Gubaidulina: The Canticle of the Sun; Hommage à Marina Tsvetayeva [CD]

This Chandos disc contains two pieces by the profoundly religious Russian-Tatar composer Sofia Gubaidulina. "Canticle to the Sun" is a work for cello, percussion, and choir based on the poem of Francis of Assisi. "Hommage a Marina Tsvetaeva" is an a capella setting of five poems by a tragic Russian poetess. They are performed here by the Danish National Choir conducted by Stefan Parkman, with David Geringas on cello.

"Canticle to the Sun" (1997), dedicated to the cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, is one of Gubaidulina's largest works of the 1990s, and is based on a wonderful inspiration. The poem of Francis of Assisi is perhaps the first work of Italian literature and one of the world's all-time great artistic creations. In it the friar, composing in his Umbrian dialect, glorifies God calling as witnesses the sun, the moon, the stars, water, fire, the earth, life, and even death. The cello is the centre of the piece, it's music carries the praise of God upwards through ascending notes and underscores the awesomeness of God's power through haunting descents. However, the cellist occasionally gives up his independent role, emulating the percussionists by beating his instrument with a stick, and even joining them when he puts down his bow and plays a bass drum with a rubber bowl.

Gubaidulina says that, recognising that Francis of Assisi was a humble man, she wrote the choral part such that it would stay in the background, putting most of the expression into the writing for cello. I would say she only partially succeeded. Granted, the reading of the text is humble and simple, but most of the moments of ecstasy in the piece come when the choir sings vocalisations ("ah ah ah"). Do you know the choral moment at the end of her JOHANNES-PASSION after the baritone soloist sings "Svershilos'"? That's the sort of rapture we are occasionally treated to here.

This work has been around for less than a decade, but there are already three recordings available. We may take the one on EMI as definitive, as Gubaidulina supervised the performance and the cellist who inspired the work, Rostropovich, performs. The London Voices give a beautifully metaphysical performance there, and Rostropovich's cello playing is impeccable. This recording, however, is less memorable. Parkman seems to move at too sprightly a pace and the Danish National Choir's singing doesn't move one as much as it should. I might mention that on Channel Classics there is another performance, this time by Collegium Vocale Gent conducted by Daniel Reuss with Pieter Wispelwey on cello, which disc also has the Preludes for cello and "In Croce" for bayan and cello.

"Hommage a Marina Tsvetaeva" (1984) is an acapella setting of five poems by that great Russian poet, whose "Hour of the Soul" Gubaidulina had set earlier for soprano, percussion, and orchestra. This homage, however, manages to work well with only voices. At first it is difficult to understand why a pious Russian Orthodox composer would recognise such a poet, for Tsvetaeva lived a pretty sordid life, betraying her husband with numerous lovers and and finally hanging herself at the age of 49. What Tsvetaeva seemed to be searching for in her works, however, was a "re-ligio" which would add sense and tranquility to the chaotic world, and this passion would understandably attract Gubaidulina. The choir begins these poems with a confused and anguished reading of Tsvetaeva's "Beneath the Waves", and ends with a calm and composed annunciation of "Garden", where Tsvetaeva, hoping to ultimately find peace wrote, "For this hell, send me a garden in my old age." The performance here is gripping, and serves to spur the listener on to both more of Gubaidulina's output and the poems of Tsvetaeva.

Even if the "Canticle" performance on EMI is preferable, this disc is ultimately worth getting for the "Hommage", which should have gotten more attention over the last two decades.