Catalogue # ECM2256

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Sofia Gubaidulina’s 80th birthday in October 2011 generated much\npress coverage around the world, appropriately stressing the\nuniqueness and the variety of her compositional approaches. Both\nare in evidence on these recordings from Lockenhaus. Gidon Kremer\nis the soloist and Kremerata Baltica the ensemble on the premiere\nrecording of “The Lyre of Orpheus”, dedicated to the memory of\nGubaidulina’s daughter. Kremer has long been a committed advocate\nof Gubaidulina’s work, and the composer has praised the way the\nviolinist seems to unleash music from the soul. In this work of\naustere beauty and raw lyricism, violin, string orchestra and\npercussion intermingle in new ways. At a subterranean level, the\npiece is also an exploration into acoustic phenomena and the\nphysics of sound, with pulsating difference tones part of its\nunderlying structures. “The Lyre of Orpheus” was recorded in 2006,\na month after Kremer gave the first performance. “Canticle of the\nSun”, recorded in 2010, revisits the celebrated piece that\nGubaiduilina wrote in tribute to Mstislav Rostropovich on the\noccasion of his 70th birthday in 1997. Rostropovich’s famously\nsunny disposition was an inspiration, by association prompting\nGubaidulina to set St Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of the Sun” for\nchoir. In this recording, Nicolas Altstaedt, one of the most\naccomplished cellists of his generation, takes on the highly\nexpressive lead role. A further, timely, Lockenhaus connection\nhere: as of this year, Altsteadt takes over from Kremer as the new\ndirector of the Lockenhaus Chamber Music Festival.

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Sofia Gubaidulina
\nCanticle of the Sun

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Gidon Kremer violin
\nMarta Sudraba violoncello
\nThe Kremerata Baltica
\nNicolas Altstaedt violoncello
\nAndrei Pushkarev percussion
\nRihards Zalupe percussion
\nRostislav Krimer celesta
\nChamber Choir Kamēr…
\nMāris Sirmais conductor

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The Lyre of Orpheus (2006)

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The Canticle of the Sun
\n(1997, rev. 1996)
\nGlorification of the Creator, and His Creations - the Sun and the\nMoon
\nGlorification of the Creator, the Maker of
\nthe four elements: air, water, fire and earth
\nGlorification of life
\nGlorification of death

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Recorded June 2006 and July 2010

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ECM New Series 2256

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