BaL 20.05.17 - Sofia Gubaidulina on record

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

0930
Building a Library: Gillian Moore recommends the best of Sofia Gubaidulina on record. Born in 1935, Russia's greatest living composer was blacklisted and denounced by the Soviet authorities early in her career - a situation which she turned to her advantage. Because, without performances of her music, she was able to compose without compromise and with complete integrity. Whether via 12-tone serialism, microtonal music or folk music improvisation, Gubaidulina's unique voice is characterised by an intense spirituality: "True art for me," she says, "is always religious; it will always involve collaborating with God."



Recommended recording:
Gubaidulina: Offertorium & Hommage a T. S. Eliot
GUBAIDULINA: Offertorium - Concerto for Violin and Orchestra; Hommage a T.S. Eliot
Gidon Kremer (violin), Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Dutoit (conductor), Christine Whittlesey, Eduard Brunner, Klaus Thunemann, Radovan Vlatkovic, Isabelle van Keulen, Tabea Zimmermann, David Geringas, Alois Posch
DG 4791518 (CD)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Just in case forumites are hoping for a list. . .

. . . not this time.

[Beef Oven!]

Just in case forumites are hoping for a list. . .

. . . not this time.

Fair enough.

I was hoping for a list, but it would have been churlish to ask (even though it would have been one of the easiest to produce).

This BaL is a nice coincidence for me, Jayne having rekindled my interest in Gubaidulina’s music in the last few days.

I only have:

In tempus praesens
Offetorium
Hommage À T.S. Eliot
Complete String Quartets**

I am also almost certainly going to buy a Hi-Res download of her string quartets by the Quatuor Molinari from Qobuz, before the BaL. May do that today*.


*EDIT: Done.
** Added since original post

[Pulcinella]

I was hoping for a list, but it would have been churlish to ask (even though it would have been one of the easiest to produce).

Well, these are the works that Presto list as being available in recordings.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/wi/Gubaidulina

[Beef Oven!]

Well, these are the works that Presto list as being available in recordings.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/wi/Gubaidulina

On reflection, there’s quite a few recordings. I retract my assertion that it would be one of the easiest lists to produce.

And thanks for the link, there’s quite a few titles on Amazon and Qobuz, too!

[Pulcinella]

On reflection, there’s quite a few recordings. I retract my assertion that it would be one of the easiest lists to produce.

And thanks for the link, there’s quite a few titles on Amazon and Qobuz, too!

Posted merely for information, not as a counterclaim to your assertion! I too was a little surprised by the length of the list.

Only the DG Offertorium CD in Casa Pulcinella, but it gets fairly regular outings.

[Beef Oven!]

But on reflection, building a library doesn’t have to always be about recommending a particular recording of a specific work. In the case of lesser-known composers, it could be about giving a taste of the music and informing on which works are actually available, without going into each and every recording.

[jayne lee wilson]

Like Lutosławski, Gubaidulina was one of those composers I taped a lot off-air in the 1990s, and as with much spiritual minimalism, her music involves a prayer-like repetition (often more varied and texturally elaborated with Gubaidulina) and meditative, relatively static episodes, suddenly shattered by dramatic, sweeping interjection or huge climaxes, so will speak to certain spirits or to certain moods at certain times, and fail to connect at others. A work like Introitus for Piano and Orchestra, for example, is very much the music for a gloomy winter dawn; it may cure your insomnia; or you may return to bed wiser, but no happier...kindred-spirit consolation, perhaps....
My interest faded later, so I don't know her recent music very well (In Tempus Praesens has its moments, but seems to me to lack the musical focus or emotional fulfilment, the profound sense of arrival, of Offertorium...).

Orchestrally (apart from that modern classic, Offertorium) two works always stood out: the Symphony in 12 Movements, Stimmen.... Verstummen, and my personal favourite, Pro et Contra, which has the sort of final climax which leaves you shaken AND stirred... you won't forget your first encounter with that one!

I can vouch for the BIS/Otaka of the latter; not heard the CPO/NDR/Klee, though my interest is piqued by its significantly quicker timings. One for booklet-free Qobuz HiFi later (though it must be said that the notes accompanying the CD are almost always worth having with these labels: you may well find them on the record company websites).
IIRC there is only one recording of the symphony by Rozh (who had to perform a silent cadenza for conductor in the live performances (9th movement, repeated after the last music has faded out at the very end); one which I must have taped, from RFH; I think I could hear his rostrum movements.)

Had I but world enough, and time....more later if I think of anything. Good programming idea anyway... For such sound-dependent music, shame it'll be in 320kbps...

[Beresford]

Any views on her accordion music? I have only heard one such piece - didn't know what to make of it. Not usually my favourite instrument, but I'm prepared to change my listening habits on others recommendations, especially for Gubaidulina.

[Beef Oven!]

Like Lutosławski, Gubaidulina was one of those composers I taped a lot off-air in the 1990s, and as with much spiritual minimalism, her music involves a prayer-like repetition (often more varied and texturally elaborated with Gubaidulina) and meditative, relatively static episodes, suddenly shattered by dramatic, sweeping interjection or huge climaxes, so will speak to certain spirits or to certain moods at certain times, and fail to connect at others. A work like Introitus for Piano and Orchestra, for example, is very much the music for a gloomy winter dawn; it may cure your insomnia; or you may return to bed wiser, but no happier...kindred-spirit consolation, perhaps....
My interest faded later, so I don't know her recent music very well (In Tempus Praesens has its moments, but seems to me to lack the musical focus or emotional fulfilment, the profound sense of arrival, of Offertorium...).

Orchestrally (apart from that modern classic, Offertorium) two works always stood out: the Symphony in 12 Movements, Stimmen.... Verstummen, and my personal favourite, Pro et Contra, which has the sort of final climax which leaves you shaken AND stirred... you won't forget your first encounter with that one!

I can vouch for the BIS/Otaka of the latter; not heard the CPO/NDR/Klee, though my interest is piqued by its significantly quicker timings. One for booklet-free Qobuz HiFi later (though it must be said that the notes accompanying the CD are almost always worth having with these labels: you may well find them on the record company websites).
IIRC there is only one recording of the symphony by Rozh (who had to perform a silent cadenza for conductor in the live performances (9th movement, repeated after the last music has faded out at the very end); one which I must have taped, from RFH; I think I could hear his rostrum movements.)

Had I but world enough, and time....more later if I think of anything. Good programming idea anyway... For such sound-dependent music, shame it'll be in 320kbps...

Fascinating reflections, Jayne. Thank you for taking the time to share them with us. Having listened to In Tempus Praesens for the first time, and following several further listens, I actually prefer it to Offertorium. It may be that it’s new to me and therefore more interesting. Spirituality in music and similar often turn me off, as does programme music. But somehow, Gubaidulina’s music draws me in on that level - it really captivates me. Her prayer-based spiritual minimalism is preferable to me than the choral music of James MacMillan that I’ve been listening to this week, in an attempt to reconnect with his music (it isn’t working, I really struggle with the Catholic-type church-ethos music). Thanks for the further references to her music, I look forward to following them up and maybe getting a few new downloads. I’m also very much looking forward to this BaL.

[Mal]

I didn't know her work at all and was rather impressed by this excellent introduction. I'll be tuning in tomorrow for Offertorium. According to the programme, her work didn't go down at all well with the authorities. Too religious, too avant garde, and too much written for escapees like Kremer. I just read that she was in a lift in 1973 when some chap strolled in and tried to strangle her. He wasn't competent, and she complained, "Why are you taking so long." He stopped and left. She wasn't sure if it was a KGB agent or a madman. Her friends said, "Probably KGB agent."

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I agree that the presentation was excellent, and it made me interested in investigating her Music once again. My own problem with Gubaidulina's works has been that they often have something that captures my attention - but that these moments are few and far between in each piece, and there's a lot of ... well, "material that I find of less interest" ... in between. Tomorrow's broadcast of the Offertorium - and a few visits to youTube - might well completely alter my attitude of this composer.

(It occurs to me that the last time I listened to her work in any dedicated way, youTube didn't exist!)

[Beef Oven!]

I didn't know her work at all and was rather impressed by this excellent introduction. I'll be tuning in tomorrow for Offertorium. According to the programme, her work didn't go down at all well with the authorities. Too religious, too avant garde, and too much written for escapees like Kremer. I just read that she was in a lift in 1973 when some chap strolled in and tried to strangle her. He wasn't competent, and she complained, "Why are you taking so long." He stopped and left. She wasn't sure if it was a KGB agent or a madman. Her friends said, "Probably KGB agent."

I Enjoyed it very much, too. I have been aware of her music for a while, but according to my Amazon purchase history, I didn’t by anything until June 2014, Offertorium on Deutsche Grammophon Kremer/Dutoit. It has a great coupling, "Hommage à T. S. Eliot, for octet & soprano (1987)", which I don’t think got a mention.

Last week Jayne mentioned In tempus praesens, the second violin concerto (which I incorrectly thought was the first) and I couldn’t resist buying a download of it. I got the one Jayne recommended, with Simone Lamsma as soloist, not the Anne-Sophie Mutter version.

Since then (last week) my Gubaidulina collection has grown considerably! The string quartets are excellent and I really enjoy the 'Canticle Of The Sun' on ECM with Gidon Kremer - it also contains ’The Lyre Of Orpheus' which featured prominently in the BaL.

I’m not keen on the St John Passion. Too 'churchy' for me. I like to think that Gubaidulina was more spiritual than religious and the religious route was the most obvious cerebral alternative to an uncompromising soviet regime; had she been from the west, she’s have been a Buddhist! Or just a plane old new-age hippy! Just my opinion and completely unfalsifiable in the Popperian sense!

Regarding the lift incident, Alpie needs to watch out, there’s no statute of limitations in the UK or the USSR!

[Bryn]

For a cheap and relatively painless introduction, try https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...dm_ws_sp_ps_dp

Not necessarily the finest of recordings available, but generally serviceable, and the 50 mp3s (320kbps) fit nicely on a single CD-R.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

For a cheap and relatively painless introduction, try https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...dm_ws_sp_ps_dp
Not necessarily the finest of recordings available, but generally serviceable, and the 50 mp3s (320kbps) fit nicely on a single CD-R.

- many thanks, Bryn