Friday, October 9 2010
Sofia Gubaidulina, Offertorium
Sibelius, Symphony No. 1
Berlin Philharmonic
Eivind Gollberg Jensen, conductor
Vadim Repin, violin
Offertorium hovers in a strange limbo between concerto and religious ritual, in which the violin plays the role of both celebrant of faith and crazed virtuoso. Recalling Webern’s famous 1935 orchestration, Gubaidulina builds the work around the main theme of Bach’s The Musical Offering.
The piece opens with that tune, passing through the brass in a one-note-per-instrument fragmentation before being picked up by the ruminative violin. Circling around Bach, the soloist obsesses over gestures, dwelling manically on certain notes. Its ghostly reflection infects the rest of the orchestra, as solo viola and later cello imitate the violin. Space-age harmonies and hair-raising harmonics fill the gaps between the violin’s meditation, with an eerily repeating pattern of celeste and glockenspiel which recalls Russian Orthodox church bells.
Towards the conclusion of the work, a glowing chorale emerges, harmonized by low strings. It is a breathtaking moment in a work of haunting complexity, one which affirms Gubaidulina’s religious fervor and does justice to her updating of Bach. Vadim Repin provided a stunning solo line, combining a frenzied attentiveness to detail with a deep sense of crafting an overall narrative through the concerto’s thirty minutes. Jensen, making his Philharmonic debut, tackled the difficult conducting role with ease, drawing upon the orchestra’s rich sounds and creating a tapestry of colors.
Offertorium hovers in a strange limbo between concerto and religious ritual, in which the violin plays the role of both celebrant of faith and crazed virtuoso. Recalling Webern’s famous 1935 orchestration, Gubaidulina builds the work around the main theme of Bach’s The Musical Offering.
Will Robin
