize of the set, one of the century's most profound and disturbing concertos. Written for Kremer in 1984, it has lyrical passages of ethereal beauty, but also jagged, violent orchestral eruptions that silence the lone violin, reducing it to silent gestures. This theatrical touch is modified for recording purposes by the soloist's finding an aural equivalent of the visual effect, sounding like frustrated sighs here. Eschenbach and the various orchestras provide first-class backing and Kremer's contributions are beyond praise. Not to be missed. -- Dan Davis