Sofia Gubaidulina

Sofia Asgatovna Gubaidulina, (Russian София Асгатовна Губаидулина, Tatar Sofia ijğ䴠qızı Ğ?dullina) (born October 24, 1931) is a Russian-Tatar composer of deeply religious music.

Gubaidulina was born in Chistopol, in the Tatar Republic. She studied composition and piano at the Kazan Conservatory, graduating in 1954. In Moscow she undertook further studies at the Conservatory with Nikolay Peyko until 1959, and then with Shebalin until 1963.

During her studies in Soviet Russia, her music was labeled "irresponsible" for its exploration of alternate tunings. She was supported, however, by Dmitri Shostakovich, who in evaluating her final examination encouraged her to continue down her "mistaken path".

In the mid-1970s Gubaidulina founded Astreja, a folk-instrument improvisation group with fellow composers Victor Suslin and Vyacheslav Artyomov.

In the early 1980s Gubaidulina became better known abroad through Gidon Kremer's championing of her violin concerto Offertorium. She later composed a homage to T. S. Eliot, using the text from the poet's spiritual masterpiece Four Quartets.

In 2000 Sofia Gubaidulina, along with Tan Dun, Osvaldo Golijov, and Wolfgang Rihm, was commissioned by the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart project to write a piece for the Passion 2000 project in commemoration of Johann Sebastian Bach. Her contribution was the Johannes-Passion. In 2002 she followed this by the Johannes-Ostern ("Easter according to John"). The two works together form a "diptych" on the death and resurrection of Christ, her largest work to date.

Quotations

• "I am a religious person...and by 'religion' I mean re-ligio, the re-tying of a bond...restoring the legato of life. Life divides man into many pieces...There is no weightier occupation than the recomposition of spiritual integrity through the composition of music."

Works

• Quintet for piano, two violins, viola, and violoncello (1957)
• Night in Memphis cantata (1968)
• Musical Toys fourteen piano pieces for children (1969)
• Vivente - Non Vivente for electronics (1970)
• Concordanza for chamber ensemble (1971)
• String Quartet No. 1 (1971)
• Ten Preludes for solo cello (1974)
• Rumore e silenzio for percussion and harpsichord (1974)
• Hour of the Soul poem by Marina Tsvetaeva for large wind orchestra and mezzo-soprano/contralto (1974), for percussion, mezzo-soprano, and large orchestra (1976)
• Concerto for bassoon and low strings (1975)
• Hell und Dunkel for organ (1976)
• Duo sonata for two bassoons (1977)
• Misterioso for 7 percussionists (1977)
• Introitus concerto for piano and chamber orchestra (1978)
• In Croce for cello and organ (1979), for bayan and cello (1991)
• Jubilatio for 4 percussionists (1979)
• Offertorium
• Garten von freuden und traurigkeiten for flute, viola, harp and narrator (1980)
• Descensio for 3 trombones, 3 percussionists, harp, harpsichord and piano (1981)
• Sieben W? for cello, bayan, and strings (1982)
• Quasi hoquetus for viola, bassoon, and piano (1984)
• Hommage ࠔ.S. Eliot
• Hommage ࠍarina Tsvetayeva for a capella choir
• Stimmen... Verstummen symphony in twelve movements (1986)
• Rejoice! (Sonata for violin and cello)
• String Trio (1988)
• Alleluja for mixed chorus, boy soprano, organ and large orchestra (1990)
• H? Du uns, Luigi? Schau mal, welchen Tanz eine einfache Holzrassel f?h vollf?Слушишь ты нас, Луиджи? Вот танец, который танцует для тебя обыкновенная деревянная трещотка) for six percussionists (1991)
• Aus dem Studenbuch on a text of Rainer Maria Rilke for cello, orchestra, male choir, and a woman speaker (1991)
• Gerade und ungerade (Чет и нечет) for seven percussionists, including cymbalom (1991)
• Silenzio for bayan, violin, and cello (1991)
• Lauda for alto, tenor, baritone, narrator, mixed choir, and large orchestra (1991)
• Stufen for orchestra (1992)
• Tartarische Tanz for bayan and two contrabass (1992)
• Dancer on a Tightrope (Der Seilt䮺er) for violin and piano (1993)
• Jetzt immer Schnee (Теперь всегда снега) on verses of Gennadi Aigi for chamber ensemble and chamber choir (1993)
• Meditation ?en Bach-Choral "Vor deinen Thron tret' ich hiermit" for cymbalom, two violins, viola, cello, and contrabass (1993)
• Рано утром перед пробуждением for three 17-string Japanese bass kotos and four 13-string Japanese kotos (1993)
• And: The Feast is in Full Procession (И: Празднество в разгаре) for viola and orchestra (1993)
• String Quartet No. 4 with tape (1993)
• In Erwartung (В ожидании) for saxophone quartet and six percussionists (1994)
• Ein Engel for alto and double bass (1994)
• Figures of Time (Фигурй времени) for large orchestra (1994)
• Aus der Visionen der Hildegard von Bingen for alto (1994)
• Music for flute, strings, and percussion (1994)
• Impromptu for flute (flute and alto flute), violin, and strings (1996)
• Quaternion for cello quartet (1996)
• Galgenlider ࠳ fifteen pieces for mezzo-soprano, percussion, and contrabass (1996)
• Galgenlider ࠵ fourteen pieces for mezzo-soprano, flute, percussion, bayan, and contrabass (1996)
• Concerto for viola and orchestra (1996)
• Ritorno perpetuo for cymbalom (1997)
• The Canticle of the Sun of St Francis of Assisi for cello, chamber choir, and orcestra (1997)
• Im Schatten des Baumes (В тени под деревом) for koto, bass koto, zheng, and orchestra (1998)
• Two Paths: A Dedication to Mary and Martha for two viola solo and orchestra (1998)
• Johannes-Passion for soprano, tenor, baritone, bass, two mixed choirs, organ, and large orchestra (2000)
• Risonanza for three trumpets, four trombones, organ, and six strings (2001)
• Johannes-Ostern for soprano, tenor, baritone, bass, two mixed choirs, organ, and large orchestra (2001)
• The Rider on the White Horse for large orchestra and organ (2002)
• Reflections on the theme B-A-C-H for string quartet (2002)
• Mirage: The Dancing Sun for eight violoncelli (2002)
• On the Edge of Abyss for seven violoncelli and two waterphones (2002)
• The Light of the End for large orchestra (2003)
• Under the Sign of Scorpio variants on six hexachords for bayan and large orchestra (2003)
• Verwandlung (Transformation) for trombone, saxaphone quartet, violoncello, double bass, and tam-tam (2004)

Discography

• The Canticle of the Sun (1997) and Music for Flute, Strings, and Percussion (1994). The first performed by cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich and London Voices conducted by Ryusuke Numajiri, the second by flutist Emmanuel Pahud and the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rostropovich. Gubaidulina attended the recording of both pieces.