I. Nagasaki, City of Grief

Schnittke's Nagasaki, oratorio for mezzo-soprano, mixed choir (here Cape Town Opera Voice of the Nation) and orchestra. Texts (in Russian): Russian poet Anatoly Softonov, the Japansese poets Eisaku Yoneda (a resident of Hiroshima) and Shimazaki Toson, and Schnittke's colleague Georgy Fere.
Nagasaki is one of Schittke's most powerful compositions. His music speaks in its own language, which is a highly imaginative and original one. On the recommendation of Shostakovich, the work was broadcast in 1959 on Moscow World Service Radio, but it never received a public performance until in November 2006, when it formed the main event at the first Cape Town International Summer Festival, performed by the interpreters on this disc.
Klassik Heute: outstanding.