Along the Path of Spiritual Self-Knowledge. About Valentina Kholopova’s Monograph “Sofia Gubaidulina”

Abstract

The article presents a review of a monograph by Doctor of Arts, Professor of the Moscow
Conservatory and a most significant researcher Valentina Kholopova “Sofia Gubaidulina,” which
has recently been published at the “Kompozitor” publishing house in honor of Gubaidulina’s
90th anniversary. Its introductory section describes the uniqueness of this monograph, which is
connected with a longstanding study of her musical works and a productive personal cooperation
of the author of the book with the composer. The main section of the article is devoted to the
history of the creation of the book and its five editions. Here a description and analysis are given
of the monograph’s content and structure, as well as its main particularities. The latter include
an examination of Kholopova’s term “parameter of expression” applied by her for analysis of
Gubaidulina’s musical compositions. However, the article’s main goal is to demonstrate the
dialectics of Gubaidulina’s artistic path shown in the book, which is connected in a natural way
with the unswerving motion towards the realization of her talent, which is also reflected in the
article’s title. The review indicates at the monograph’s objectively strong aspects, as well as the
limitation of access of bibliography, criticism and periodicals of recent years from countries, which
was stipulated by the two-year-long pandemic. The main conclusion of this review is the obligated
discovery by means of this research of the essence of the composer’s artistic creed.

Keywords: Sofia Gubaidulina, Valentina Kholopova, “parameter of expression,” catalogue of
Gubaidulina’s compositions, analysis of musical compositions.