‘They called her a prophet composer’: composer Sofia Gubaydulina passes away

Sofia Gubaydulina was a person of the era

Sofia Gubaydulina, a world-famous composer, honorary citizen of Kazan and honored artist of the RSFSR, passed away. She was 93 years old.

Kazan City Hall and Mayor Ilsur Metshin expressed their deep condolences to the family and friends of Sofia Gubaydulina in connection with her death, sharing the bitterness of an irreparable loss.

“We learned of the death of Sofia Gubaydulina with deep pain. Sofia Gubaydulina was a person of an era, an outstanding modern composer and a person of outstanding personal qualities. For us, she will forever remain an example of devotion to creativity, aspiration for the unknown, a standard of decency, honesty, attentive and caring attitude to the world and people,” Metshin’s condolences read.

Sofia Gubaydulina was born on 24 October 1931 in Chistopol. She graduated from the Kazan Conservatory (1954) and the Moscow Conservatory (1959) as well as postgraduate studies at the Moscow Conservatory (1963). Throughout her creative career, she faced misunderstanding but received support from outstanding cultural figures, including D. Shostakovich. Since 1975, she was a member of Astrea composer group. Since 1991, she lived in Germany. She was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, a laureate of the Imperial Prize of Japan, a recipient of the State Prize of the Russian Federation, a Dame of the Order of Merit for the FRG and an Honorary Doctor of Yale and Chicago universities.

In 2022, Realnoe Vremya published a detailed review article about Sofia Asgatovna, in which she talked about her roots, how her musical talent grew on Tatarstan soil, and what a huge influence the composer had on the musical culture of our time.

“The life of Sofia Gubaydulina is an intimate conversation with God”

Gubaydulina was born in Chistopol in 1931. When the girl was three years old, her family moved to Kazan. They lived on what is now Telmana Street, at number 29. In 2001, in honour of the composer's 70th birthday, the Centre for Contemporary Music was opened there, named after her.

The Sofia Gubaydulina Centre for Contemporary Music published words of grief in connection with the death of the outstanding composer:

“Her work and enormous personal contribution to contemporary musical art have received high recognition throughout the world.

Sofia Gubaydulina is one of the most famous and performed contemporary composers. She opens up amazing musical worlds and new sound spaces to listeners. Her unique work, which is well known and highly valued, elevates humanity to spiritual spheres — to the highest Divine principle.

The life of Sofia Gubaydulina is an intimate conversation with God, a dialogue between “Me and You”. Musicians who know Sofia Gubaydulina well call her a celestial being, endowed with a unique ability to hear the sounds of the Cosmos, the spiritual world, the grandiose consonances of the universe and the World Human Soul. Through her music, which is born in a parallel dimension, she brings new sounds, new vibrations into our world, transforming the souls of her contemporaries. Her music is like a prayer to God, a prayer for love, for faith.

Sofia Gubaydulina is our contemporary, her homeland is Tatarstan, Russia. According to her, it was here that the deep essence of her entire life was laid. Here she gained strength, becoming one of the greatest composers of our time, a person of peace!

Creative intelligentsia and cultural figures shared their memories of the great composer with Realnoe Vremya.

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  Irada Ayupova Minister of Culture of Tatarstan

  Sofia Gubaydulina is a truly great loss, she is a legendary person. A person we were proud of, proud that Tatarstan is her homeland. There are people you want to be involved with. Sofia Gubaydulina is the person whose fate is a source of great pride for Tatarstan.

  We held many events where Sofia Gubaydulina’s works were performed. But for me, Mowgli remains one of the greats. It is amazing to me how she revealed modern musical culture to children. And she also wrote for cinema…

  She was an absolutely versatile and talented person. Sofia Gubaydulina is a unique personality who was brilliant in everything. I think that we will realise the value of her talent even later through the generation.

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  Vadim Dulat-Aleyev Rector of the Nazib Zhiganov Kazan State Conservatory

  Sofia Gubaydulina is an outstanding creative personality not only for Tatarstan, but also for the whole world. Her name is forever inscribed in the history of world musical culture. She was a bold, innovative composer whose unique musical language had a huge impact on several generations of listeners. Her compositions are distinguished by the depth of philosophical content, the subtlety of harmonic and timbre thinking.

  A graduate of the Kazan Conservatory, a unique and strong person, she went through all the difficulties of life with dignity and honour. Despite worldwide fame and recognition, Sofia Gubaydulina retained her love for her native city and the republic throughout her life, repeatedly came to the Kazan Conservatory, shared her experience and inspired young musicians.

  The death of Sofia Gubaydulina is an irreparable loss for the entire musical community. Her work and personality will forever remain in the memory of her admirers!

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  Alexander Sladkovsky Art Director and Principal Conductor of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Tatarstan

  The passing of Sofia Gubaydulina is an irreparable loss for world musical culture. Her unique talent left an indelible mark not only on the cultural heritage of Tatarstan, but also on the entire history of music in the 20th and 21st centuries. Sofia Gubaydulina’s works, performed by famous orchestras, have always occupied a special place in the repertoire of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Tatarstan and were regularly performed at the Concordia International Festival of Contemporary Music, named in her honour.

  Sofia Gubaydulina was not only a brilliant composer, but also a person of exceptional personal qualities: her spirituality, modesty and unwavering devotion to art always delighted everyone who had the opportunity to know her personally. Her influence on the musical community is enormous, and her legacy will undoubtedly inspire future generations of musicians.

  We mourn together with the family and friends of Sofia Gubaydulina and the entire music world. Her memory will forever remain in our hearts.

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  Alsu Sungatullina member of the Union of Composers of Tatarstan

  Sofia Gubaydulina is a great composer, musician. She was called a composer-prophet. And that is true. I am very glad that I could know her during her lifetime and discovered the world of music thanks to my personal acquaintance with her.

  I remember how, under the impression of communicating with her, I wrote a small piano cycle Visiting Little Sofia, the works were performed on her anniversary. They were performed by young musicians, including my students. I remember how Sofia Gubaydulina praised them after the concert. These are very warm moments.

  She was a very intelligent, sensitive person. Sometimes I thought: “How could such a miniature, graceful, fragile woman contain so much energy?” Whole waves of this energy passed through her.

  This is certainly a great loss. An entire era is leaving with her. She developed and created outside the national mainstream, was a person of the world, and we all know this. I really hope that other personalities will appear who will be able to reach the same heights.

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  Andres Muston conductor, friend of Gubaydulina

  Sofia and I have known each other for 50 years, my whole life is connected with her. For 30 years now I have been conducting her major works all over the world. She is simply a miracle — so great is her influence for the whole world in a spiritual sense. The themes she uses bring the spiritual world closer to us, to people. I can compare the talent and spiritual level of this composer only with Mahler and Bach. Sofia Gubaydulina is a symbol of our era, a living legend. Tatarstan and Kazan residents can be proud that their countrywoman, their fellow tribeswoman, is a composer who has such influence all over the world. The best performers in the world play her music. And we are so emotionally close, as if we were born and raised together.

  She is a natural miracle, she manages to translate the divine gift into human language. Her music seeks the truth, but the truth is inaccessible in the world. However, to stand on this path and try to come closer to harmony, the Divine law, to combine all this is not at all easy. You have to give yourself completely to this!

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  Philipp Chizhevsky Art Director of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia

  When I was still studying, I was a very young student, assisting Valery Polyansky, I met her at a rehearsal. We were rehearsing her large score then. Sofia Gubaydulina is sitting, listening, and I come up to her and say: “Why do you use this technique here, but some time later in the same place — no?” Such a bold fellow I was. And she looked at me, at the score ... And said: “You know, you are right.” And she herself made notes in the percussionist's part with her own hand. And I thought: “Well, I’ve gone completely nuts. Why did I even get involved?” She had every right to tell me: “What are you doing, young man? I’ll sort out my music myself.” But she didn’t. I remember that incident very well.