Episodes
| Episode | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | 20071228 | During the BBC Symphony Orchestra's Gubaidulina Weekend in January 2007, the Royal String Quartet performed all four of Gubaidulina's unique quartets at St Giles, Cripplegate, in London's Barbican Centre. Now aged 76, Sofia Gubaidulina lived through the Soviet era, maintaining her artistic integrity in astonishingly powerful music inspired by her profound Russian Orthodox faith.
1/4. Gubaidulina's Quartet No 2, written in 1987, is the shortest of the four works.
The Royal String Quartet perform Gubaidulina's Quartet No 2, the shortest of the four. Performances of Sofia Gubaidulina's string quartets by the Royal String Quartet |
| 02 | 20071229 | During the BBC Symphony Orchestra's Gubaidulina Weekend in January 2007, the Royal String Quartet performed all four of Gubaidulina's unique quartets at St Giles, Cripplegate, in London's Barbican Centre. Now aged 76, Sofia Gubaidulina lived through the Soviet era, maintaining her artistic integrity in astonishingly powerful music inspired by her profound Russian Orthodox faith.
2/4. Quartet No 1, written in 1971, is a drama in which the four players take on disparate lives, rather than interacting together, eventually moving away from each other to the four corners of the concert platform.
The Royal String Quartet perform Gubaidulina's Quartet No 1, written in 1971. Performances of Sofia Gubaidulina's string quartets by the Royal String Quartet |
| 03 | 20080104 | During the BBC Symphony Orchestra's Gubaidulina Weekend in January 2007, the Royal String Quartet performed all four of Gubaidulina's unique quartets at St Giles, Cripplegate, in London's Barbican Centre. Now aged 76, Sofia Gubaidulina lived through the Soviet era, maintaining her artistic integrity in astonishingly powerful music inspired by her profound Russian Orthodox faith.
3/4. In her Quartet No 4, written in 1993, Gubaidulina creates a mysterious soundworld through the use of a pre-recorded soundtrack of the players bouncing a rubber ball on their strings to create a quiet pitched tremolo.
The Royal String Quartet perform Gubaidulina's Quartet No 4, written in 1993. Performances of Sofia Gubaidulina's string quartets by the Royal String Quartet |
| 04 | 20080106 | During the BBC Symphony Orchestra's Gubaidulina Weekend in January 2007, the Royal String Quartet performed all four of Gubaidulina's unique quartets at St Giles, Cripplegate, in London's Barbican Centre. Now aged 76, Sofia Gubaidulina lived through the Soviet era, maintaining her artistic integrity in astonishingly powerful music inspired by her profound Russian Orthodox faith.
4/4. In Quartet No 3, written in 1987, it's only halfway through the 15 minute work that the players discover their bows!
The Royal String Quartet perform Gubaidulina's Quartet No 3, written in 1987. Performances of Sofia Gubaidulina's string quartets by the Royal String Quartet |