Alfred Schnittke

Alfred Garrievich Schnittke was a Russian composer and one of the most performed and recorded composers of late 20th-century classical music. His music depicts the moral and spiritual struggles of contemporary man. Influenced initially by Dmitri Shostakovich, Schnittke developed a polystylistic technique in his works, such as Symphony No. 1 and his first concerto grosso. International recognition came with his quartets and trios in the 1980s, while his later works became more withdrawn. Throughout Schnittke's life, his music and personal beliefs faced suspicion from Soviet bureaucracy.