The eighth symphony of Schnittke is still a demanding work, but seems less despairing than the previous two, though only a little less so. One long, slow movement is framed by two pairs of shorter movements, reminding me of Shostakovich's sixth and eighth symphonies, both of which have one very long, slow opening movement, followed by shorter, more concise movements. The character of Schnittke's central slow movement, though, is more Mahlerian; the resignation of that composer's ninth and tenth symphonies. The fourth movement is more a cry of despair and the last movement recalls the first symphony as if in a sense of coming full circle.
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