Basel Sinfonietta dedicates a new portrait album to Sofia Gubaidulina: Figures of Time
Sofia Gubaidulina (1931–2025) is one of the most important composers of the 20th century. With the album Figures of Time, Basel Sinfonietta pays tribute to her work, bringing together pieces from different phases of her career and various instrumental settings. Together with the NDR Bigband, the ensemble performs the rarely played Revuemusik for symphony orchestra and jazz band, conducted by Titus Engel. The recording was made during a guest performance at the Ruhrtriennale 2024 in Bochum.
Gubaidulina’s music is distinguished by its extraordinary stylistic diversity – ranging from serial experimentation and electronic sounds to jazz elements – and is deeply spiritual.
The first reviews already praise the album. Rainer Pöllmann from Deutschlandfunk writes:
"A wild stylistic ride through orchestral avant-garde, pop-disco and jazz. Titus Engel keeps the threads firmly in hand, filling the challenging 1978 concept with the energy of today, with precision and power. A discovery!"
The album highlights the stylistic breadth of Gubaidulina’s work: the introverted, spiritually charged Introitus contrasts with the subversive, vivid, and ironic Revuemusik, which caused a stir at its premiere in Moscow in 1976. The music moves between calm, meditative stillness and expressive, almost unrestrained energy – a facet that makes Gubaidulina unique as a grand dame of contemporary music.
Figures of Time was released in September 2025 on Naxos.
