Interpretative Analysis of Sofia Gubaidulina’s Chaconne

Abstract

Pianist and professor Ida Gubaidullina offers the interpretative analysis of Chaconne for piano written by her sister — composer Sofia Gubaidulina. Chaconne is an early piece of the composer (1962), which is performed rather often. Hearing it being performed by different pianists, Ida Gubaidullina came to the conclusion that these interpretations often do not correspond to the original meaning of the composition: alongside its virtuosity, Chaconne is deeply tragic in its meaning. Having decided to reveal this concept to young performers, she at the age of 83 learnt this piece, played it for her sister and received her approval, whereupon she wrote the article. She analyses the 1st edition, published in 1969, which is rhythmically different from other editions. Throughout the article, the pianist comments on the composition, using examples from the sheet music. The author of the Preface to the article, Valentina Kholopova, provides an overview of reviews of Chaconne written by different reviewers at different times.