Klaus Mäkelä conducts Gubaidulina, Schumann and Oh

Sofia Gubaidulina

Sofia Gubaidulina, one of the greatest composers of our time, died on 13 March. Looking back on a long period of collaborations with sadness and gratitude, the Concertgebouw Orchestra dedicates this programme in memory of the Russian composer. They will perform Offertorium, the work that made Gubaidulina famous in the West, with Julian Rachlin as the soloist. A wonderful example of Gubaidulina's deeply felt and delicately elaborated spirituality, Offertorium is indebted to Johann Sebastian Bach, who was also admired by Robert Schumann.

Schumann

The Fourth Symphony draws you into Schumann's completely original world of dark Romanticism from the very first notes. 'Robert Schumann's symphonies have such beautiful moments', says conductor Klaus Mäkelä. 'This music fills your heart with joy and sorrow - the emotions are very pure and honest. Schumann makes me happy; he makes me a better person.’ The concert opens with the world premiere of Seung-Won Oh's Spiri III: Sacred Ritual, composed for the Concertgebouw Orchestra. Deeply inspired by Gubaidulina's Offertorium, the work completes Oh's symphonic triptych, Spiri.