J.S. Bach: Violin Concerto No.1 in A minor, BWV 1041
1. 1. Allegro moderato		3:36 	
2. 2.Andante		6:41 	
3. 3. Allegro assai	3:10 	

J.S. Bach: Violin Concerto No.2 in E, BWV 1042
4. 1. Allegro		7:44 	
5. 2. Adagio		7:11 	
6. 3. Allegro assai	2:30 	

7.Gubaidulina: In tempus praesens (Concerto for Violin and Orchestra)	32:47

Anne-Sophie Mutter – Violin, Conductor (1-6)
Trondheim Soloists (Trondheimsolistene)  (1-6)
London Symphony Orchestra (7)
Valery Gergiev – Conductor (7)

Two years before the release of this disc, German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter told Musical America she intended to stop performing "when I reach my 45th birthday," that is, in June 2008. Shortly afterwards, however, she told the Washington Post she'd been "misinterpreted," and that she intended to keep playing as long as she could "bring anything new, anything important, anything different to music."

The question, of course, is: has she? Let us take this 2008 Deutsche Grammophon disc as a measure. Half the repertoire is extremely familiar -- Bach's solo violin concertos in A minor and E major -- and half is totally unfamiliar -- Sofia Gubaidulina's concerto for violin and orchestra called In tempus prasens. Mutter had recorded Bach's concertos 25 years earlier with Salvatore Accardo and the English Chamber Orchestra. Those performances were lovely and lyrical, but plain vanilla readings; these performances, while no less lovely, are much more expressive and dramatic. As always, Mutter's tone is silken and her technique impeccable. But now her interpretations are much freer. With no concessions made to historically informed performance practice, Mutter's playing is filled with vibrato, portimento, and glissando, as well as with a very flexible sense of tempo rubato in the cadenzas. Leading the Trondheim Soloists, who probably need very little guidance in these works, Mutter's current take on Bach is surely new and different, though whether or not it's important remains to be seen.

But what does not remain to be seen is the importance of Mutter's account of Gubaidulina's concerto. In its five-movement-in-one structure, Gubaidulina's work embodies a dramatic religious narrative -- the journey from hell to heaven -- within the form's traditional opposition of soloist and orchestra. Mutter, who commissioned and encouraged the concerto, delivers a premiere recording that is, for all intents and purposes, definitive. Her soaring tone, smooth legato, and subtly nuanced colors make the most of the work's opportunities for virtuoso display, but her clear-headed, warm-hearted interpretation makes the most of the work's opportunities for emotional and spiritual growth without ever tipping over into histrionics. Accompanied by the masterful Valery Gergiev leading the consummately professional London Symphony Orchestra and recorded in translucent digital sound, Mutter's In tempus prasens is not only new and different; it is clearly important and those listeners interested either in Mutter or in contemporary music will be obliged to hear this disc. ---James Leonard, Rovi

In Tempus Praesens is Sofia Gubaidulina's second violin concerto, composed for Anne-Sophie Mutter and premiered by her last year. Although a number of Gubaidulina's recent works seemed to have been repeating the same rhetorical tricks, the five-section structure of the concerto is more convincing: a progression from darkness to light in which the solo violin gradually assumes the role of the dominant partner through a claustrophobic dialogue with the orchestra. There are moments in the work, such as its transcendent ending, that recall Berg's concerto, though Gubaidulina's brooding orchestral sonorities generate her own musical world. The new piece is nicely complemented by two of Bach's violin concertos, in which Mutter is partnered by the Trondheim Soloists, whose performing style is a hybrid between modern techniques and period ideas: they use baroque bows but on metal stringed instruments. The results are lively, though unremarkable. It's the Gubaidulina that will sell the disc to the composer's admirers. --- Andrew Clements, theguardian.com

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1. In croce, for cello & organ (or bayan) 	
2. Silenzio, pieces (5) for bayan, violin & cello: I. 	
3. Silenzio, pieces (5) for bayan, violin & cello: II. 	
4. Silenzio, pieces (5) for bayan, violin & cello: III. 	
5. Silenzio, pieces (5) for bayan, violin & cello: IV. 	
6. Silenzio, pieces (5) for bayan, violin & cello: V. 	
7. The Seven Last Words, for cello, bayan & strings: Vater, vergib ihnen, denn sie wissen nicht, was sie tun 
8. The Seven Last Words, for cello, bayan & strings: Weib, siehe, das ist dein Sohn. - Siehe, das ist deine Mutter. 
9. The Seven Last Words, for cello, bayan & strings: Wahrlich, ich sage dir: Heute wirst du mit mir im Paradiese sein 
10. The Seven Last Words, for cello, bayan & strings: Mein Gott, mein Gott, warum hast du mich varlassen? 
11. The Seven Last Words, for cello, bayan & strings: Is ist vollbracht 
12. The Seven Last Words, for cello, bayan & strings: Vater, ich befehle meinen Geist in deine Hände 

Maria Kliegel – cello
Elsbeth Moser – bayan
Kathrin Labus – violin

Camerata Transsylvanica
Gyorgy Selmeczi – conductor

This disc contains three works by Russian-Tatar composer Sofia Gubaidulina, an artist of deep religious sentiment as is apparent in these titles: "In croce", "Silenzio", and "Sieben Worte". The common instruments in these works are the cello and the bayan. The latter is a type of Russian accordian played here by Elsbeth Moser, who performed in the Western premier of "Sieben Worte" and to whom Gubaidulina dedicated "Silenzio." Cello is played by Maria Kliegel, who has performed under the approval of Rostropovich.

"In Croce" was originally written in 1979 as a piece for organ and cello, but it is represented here in a 1991 arrangement for cello and bayan by Elsbeth Moser which Gubaidulina has approved. It is an exploration of "vertical" music (the organ or bayan) intersected by the "horizontal" (cello), thus forming the cruciform symbolism so common in Gubaidulina's work. Personally, I prefer the performance of the cello and organ version by Ivashkin and Hicks released by Chandos, for the organ just seems to work better than the bayan. Still, Kliegel's cello work here is deeply moving and worth hearing, less restrained than Ivashkin's but perhaps more passionately religious.

"Silenzio" is a fragile, insubstantial piece for bayan, violin, and cello in which the vast majority of the work is played pianissimo. It consists of five "miniatures" which all maintain the same rhythmic proportion 7-2-5 in varying ways. It is an interesting experiment, but it results in the least interesting item on this disc, and it's technical brilliance comes at the expense of religious power.

"Sieben Worte (Seven Words)" for cello, bayan, and strings, is a crucial piece in this disc, and in Gubaidulina's oeuvre in general. I have said before that the composer's "Johannes-Passion" may be the greatest work of Christian piety of our time, but "Sieben Worte" follows not very long behind. It is an acknowledgement of the tradition of religious composition, and contains quotations from Heinrich Schuetz and clear influence from Haydn. Nonetheless, the bulk of the piece shows the originality of Gubaidulina through and through and has an elaborate technical basis on the cello which is too long to quote here, but which is included in the liner notes. The strings of the Camerata Transsylvanica (ironically based in Budapest after the emigration of its members) under Gyorgy Selmeczi are intense and unfaltering.

As is unfortunately usual with Naxos discs, the weak point is the liner notes. The English and German are, inexplicably, two different commentaries instead of a common text translated from one or the other. Keith Anderson's English commentary is quite interesting but poorly edited and unprofessional. Teresa Pieschacon Raphael's German commentary tells something about Gubaidulina's place in the Soviet music community which English readers too should have been able to enjoy. Though Naxos was kind enough to provide commentaries in two languages, the profile of the performers is only in English.

These three pieces, especially the last, make an excellent introduction to the work of this superlative composer, and at an economic price. This is one of the finest works in my collection, and I sincerely and passionately recommend it to just about anyone. ---Christopher Culver

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CD 1
1 I Das Wort (1'29)
2 II Fusswaschung (13'07)
3 III Das Gebot des Glaubens (2'30)
4 IV Das Gebot der Liebe (3'57)
5 V Hoffnung (2'37)
6 VI Liturgie in Himmel (15'04)
7 VII Verrat, Verleugnung, Geisselung, Verurteilung (17'09)

Total time: 55'53

CD 2
1 VIII Gang nach Golgatha (19'52)
2 IX Eine Frau, mit der Sonne bekleidet (1'50)
3 X Grablegung (6'49)
4 XI Die sieben Schalen des Zorn (6'22)

Total time: 34'53

Natalia Korneva, soprano
Viktor Lutsiuk, tenore
Fedor Mozhaev, baritono
Genady Bezzubenkov, basso

St. Petersburger Kammerchor
Chor un Orchester des Mariinsky-Theaters St. Petersburg
Valery Gergiev – conductor

The pealing bells that open Sofia Gubaidulina's St. John Passion immediately announce not only its importance, but also its place firmly in the Russian musical tradition. The work is full of declamatory, hieratic solo passages and rich choral contributions, along with references to Russian Orthodox chants. Gubaidulina's text combines the Passion story with the Last Judgment, using excerpts from the Gospel According to Saint John interspersed with selections from other Books, including Revelations. It's a grim work, brilliantly inventive throughout, with original touches, such as a dialogue between baritone and timpani, and a Day of Wrath featuring menacing percussion and truly terrifying brass yowls and rumblings. Along with these and many other personal visions are echoes of Mussorgsky, as well as the Stravinsky of Les Noces. Gergiev leads a deeply moving performance, intensely dramatic, never flagging in interest or tension, and his soloists are all outstanding. This must be heard by anyone interested in modern music that's both accessible and challenging. Part of a series of commissioned oratorios on the Passion story for the Bach Year, it's a worthy tribute to the Bach Passions that inspired it. ---Dan Davis, Editorial Reviews

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01. Piano quintet - I. Allegro    [0:07:36.56]
02. Piano quintet - II. Andante marciale    [0:06:53.30]
03. Piano quintet - III. Larghetto sensibile    [0:10:14.62]
04. Piano quintet - IV. Presto    [0:05:59.17]
05. Introitus    [0:24:17.66]
06. Dancer on a tightrope    [0:13:39.66]

Gidon Kremer (violin), 
Kai Vogler (violin), 
Mira Wang (violin), 
Ulrich Eichenauer (viola), 
Peter Bruns (cello), 
Rieko Aizawa (piano), 
Vadim Sakharov (piano)

Kyiv Chamber Players
Vladimir Kozhukhar – conductor

IN THE MIRROR is a 2002 collection of three works by Sofia Gubaidulina, one clearly juvenalia, another from her early maturity, and the last from 1993 when she had already established herself as one of the greatest living composers. While nothing here is disappointment, the contents of this disc are minor works and the CD is not an essential purchase for Gubaidulina neophytes.

"Quintet for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Violoncello" dates from 1957, the third year of her studies at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. It is the second earliest piece the composer has retained in her official catalogue of works. The premiere performance was by the Komitas Quartet from Armenia with Gubaidulina herself playing the piano part. As this piece was written before Gubaidulina's entrance into the Russian Orthodox Church, there is none of the spiritual depths of her later, mature pieces. Instead, the Quintet is a vaguely Romantic piece with clear inspiration from Shostakovich. This is pleasant music, but most useful as a document of her youth.

The one-movement piano concerto "Introitus" (1978) is a considerably more mature work, firmly rooted in Gubaidulina's interest in Christian mysticism. Like with many other compositions by Gubaidulina (such as "In Croce" for organ and cello, or the JOHANNES-PASSION), there is a contrast between the temporal/horizontal and the eternal/vertical. In the first portion of the work, the first theme the chamber orchestra is assigned represents Man, while the chromatic range is religious understanding. Gubaidulina goes on to develop a range of symbols too complex to describe here, but suffice it to say that this is a very good display of her spiritual aims in the art of composition. However, it does not rank with the best portions of her oeuvre and might be remembered as a minor work. The Kyiv Chamber Players conducted by Vladimir Kozhukhar give an admirable performance, though I was not very impressed by the piano playing of soloist Beatrice Rauchs.

"Dancer on a Tightrope (Der Seiltaenzer)" for violin and piano was written in 1993. The violin represents a tightrope walker attempting to keep his balance, while the piano, first played on the strings with a glass tumbler, is a symbol of risk. It's an interesting experiment, though not as successful as most of Gubaidulina's work. Gidon Kremer, who first brought recognition to Gubaidulina in the West through his performance of her "Offertorium", plays excellently here, while Vadim Sakharov accompanies him well on piano. This performance was recorded live at the 1995 Lockenhaus Festival. There is another disc on BIS which collects more of that festival's performances of the music of Gubaidulina, as well as some pieces of Viktor Suslin, with whom she founded the traditional music ensemble Astreja.

This would probably be a very poor introduction to Gubaidulina. For those who have never heard the music of this superlative composer, I'd recommend the JOHANNES-PASSION, her masterpiece and possibly the greatest work of Christian piety of our time, or the OFFERTORIUM disc in Deutsche Grammphon's "Echo 20/21" series. Leave IN THE MIRROR for when you've already become fascinated with her music. --- Christopher Culver, amazon.com

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1. String Trio_violin viola cello_1988 I
2. String Trio_violin viola cello_1988 II
3. String Trio_violin viola cello_1988 III
4. Hour of the soul_1974_ large orch mezzo-sopr & percuss
5. Night in Memphis_1968_Cantata mezzo-sopr male choir & orch

Yevgeniya Alikhanova –Violin
Tatyana Kokhanovskaya – Viola
Olga Ogranovitch – Cello

Lina Mkrtchyan - Mezzo-Soprano
Mark Pekarsky - Percussion

Moscow Chamber Choir 
Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra
Yuri Nikolayevsky - Conductor

This disc brings together three pieces by the Russian-Tatar composer Sofia Gubaidulina, among the greatest of modern composers and a very unique voice on the scene of contemporary composition. The pieces represented are on the periphery of Gubaidulina's most substantial work, but still worth listening to.

The "String Trio" for violin, viola, and vioncello (1988) is tremendously exciting. The first movement begins with scratchy austerity and eventually breaks into every interplay of the strings that one can imagine. The second movement has a clockwork rhythm reminiscent of Ligeti's second string quartet, while the third, final movement summarises what came before and breaks it down into a meditative lull. This piece fits with the most religious parts of Gubaidulina's oeuvre, such as her "Seven Words" for violin and bayan, or "Hommage a T.S. Eliot." This performance by Yevgeniya Alikhanova, Tatyana Kokhanovskaya, and Olga Organovich is, I feel, the best available. There is also a recording of the piece by the Danish Trio on CPO which is less satisfying but still worth tracking down. "Hour of the Soul", dating from 1974, is a setting of the second part of the poem of that name by Marina Tsvetaeva, whose poetry Gubaidulina further used in the a capella "Hommage a Marina Tsvetaeva". However, the first twenty minutes of this half hour-long piece are purely instrumental, and there is a use of percussion in some places reminiscent of the sixth and seventh parts of her "Johannes-Passion". The performance by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra seems committed, and the singing of Lina Mkrtchyan is spine-tingling. I do not understand why this piece did not come to gain more attention after Gubaidulina's introduction to the West.

"Night in Memphis", a cantata written in 1968, is one of the few earlier Gubaidulina works available. A friend had asked her to set some Egyptian texts to music. As this predates Gubaidulina's commitment to Russian Orthodoxy and her drive to express her faith in music, the piece might fairly justly be called juvenalia. It is not a bad piece, but simply one that does not call the listener back to listen again very often. It is a pity that the recordings of the latter two pieces are less than ideal. "Hour of the Soul" has all the downsides of a live recording, with murmuring and coughing, while "Night in Memphis" is often nearly inaudible. "String Trio" is, happily, an exception and it is perhaps the finest recording of the piece available. The liner notes are sparse, and I would have preferred a libretto for the latter two pieces. This disc would probably be a dreadful introduction to Gubaidulina's work. If you have never heard anything by this greatest of contemporary composers, I'd recommend the OFFERTORIUM disc on Deutsche Grammaphon, the recent inexpensive disc on Naxos, or perhaps her "Johannes-Passion", which is her masterpiece and the greatest work of Christian piety of our time. If you're already a fan of Gubaidulina's ouevre and looking for more material, this is a good choice.

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01. Pro et Contra (1989) – I
02. Pro et Contra (1989) – II
03. Pro et Contra (1989) – III
04. Concordanza (1971) for Chamber Ensemble
05. Fairytale Poem  Maerchenbild (1971)

Hannover Radio Symphony Orchestra
Johannes Kalitzke, Bernhard Klee – conductor

This CPO disc contains three pieces by Russian-Tatar composer Sofia Gubaidulina. This first was written in the late 1980s, when the composer had finally found recognition abroad and had reached the height of her talent. The second two, however, are early works from 1971. The Radio-Philharmonie Hannover des NDR performs, led by Johannes Kalitzke in the first two pieces and Berhard Klee in the third.

Gubaidulina's "Pro et contra" for large orchestra (1989) does not, as the title suggest, feature strongly clashing moods or tempos. Instead, the piece consists of subtly contrasting groups of instrumental sonorities. For example, bass drums and tam-tums contrast with bells, celestra, harpsichord, and harp. Overt tonalism contrasts with minor seconds and chromaticism. The melodic material, and indeed the entire development and spiritual significance of the work, is based on the Russian Orthodox "Hallelujah" chant. Portions of the music vie for or against the chant, creating a chronicle of initial religious doubt and final certainty. Indeed, the material is continued in Gubaidulina's later piece "Alleluia" for choir, boy soprano, and orchestra (1990) and the oratio "Lauda" (1991), and all together they form the trilogy "Prayer for the Age of Aquarius". There is so much to like about "Pro et contra", its vast dimensions, the hammering tones of its final confession of faith, the skillful orchestration, but you'll need a good stereo system to really get it. At first I thought the piece was a failure, feeling that the second movement dragged on and on with excessive silence, but that was only because you can't hear its low basses on lesser equipment. Now, I'm hooked. What makes this version stand apart from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Tadaaki Otaka recording on BIS is Kaliztke's considerably faster pace, leading to a total time of 33'50 (I: 8'44, II: 17:53, III: 7'13) compared to Otaka's 39'59 (I: 9'49, II: 20'54, III: 9'01). I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, the form as a whole is more readibly visible here, but there's less of a religious sentiment than in the brooding meditations of Otaka.

"Concordanza" (1971) is one of Gubaidulina's first overt avant-garde efforts. It uses such novel techniques as atonality, though (like in "Pro et contra") in the typically Russian fashion as something to be seen as antagonistic, and whispers from the performers. The title refers to an attempt to make harmony--legato, tonality, the smooth flow of sound--out of discord, namely staccato from the winds, pizzicato, the murmuring of the players, and (a jab at Soviet aesthetic values?) march rhythms. The writing is clearly skilled, but the piece is for me, somewhat juvenile. Gubaidulina really came of age in the late 1970s. The same can be said about "Fairytale Poem (Maerchenpoem)" for symphony orchestra (1971), the shortest work here. Originally written for a children's radio play called "The Little Chalk", the piece lacks the specifically Orthodox Christian focus of her finest work.

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CD1: Passion
1. Johannes-Passion, for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: Das Wort (The Word) 
2. Johannes-Passion, for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: Fußwaschung (The Washing of Feet) 
3. Johannes-Passion, for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: Das Gebot des Glaubens
 (The Commandment of Faith) 
4. Johannes-Passion, for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: Das Gebot der Liebe
 (The Commandment of Love) play
5. Johannes-Passion, for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: Hoffnung (Hope) 
6. Johannes-Passion, for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: Liturgie im Himmel (Liturgy in Heaven) 
7. Johannes-Passion, for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: Verrat, Verleugnung,
 Geißelung, Verurteilung 
8. Johannes-Passion, for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: Gang nach Golgatha
 (The Way to Golgotha) 
9. Johannes-Passion, for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: Eine Frau, mit der Sonne bekleidet
 (A Woman Clothed with the Sun) 	
10. Johannes-Passion, for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: Grablegung (Entombment) 
11. Johannes-Passion, for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: Die sieben Schalen des Zorns
 (The Seven Bowls of Wrath)

CD2: Easter
1. Johannes-Ostern (St. John Easter), for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: Ostermorgen
 (Easter Morning) 	
2. Johannes-Ostern (St. John Easter), for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: Maria Magdalena
 (Mary Magdalene) 	
3. Johannes-Ostern (St. John Easter), for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: Erste Erscheinunge
 des auferstandenen Christus vor 	
4. Johannes-Ostern (St. John Easter), for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: "Ich glaube nicht"
 ("I will not Believe") play	
5. Johannes-Ostern (St. John Easter), for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: Der Reiter auf dem
 weißen Pferd (The Rider on a Wh 	
6. Johannes-Ostern (St. John Easter), for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: Zweite Erscheinunge
 des auferstandenen Christus vo 	
7. Johannes-Ostern (St. John Easter), for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: Intermedium (Interlude) 	
8. Johannes-Ostern (St. John Easter), for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: "Ich bin das lebendige
 Brot" ("I am the Living Bre 	
9. Johannes-Ostern (St. John Easter), for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: Die Finsternis vergeht
 (The Darkness is Passing Aw 	
10. Johannes-Ostern (St. John Easter), for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: Dritte Erscheinunge des
 auferstandenen Christus vo 
11. Johannes-Ostern (St. John Easter), for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: Das Gericht
 (The Judgement) 
12. Johannes-Ostern (St. John Easter), for soloists, double chorus, organ & orchestra: "Und ich sah einen
 neuen Himmel und eine neue Erde

Julia Sukmanova (soprano)
Corby Welch (tenor)
Bernd Valentin Bariton (baritone)
Nicholas Isherwood (bass)

Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra,  Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart,  
Trossingen College Of Music Chamber Choir
Helmuth Rilling (Conductor)

Live: Stuttgart 2/2007

It seemed odd to me that Hänssler Classic would put out a second recording of Gubaidulina’s St. John Passion to compete with its Valery Gergiev-led version nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance. That was until I read the booklet note and realized that both the St. John Passion, composed in 2000, and the St. John Easter, composed in 2001 as a sequel to it but not previously recorded, were both revised by Gubaidulina in 2006. The earlier recording, in Russian, contained only the Passion, and required a second disc because of its 90-minute length. This new recording not only includes the St. John Easter sequel, but also the 2006 revisions made by the composer to both scores. And, at the behest of Helmuth Rilling, who encouraged Gubaidulina to collaborate on a German translation of the Russian texts, the works are here given in their German version. This is also a “live” recording in quotes, meaning it was distilled from more than one performance presented at Suttgart’s Beethovensaal in mid-February 2007.

My first encounter a dozen or so years ago with the music of this enigmatic and ascetic Russian composer did not augur a happy future. It was a Sony disc of solo piano pieces played by Andreas Haefliger; and it instantly called to mind something I believe Stravinsky said upon hearing a performance of Gubaidulina’s 1965 Piano Sonata: “I finally understand the meaning of the Iron Curtain.” That, coming from Stravinsky of all people, was sufficient to reinforce my own reaction to the harsh, metallic clanging and banging sounds emanating from my speakers. Apparently, Gubaidulina’s music was also misunderstood by the Soviet apparachniks who called it “irresponsible,” and even by Shostakovich who half-heartedly or perhaps tongue-in-cheek lent her his support by advising her to continue down her “mistaken path.”

Well, all of that is history, and Sofia Gubaidulina (b. 1931) has emerged as one of the shining lights among post-Soviet-era Russian composers. So much so, in fact, that she was one of the four composers chosen to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Bach’s death by composing a work for the Stuttgart Internationale Bachakademie and Helmuth Rilling’s “Passion 2000” festival. The other invitees were Tan Dun, Osvaldo Golijov, and Wolfgang Rihm. Gubaidulina’s contribution was the St. John Passion. Robert Kirzinger reviewed the previous Hänssler Classic release in 25:3 and chose the recording for his 2002 Want List.

The work stands steadfastly in the Russian Orthodox tradition, which comes as no surprise, given Gubaidulina’s deep immersion in religion and numerical mysticism. Combining elements of solo vocal declamation with choral passages based on Orthodox chants, a somber and often dark orchestral backdrop heavily reliant on low brass, bells, and other percussion instruments, the Passion also contains fleeting references to Bach’s music, some more suggestive than actual. The work departs, however, from the Bach model not only in its “consistent darkness of expression and austere musical materials,” to quote Kirzinger, but also in Gubaidulina’s interpolation of texts from Revelations.

Dramatic, yes, but also static in that chant-like style that is not atypical of music born of the Russian Orthodox tradition. Powerful and moving, yes, but also menacing and “awful” in the sense of being filled with trembling and dread in the presence of the Last Judgment. This Passion and its St. John Easter sequel paint essentially grim visions of a future that awaits us all, affording little comfort or relief. This Gubaidulina achieves through a variety of vocalization techniques—whispering, yowling, shouting, and intoning on two or three repeated notes—and orchestral effects ranging from startling percussion to snarling brass, buzzing strings, and shrieking winds. There are passages where the instruments are called upon to play in their comfortable ranges and in traditional ways, but they never seem to last very long. Invoking musical typology, I would have to say that the closest antecedent to Gubaidulina’s St. John Passion and St. John Easter would be Penderecki’s 1966 St. Luke Passion, though in retrospect, 40 years on, Penderecki’s work still sounds more modern and shocking than Gubaidulina’s.

The performances on this new recording are chilling in the way they capture the “Day of Wrath” convulsive fury of these scores. All participants—solo singers, choirs, orchestra, and conductor—are outstanding; but I would especially heap praise on Nicholas Isherwood who takes the role of narrator (Bach’s Evangelist). He is a constant presence, and his black-as-coal subterranean bass voice is thrilling. ---Jerry Dubins

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