A Global Vision
Sofia Gubaidulina's music draws on eastern and western culture. Today, Donald Macleod and Gerard McBurney see how this informs her quest to find a universal musical language.
Sofia Gubaidulina's music draws on eastern and western culture. Today, Donald Macleod and Gerard McBurney consider how this plays in to her quest to find a universal musical language.
To mark Sofia Gubaidulina鈥檚 ninetieth birthday, Donald Macleod and Gerard McBurney explore five different aspects of her progressive and distinctive music. Gubaidulina has been living in Germany since 1992 and is still busy composing today. When she was born in 1931 in Tatarstan, the Soviet Union was under Stalinist rule. Up until her emigration, she worked as a composer under the strictly regulated conditions determined by Soviet cultural policies. Across the week we get an insight into the life of a composer behind the Iron Curtain, as Gubaidulina developed her own creative path, un-swayed by any hint of ideological pressure.
Gubaidulina's roots are steeped in Tatar and Russian music, literature and art. But as well as her own native language, she's deliberately sought out a broad range of linguistic sources, finding inspiration for both instrumental and vocal music in both ancient and modern texts.
Hommage to Marina Tsvetayeva for a capella chorus
I: The Day鈥檚 burden has sunk beside the Waves
West German Radio Vocal Ensemble
Marcus Creed, director
Rubaiyat
Sergei Yakovenko, baritone
Collegium Musicum, Gennady Rozhdestvensky Soloists鈥� Ensemble
Gennady Rozhdestvensky, conductor
Galgenlieder (excerpt)
Die Mitternachtmaus
Das aesthetische Wiesel
Das Knie
Elsbeth Moser, bayan
Gergely Bodoky, flute
Cornelia Monske, percussion
Barbara Hofling, mezzo-soprano
Martin Heinze, double bass
Hommage a TS Eliot (excerpt)
Musical meditation
Sin is Behovely, but
Eduard Brunner, clarinet
Christine Whittlesey, soprano
Gidon Kremer, violin
Radovan Vlatkovic horn
Alois Posch, double bass
David Geringas, cello
Klaus Thunemann, bassoon
Tabea Zimmermann, viola
Isabelle van Keulen, violin
Garden of joy and sorrow for flute, harp, spoken voice ad lib. (excerpt)
Hat Trick Ensemble
Last on
![]()
Blacklisted!
Donald Macleod and Gerard McBurney discuss the effects on artists of Soviet oppression.
![]()
The soul's journey of In Croce
Donald Macleod and Gerard McBurney discuss the symbolism in Gubaidulina's In Croce.
Music Played
-
![]()
Sofia Gubaidulina
Hommage to Marina Tsvetayeva (I, The Day's burden has sunk beside the Waves)
Performer: Marcus Creed. Choir: Danish National Choir. Conductor: Stefan Parkman.- Chandos CHAN 10633.
- Chandos.
- 13.
-
![]()
Sofia Gubaidulina
Rubaiyat
Singer: Sergei Yavkovenko. Ensemble: Collegium Musicum. Ensemble: Gennady Rozhdestvensky Soloists' Ensemble. Conductor: Gennady Nikolayevich Rozhdestvensky.- MELODIYA : SUCD-10-001098.
- MELODIYA.
- 8.
-
![]()
Sofia Gubaidulina
Hommage a TS Eliot (excerpt)
Performer: Eduard Brunner. Performer: Gidon Kremer. Performer: Radovan Vlatkovi膰. Performer: Alois Posch. Performer: David Geringas. Performer: Klaus Thunemann. Performer: Tabea Zimmermann. Performer: Isabelle van Keulen. Singer: Christine Whittlesey.- DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON : 427-3362.
- DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON.
- 5.
-
![]()
Sofia Gubaidulina
Galgenlieder (excerpt)
Performer: Elsbeth Moser. Performer: Gergely Bodoky. Performer: Cornelia Monske. Performer: Martin Heinze. Singer: Barbara Hofling.- DREYER GAIDO : GDCD 21071.
- DREYER GAIDO.
- 1.
-
![]()
Sofia Gubaidulina
Garden of joy and sorrow for flute, harp, spoken voice (excerpt)
Performer: Tabea Zimmermann. Performer: Adam Walker. Performer: Agn猫s Cl茅ment.
Broadcast
- Thu 4 Nov 2021 12:00大象传媒 Radio 3
Sofia Gubaidulina in words and pictures
Gerard McBurney shares some moments and memories of composer Sofia Gubaidulina.
Vaughan Williams Today
Programmes, concerts and features celebrating Vaughan Williams's 150th anniversary.
Beethoven Unleashed 鈥� the box set
The complete set of Radio 3 Beethoven Unleashed podcasts, with Donald Macleod.
What was really wrong with Beethoven?
Georgia Mann and neurosurgeon Henry Marsh examine the composer's numerous health problems
Composers A to Z
Visit the extensive audio archive of Radio 3 programmes about Composers and their works.
Who knew? Five eye-opening stories from Composer of the Week
The production team reflects on 5 of Donald Macleod鈥檚 best stories from the last 20 years
Five reasons why we love Parry's Jerusalem
What is the strange power of Jerusalem which makes strong men weep?
A man out of time 鈥� why Parry's music and ideas were at odds with his image...
The composer of Jerusalem was very far from the conservative figure his image suggests.
Composer Help Page
Find resources and contacts for composers from within the classical music industry.