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The music of Sofia Gubaidulina

Building a Library recommends the best available recordings of Sofia Gubaidulina.

Gillian Moore for Building a Library 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. 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)

Other recommended recordings:

Below is a shortlist of other recordings which Gillian also liked, although we can鈥檛 guarantee the availability of these discs.

Mei Yi Foo: Musical Toys
CHIN, U: Piano Etudes (6)
GUBAIDULINA: Musical Toys
LIGETI: Musica Ricercata for piano
Mei Yi Foo (piano)
ODRADEK RECORDS ODRCD302 (CD)

Release date:

Duration:

50 minutes

Credits

Role Contributor
Composer Sofia Gubaidulina

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