A belated addition to Ian Crisp's fine review of the LSO Barbican
concert featuring Gubaidulina's new work for cello, mixed chorus and
large percussion ensemble.  This was an unusual concert in several
respects.  It was a 70th birthday celebration for Rostropovich, who played
the cello in each piece on the program.  The Gubaidulina work was written
for him, adding to the vast explosion of the cello repertoire he has been
responsible for.  I was surprised that a resident orchestra could afford
to rehearse a concert for a single performance, mid-week yet.  I was also
surprised to find the LSO such a modest sized ensemble, about 60 players,
although admittedly the Saint Saens and Tchaikovsky works performed are not
exactly orchestral blockbusters.  Nearly all of these players disappeared
for the third work, although without leaving me feeling short-changed--and
not just because the platform filled up with percussion instruments.

I found Gubaidulina's Canticle of the Sun a profoundly satisfying work,
both exciting and somehow restful.  Much of it is quiet, as Ian said, and
it is never rushed.  Nor are the instruments ever allowed to compete with
the singing.  The music and its instrumentation have great clarity and
great variety, with some unusual effects.  The longer the piece lasted,
the longer I wanted it to continue (and if I read my watch right it lasted
closer to 40 minutes rather than the promised 30.)

I can safely say that I have never heard a piece that was scored like
this before.  Aside from the cello and chorus, this many percussion
instruments (mostly tuned) appear in very few works I know of (some by
Crumb come close.) In fact I have never seen some of those instruments
anywhere else.  Attending the concert made a big difference--compared to
hearing a broadcast or recording, and not just because of the sense of
occasion.  The origin of some of the sounds was less mysterious this way,
for one thing.  The sounds of a rubbed bass drum or of tuned water glasses
rubbed on their rims would not have been recognized, I think.  But this was
not just a matter of (as a friend once said of another piece) strange
sounds for the sake of strange sounds.  An expressive whole resulted.

For anyone interested in the work of Gubaidulina, be advised that a large
number of recordings of her works (including the piano concerto) are being
dumped by the labels at the moment and are being offered by the Berkshire
Music Outlet.

Jim Tobin