Search - Torleif Thedeen, Oleh Krysa, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra :: Sofia Gubaidulina: Offertorium (Concerto for Violin & Orchestra) / Rejoice! (Sonata for Violin & Cello)

Gubaidulina's breakthrough piece in a wonderful performance

Christopher Culver | 05/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This BIS disc contains two pieces by Russian-Tatar composer Sofia Gubaidulina performed by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by James DePriest and featuring Oleh Krysa on violin and Torleif Thedeen on cello.



"Offertorium" (1980) is the piece that brought Gubaidulina to international attention when it was championed by Gidon Kremer. The basis of the piece is the royal theme from Bach's "Musikalischer Opfer" (in Webern-like orchestration) which is deconstructed note by note and then, after its absence has been made very noticiable, reconstructed as a Russian Orthodox hymn. Over the twenty minutes of the work, however, Gubaidulina explores a vast range of sounds, with sharp and shimmering high and the saddest lows (especially when the theme is done in half-way through). "Offertorium" is deeply spiritual, with the piece as a whole meant to be a reflection on Christ's atoning sacrifice on the cross. That the work draws from Bach and Webern serves as a summary of Gubaidulina's art, deep traditional piety combined with serialist and post-serialist complexity. I enjoy this performance very much, and even prefer it to the recording with Gidon Kremer on DG, which has a rather cold sound. I have not seen the score of the piece, but the use of percussion seems more in keeping with other Gubaidulina pieces, while that on the DG recording sounds odd.



"Rejoice! (Freue Dich!)" (1981, rev. 1988) is a six-movement sonata for violin and cello originally written for the famed duo of Soviet performers Oleg Kagan (who died tragically young at his peak) and Natalia Gutman. The piece comprises five movements, the subtitle of which are obscure, coming from a Polish parable in letters from the philosopher Grigori Skovoroda to W. Semborski. Again, this is a religious work. The capability of string instruments to produce different pitches on the same part of the string is taken as a metaphor for the possibility of closeness to God while on Earth. This realisation is the "joy" of the title. Concerning the interaction of the two instruments, in the odd-numbered movements they contrast against each other, while in the even-numbered movements they join together into a united sonority. I generally prefer Gubaidulina's works where she uses a greater instrumentation, but I enjoy this piece immensely because in its climactic movement there seems to be much more than two instruments.



If you have never heard the music of Sofia Gubaidulina, the performance of "Offertorium" on this disc makes an excellent introduction, or you might try her masterpiece JOHANNES-PASSION."