Gubaidulina passed away this March. I think she was the only composer I ever listened to who was actually alive during my adult life. Her death is one more road sign that tells me how far I am into life.
I remember how I found out about her. It was from the Unknown Composers page. Hard to believe it's still online. This is what it says about her:
Offertorium for violin and orchestra. To me, a masterpiece of the 20th century. An advanced idiom, and yet the ending reminds me of the Death of Boris in Mussorgsky's opera. Every period has its clichés. Our avant-garde has certain melodic twists that, to put it charitably, you may have heard before. Gubaidulina's music (I've heard two pieces) seems free of it. She has invented herself.
Apparently, Offertorium was the work that made her famous. It is indeed amazing. “I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in me”: this is it. It reaches deep into the soul and acknowledges whatever pain and darkness that lie at the bottom. Last year I asked ChatGPT to recommend a film that would be a counterpart to the concerto, and it mentioned The Passion of Joan of Arc. It's not as good as Offertorium, but it was a good recommendation. Certainly a sacrifice.
Funny story: once I was watching a film, Mein Name ist Bach, and all of a sudden I heard the opening notes of Offertorium. I was really excited and confused—which, of course, only means I don't know enough about music. It turns out that Bach created (or was he given?) that theme for his Musical Offering and Gubaidulina used it in Offertorium.
She kept composing long after I first heard about her, but I never paid much attention. I think I didn't expect her to keep on composing (she was 70). It doesn't help that all other composers were dead: I am always eager to listen to works I didn't know about before, but usually this means something old and unknown, not something new.
In any case, just months ago I found out about a second violin concerto, In Tempus Praesens: also great. More tense, more violent. And now I looked up and she wrote a third one in 2018, Dialog: Ich und Du. Looking forward to listening to it.
2025-04-10