Sofia Gubaidulina is a Russian composer of Tatar origin, an avant-gardist belonging to the generation of A. Schnittke, E. Denisov and V. Silvestrov. She has lived in Germany since 1991. Gubaidulina’s music is unconditionally religious, associated with mystical spirituality and deep contemplation. In her austere and ascetic music, the composer immerses herself in the longing of humanity, loneliness and true existence. Religion in her music is the connection between the self and the Absolute, which she discovers through the artistic process and a multitude of musical symbols.

Offertorium is a Concerto for violin and orchestra composed in 1980. The work is dedicated to Gidon Kremer, whose frequent performances of the opus in concert halls all over the world earned the composer international recognition. As in many of her works, the Concerto uses a variety of musical structures to symbolise spiritual ideas. The main theme of the work is the concept of sacrifice: the crucifixion of Christ and His sacrificial death, God’s sacrifice in the creation of the Earth, the performer’s sacrifice in search for the tone, and the composer’s sacrifice to art. The famous musical theme from Bach’s Musikalisches Opfer (Musical Offering) is used at the beginning of the Concerto.

Together with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Giedrė Šlekytė, the solo part of the Offertorium is played by violin virtuoso Sergej Krylov.