Ilsur Metshin met with Sofia Gubaidulina

(KZN.RU, November 2, Alsu Safina). Today Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan met with Sofia Gubaidulina, an outstanding composer of our time. She arrived in the capital of Tatarstan to take part in celebrations, dedicated to her anniversary.

“You are the big diamond in the crown of Kazan history”, said Ilsur Metshin, referring to the illustrious guest. “We are glad that you have come to us for the anniversary events. You are our pride. We wish that after visiting Kazan, you would have more desire to create”.

The Mayor congratulated Sofia Gubaidulina with the auspicious occasion and inquired about her impressions of the meeting with Kazan. “Kazan welcomes with chic. In such mood I will begin to actively do something again when I come home”, said S. Gubaidulina.

The composer shared her impressions of the press conference, which passed before and was attended by representatives of the journalists, the Kazan public and the director of urban music schools. “There were a lot of questions - not empty, but the content ones, essential, for which it was necessary to respond substantively and frankly. Some were very relevant, for example, what we, the composers, can bring to this world. There were a lot of friendly people. It is so pleasing”, admitted Sofia Gubaidulina. “Such meetings are a great treasure. They provide a good incentive to carry on with what have been started”.

Sofia Gubaidulina also thanked the Centre of Contemporary Music. “I am so pleased. I never could have imagined that the house where I spent adolescence, could become such a cozy meeting place for creative people”, said the composer. “A few people can make culturally important thing. We cannot pretend that we can change the world. We can only improve any particular individual moments, to give them a spiritual sense, not just material. This is what leaders of the center do”.  “The Center of Contemporary Music unites creative artists, musicians, composers. It is a cozy house indeed, where a lot of interesting things are born”, consented the Mayor to the guest.

The Mayor presented as a gift to the hero of the day ichigi and a bag for music scores with the initials of Sofia Gubaidulina. According to Ilsur Metshin, the best Tatarstan leather craftsmen worked on the gift to the anniversary of the composer.

Damir Fattakhov, the first deputy head of the Kazan Executive Committee, Rashid Kalimullin, the chairman of the Russian Union of Composers and the Union of Composers of the RT, Lyailya Garifullina, the director of the Center of Contemporary Music of Sofia Gubaidulina, also attended the meeting, which was held in the Kazan City Hall.

The anniversary book “Under the sign of love. Composer Sofia Gubaidulina” and the documentary “Under the sign of love. Sofia Gubaidulina in Kazan” were presented today at the City Hall, and “Artists exhibition of paintings by artists of Russia, Germany and France - Sofia Gubaidulina” was opened.

The anniversary concert “Те salutant, Sofia!” will take place tomorrow, on which two works by Sofia Gubaidulina will be premiered. On November 4, the young musicians will perform at the concert “A visit to young Sofia” with the participation of distinguished guest at the Children's Music School №1 named after P. Tchaikovsky, where Sofia Gubaidulina studied. The same day the meeting of composers and artists of the republic with Sofia Gubaidulina will be held in the Center of S. Gubaidulina.