For sheer, bludgeoning catharsis, Ustvolskaya is hard to beat, and yet…I’ve never managed to shake the feeling that, as with Vermeulen and Ruggles before her, the tiny-oeuvre-plus-trenchant-views-plus-reclusiveness combination has allowed a mythology to develop that the notes-on-the-page themselves don’t quite warrant. Certainly her contemporaries Schnittke and Gubaidulina explored/have explored similar themes with greater variety and, arguably, greater wit.
First of all, i don’t personally find Ustvolskaya’s music cathartic; rather, i find it makes me reflect long and hard (about matters both musical and not) but there’s no real relief in that experience. And i mean that as a strong compliment to her work. Second, her ‘mythology’ doesn’t interest me in the slightest; the same commentators who rely solely on the superficial aspects of her work also rely on this schtick of her being a grumpy old reclusive woman before trotting out for the umpteenth time that old chestnut about her and Shostakovich. FFS, faced with ignorant commentators like that, who wouldn’t end up grumpy and reclusive?! And as for Schittke and Gubaidulina, you’re right, they do compose with greater wit, but i don’t believe for one moment that wit is something Ustvolskaya sought to utilise in her work at all. Besides, in Schnittke’s case isn’t it more usually sarcasm?
All fair comments. Everybody listens in different ways, I guess, and in my case I’m unable to listen without asking whether the music really measures up to the lofty claims (be they coming from a place of ignorance or not) made of it. As I said, I have similar problems with Vermeulen and Ruggles, and in all three cases I’m prepared to own that the problem may be mine.
Re:Schnittke, his “polystylism” is much deeper in its intent, I feel, than the sarcastic parody/pastiche of his mentor; rather, it’s about a search for musical self-knowledge through “dialogue” with one’s compositional forebears. This is explored much more thoroughly in this fascinating Ph.D. thesis.
Thank you for this celebration of Ustvolskaya; I couldn’t agree more about the superficiality with which she’s – frustratingly – too often approached. I too was at the (exceptional) performance last night – it was a particular pleasure to hear members of Munich Phil, whom I’ve heard previously engaging imaginatively across every age but for the contemporary. It was frustrating (certainly in my area of seating) to hear the irritation with which the piece was approached by the audience.
Regarding her religiosity, it reminds me in many ways of that found in cinematic works by Tarkovsky (and, in a different context, Bela Tarr), where God is to be approached through the materialist, through the muddy, dirty and unpleasantness without order that is – the works argue – the gateway to our holy as well as temporal existence.
Thanks for this Adam. i don’t know much of Bela Tarr’s work, but i think you’ve hit the nail on the head referencing Tarkovsky – of course! Yes, there’s definitely something aesthetically very similar going on in his work. Ah, now i’m going to have to go away and watch a load of his films again (what a hardship)…
Rod C
8 years ago
I am in Australia and have just heard the 4th of the 2016 Proms broadcast here on the ABC on 25th July. I was fascinated by the program. After the “inharmonic intensity” of this Bolero performance, and the dare I say overt romanticism of Rachmaninov, here comes this little symphony (though why the word ‘symphony’ applies to this work I’m not sure) which really made me sit up and take notice. So much so that I immediately applied a Google search on the work – which is how I came across your insights (for which I am thankful). It is indeed ‘the most beautiful ugly sound in the world’ – of this BBC Prom. I know nothing of the composer, so cannot comment about her religious or otherwise intent in this work, and (yes, and English translations would have been gratefully accepted!) it did speak to me of its subject matter. There IS an element “defined by guilt, conflict, misunderstanding, doubt, intolerance and fear” in religion, certainly in my Christianity understanding, but to say that it is riven with that attitude seems a gross overstatement. But without those associations, we cannot cry out “Save Us!” and mean it, without an understanding of what it is from which we are being saved. The ‘symphony’ was that expression to me, and I am thankful that I wasn’t in the live audience, because I too would have been frustrated by the ‘irritation’ from a Proms audience that Adam L mentioned. That aside, it was a bold piece of programming to include such a work at the Proms. I for one, thank the programmers for so doing – I want to hear more!
I too have come along the work of Galina Ustvolskaya (Preludes & Compositions; Trio, Sonata & Octet; Piano Sonatas from 1998) and immediately had to stop and listen carefully. Great to see/hear BBC Proms are showcasing her work!
Somehow I just had to write down something I found in the booklet that was quite something expressive about her approach. I thought of sharing this with you since its some verbal intensification of quite a kind. 🙂
“. .frightening intensity, ear-piercing volume, and with a fervent vehemence of sound. .”
Thank you for writing this article. I’m always curious about other listeners perceptions specially when it’s overlapping authentic prophecies.
[…] bracingly refreshing, invariably mesmerising music on several occasions, including her first and third symphonies. i remarked before about the way in which religious fervour is nominally fundamental to […]
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For sheer, bludgeoning catharsis, Ustvolskaya is hard to beat, and yet…I’ve never managed to shake the feeling that, as with Vermeulen and Ruggles before her, the tiny-oeuvre-plus-trenchant-views-plus-reclusiveness combination has allowed a mythology to develop that the notes-on-the-page themselves don’t quite warrant. Certainly her contemporaries Schnittke and Gubaidulina explored/have explored similar themes with greater variety and, arguably, greater wit.
First of all, i don’t personally find Ustvolskaya’s music cathartic; rather, i find it makes me reflect long and hard (about matters both musical and not) but there’s no real relief in that experience. And i mean that as a strong compliment to her work. Second, her ‘mythology’ doesn’t interest me in the slightest; the same commentators who rely solely on the superficial aspects of her work also rely on this schtick of her being a grumpy old reclusive woman before trotting out for the umpteenth time that old chestnut about her and Shostakovich. FFS, faced with ignorant commentators like that, who wouldn’t end up grumpy and reclusive?! And as for Schittke and Gubaidulina, you’re right, they do compose with greater wit, but i don’t believe for one moment that wit is something Ustvolskaya sought to utilise in her work at all. Besides, in Schnittke’s case isn’t it more usually sarcasm?
All fair comments. Everybody listens in different ways, I guess, and in my case I’m unable to listen without asking whether the music really measures up to the lofty claims (be they coming from a place of ignorance or not) made of it. As I said, I have similar problems with Vermeulen and Ruggles, and in all three cases I’m prepared to own that the problem may be mine.
Re:Schnittke, his “polystylism” is much deeper in its intent, I feel, than the sarcastic parody/pastiche of his mentor; rather, it’s about a search for musical self-knowledge through “dialogue” with one’s compositional forebears. This is explored much more thoroughly in this fascinating Ph.D. thesis.
Apologies; this is what I was attempting to link to.
Thank you for this celebration of Ustvolskaya; I couldn’t agree more about the superficiality with which she’s – frustratingly – too often approached. I too was at the (exceptional) performance last night – it was a particular pleasure to hear members of Munich Phil, whom I’ve heard previously engaging imaginatively across every age but for the contemporary. It was frustrating (certainly in my area of seating) to hear the irritation with which the piece was approached by the audience.
Regarding her religiosity, it reminds me in many ways of that found in cinematic works by Tarkovsky (and, in a different context, Bela Tarr), where God is to be approached through the materialist, through the muddy, dirty and unpleasantness without order that is – the works argue – the gateway to our holy as well as temporal existence.
Thanks for this Adam. i don’t know much of Bela Tarr’s work, but i think you’ve hit the nail on the head referencing Tarkovsky – of course! Yes, there’s definitely something aesthetically very similar going on in his work. Ah, now i’m going to have to go away and watch a load of his films again (what a hardship)…
I am in Australia and have just heard the 4th of the 2016 Proms broadcast here on the ABC on 25th July. I was fascinated by the program. After the “inharmonic intensity” of this Bolero performance, and the dare I say overt romanticism of Rachmaninov, here comes this little symphony (though why the word ‘symphony’ applies to this work I’m not sure) which really made me sit up and take notice. So much so that I immediately applied a Google search on the work – which is how I came across your insights (for which I am thankful). It is indeed ‘the most beautiful ugly sound in the world’ – of this BBC Prom. I know nothing of the composer, so cannot comment about her religious or otherwise intent in this work, and (yes, and English translations would have been gratefully accepted!) it did speak to me of its subject matter. There IS an element “defined by guilt, conflict, misunderstanding, doubt, intolerance and fear” in religion, certainly in my Christianity understanding, but to say that it is riven with that attitude seems a gross overstatement. But without those associations, we cannot cry out “Save Us!” and mean it, without an understanding of what it is from which we are being saved. The ‘symphony’ was that expression to me, and I am thankful that I wasn’t in the live audience, because I too would have been frustrated by the ‘irritation’ from a Proms audience that Adam L mentioned. That aside, it was a bold piece of programming to include such a work at the Proms. I for one, thank the programmers for so doing – I want to hear more!
I too have come along the work of Galina Ustvolskaya (Preludes & Compositions; Trio, Sonata & Octet; Piano Sonatas from 1998) and immediately had to stop and listen carefully. Great to see/hear BBC Proms are showcasing her work!
Somehow I just had to write down something I found in the booklet that was quite something expressive about her approach. I thought of sharing this with you since its some verbal intensification of quite a kind. 🙂
“. .frightening intensity, ear-piercing volume, and with a fervent vehemence of sound. .”
Thank you for writing this article. I’m always curious about other listeners perceptions specially when it’s overlapping authentic prophecies.
[…] bracingly refreshing, invariably mesmerising music on several occasions, including her first and third symphonies. i remarked before about the way in which religious fervour is nominally fundamental to […]