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Gubaidulina: Religious Rebel

Kate Molleson and Gillian Moore shine new light on the 'modern' music of the 20th century. This week, Gillian explores the spiritual music of the Soviet-born Sofia Gubaidulina.

Kate Molleson and Gillian Moore explore the pivotal 'modern' musical works of the 20th century, the groundbreaking composers who created them, and the radical cultural and artistic movements which gave rise to them. This is a story about a hundred years of change. Of war. Of oppression. Of steps towards equality. Of censorship. Of rapid, inescapable technological advancement. Of machines. Of transport. Of science... And it's the story of how art and music responded, the story of the composers who defined the 20th century, who created 'modern' musical art which would shock, appall and fascinate in equal measure, changing the way we listen for ever.

This week, Gillian explores the spiritually-charged music of Sofia Gubaidulina (1931-2025), including a full performance of the work which led to her recognition outside of the Soviet Union: the Violin Concerto 'Offertorium'. The score of this piece had to be smuggled out of the Soviet Union for performance in Europe by it鈥檚 dedicatee Gidon Kremer, who was in exile, having refused to return to the country after a two-year period of permission to perform worldwide. Gillian discovers how the composer reconnected with her nationality through folk music, and explores how Gubaidulina's incorporation of the music of her devout faith into her work represented a major act of rebellion.

"I am a religious Russian Orthodox person and I understand 鈥榬eligion鈥 in the literal meaning of the word, as 鈥榬e-ligio鈥, that is to say the restoration of connections, the restoration of the 鈥榣egato鈥 of life. There is no more serious task for music than this." 鈥 Sofia Gubaidulina

Produced by Sam Phillips
A Reduced Listening production for 成人快手 Radio 3

To listen on most smart speakers just say, 鈥渁sk 成人快手 Sounds to play 20th Century Radicals鈥

27 days left to listen

59 minutes

Music Played

  • Sofia Gubaidulina

    Offertorium

    Performer: Gidon Kremer. Conductor: Charles Dutoit. Orchestra: Boston Symphony Orchestra.
    • Gubaidulina: Offertorium & Hommage 脿 T. S. Eliot.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
  • Kate Bush

    Babooshka

    • Never for Ever.
    • EMI.
  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Musical Offering ricercar a 6 BWV 1079

    Ensemble: Fretwork.
    • Musical Offering ricercar a 6 BWV 1079.
    • HARMONIA MUNDI.
  • Anton Webern

    Ricercar a 6

    Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic. Conductor: Claudio Abbado.
    • Schoenberg: A Survivor from Warsaw, Op. 46 & Webern: Orchestral Works.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
  • Alfred Schnittke

    Symphony no.2 - Crucifixus

    Choir: Mikaeli kammark枚r. Orchestra: Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Leif Segerstam.
    • Symphony No 2, St Florian.
    • BIS.
  • Witold Lutos艂awski

    Cello Concerto

    Performer: Johannes Moser. Conductor: Thomas S酶nderg氓rd. Orchestra: Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin.
    • Cello Concerto.
    • PENTATONE.
  • Sofia Gubaidulina

    Astraea

    Composer: Viktor Suslin. Composer: Vyacheslav Artyomov. Performer: Miles Anderson. Performer: Sofia Gubaidulina. Performer: Sofia Gubaidulina. Performer: Viktor Suslin. Performer: Viktor Suslin. Performer: Vyacheslav Artyomov. Performer: Vyacheslav Artyomov.
    • Astraea.
    • 惭茅迟颈别谤.
  • Sofia Gubaidulina

    Offertorium

    Performer: Gidon Kremer. Conductor: Charles Dutoit. Orchestra: Boston Symphony Orchestra.
    • Gubaidulina: Offertorium & Hommage 脿 T. S. Eliot.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
  • Caterina Barbieri

    Arrows of Time

    Performer: Caterina Barbieri.
    • Ecstatic Computation.
    • Light-years.
  • Hania Rani

    Nostalgia

    Performer: Hania Rani.
    • Nostalgia.
    • Gondwana Records.

Broadcast

  • Sunday 21:00