Alfred Schnittke: Piano Trio (1985/1992)

Trio Amphiprion
Arthur Kurghinyan (Violin)
Pierre Schaaf (Cello)
Samuel Waffler (Piano)


The first version of the piece, composed in 1985 for the 100th anniversary of Alban Berg’s birth, was scored for violin, viola and violoncello. Schnittke wrote it for piano trio in 1992 and dedicated it to Alexander Popatov, the doctor who twice saved the composer’s life. On 21 July 1985, Schnittke suffered a stroke that left him in a coma. He was declared clinically dead on several occasions, but recovered and continued to compose. In 1990, Schnittke left the Soviet Union and settled in Hamburg. His health remained poor, however. He suffered several more strokes before his death on 3 August 1998, in Hamburg, at the age of 63.
The composition is an excellent example of Schnittke’s polystylism. The spirit of Alban Berg is present, along with Schubert and Mahler and Schnittke’s own personality, with its pain, conjuring ghostly quiet and longing. Perhaps the piece is a warning from the composer to the effect that it is not necessary to classify the music unambiguously; the composer may let his imagination roam freely.

Saarbrücken, Germany 2019