SOFIA GUBAIDULINA (b.1931): And: The feast is in full progress for Cello and Orchestra, 10 Preludes for Solo Cello.

Description: The odd title comes from an apocalyptic poem with hidden political allegories, by Gennadi Aigi. While the music does not attempt to depict specific images in Aigi's poem, there is a strong symbolic element, as there so often is in Gubaidulina's work, and the unifying voice of the cello, used as a voice crying out in an unimaginable wilderness of snarling orchestral sonorities, provides the piece with a compelling narrative element, often harrowing as the lone protagonist is pitted against seemingly insuperable odds. The preludes started life as etudes, but their expressive character led to the change in title to demonstrate the emphasis on emotional rather than technical display. David Geringas (cello), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra; Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Vladimir Tonkha (cello - preludes). Original 1995 col legno release, offered in our March 1998 catalogue.