Alfred Schnittke
Generations of of Eastern European composers spoke Slavic languages and felt themselves to be German or spoke German and felt Slavic. Before his much too early death, Russo-German composer Alfred Schnittke succeeded in combining his deep-rootedness in the musical idiom of Eastern Europe with the typical Russian longing for German musical tradition, bringing together both cultures in a spiritual-musical amalgam and eliminating any dividing elements in his supranational musical language: in Schnittke´s symphonies, instrumental concertos and numerous works for chamber music settings folkloristic messages from Russia are ingeniously translated into the vocabulary of a modern, pan-Europan musical language, which in many respects seeks contact with the western avant-garde, but also does not shy away from an audience-friendly post-modern idiom.
Born on November 11, 1934 in Engels (Soviet Volga Republic, today part of Russia),
died on August 3, 1998 in Hamburg