Sofia Gubaidulina

Sofia Asgatovna Gubaidulina, (Russian ????? ????????? ???????????, Tatar Sofia Äs?ät q?z? ?öbäydullina) (born October 24, 1931) is a Russian-Tatar composer of deeply religious music.

Related Topics:
Russian - Tatar - October 24 - 1931 - Russia - Tatar - Composer

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Gubaidulina was born in Chistopol, in the Tatar Republic. In her youth she would spend much time praying in the fields near her home that she may one day become a composer. She studied composition and piano at the Kazan Conservatory, graduating in 1954. In Moscow she undertook further studies at the Conservatory with Nikolay Peyko until 1959, and then with Shebalin until 1963.

Related Topics:
Chistopol - Tatar Republic - Kazan - Moscow

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During her studies in Soviet Russia, her music was labeled "irresponsible" for its exploration of alternate tunings. She was supported, however, by Dmitri Shostakovich, who in evaluating her final examination encouraged her to continue down her "mistaken path".

Related Topics:
Soviet - Tunings - Dmitri Shostakovich

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In the mid-1970s Gubaidulina founded Astreja, a folk-instrument improvisation group with fellow composers Victor Suslin and Vyacheslav Artyomov.

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In the early 1980s Gubaidulina became better known abroad through Gidon Kremer's championing of her violin concerto Offertorium. She later composed a homage to T. S. Eliot, using the text from the poet's spiritual masterpiece Four Quartets.

Related Topics:
Gidon Kremer - Offertorium - T. S. Eliot - Four Quartets

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In 2000 Sofia Gubaidulina, along with Tan Dun, Osvaldo Golijov, and Wolfgang Rihm, was commissioned by the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart project to write a piece for the Passion 2000 project in commemoration of Johann Sebastian Bach. Her contribution was the Johannes-Passion. In 2002 she followed this by the Johannes-Ostern ("Easter according to John"). The two works together form a "diptych" on the death and resurrection of Christ, her largest work to date.

Related Topics:
Tan Dun - Osvaldo Golijov - Wolfgang Rihm - Johann Sebastian Bach - Johannes-Passion - Johannes-Ostern

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She was thrilled that her work The Light at the End followed Beethovens' Symphony No. 5 in C minor in the 2005 proms.

Related Topics:
The Light at the End - Symphony No. 5 in C minor

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