Sonata No.1 para violoncelo e piano de Alfred Schnittke: aspectos poliestilísticos e técnico-interpretativos

Abstract

The Sonata No. 1 for Cello and Piano (1978) by Alfred Schnittke figures among one of the major works of the chamber music repertoire for cello of the twentieth century. Dedicated to the Russian cellist Natalia Gutman, this work was composed according to the characteristics of Polystylism, one of the main aspects of Schnittke's music. Having lived under many political constraints of the former Soviet Union, and, at the same time, under intense and diverse cultural and artistic influences, Schnittke acquired his language and very particular style from various other styles, from baroque to jazz, through folklore from different cultures, romanticism, classicism, religious music, among others. This article points out the polystylistic elements found in the Sonata No. 1 for Cello and Piano, and also addresses my own process of learning the piece: its major technical difficulties and extended techniques, my body awareness and memorization process, using concepts based on my own performance experience, as well as on articles, dissertations and other sources from the literature.