Sofia Gubaidulina is one of the greatest and most profound composers of the
second half of the 20th century. In the opinion of many, she is the most outstanding
female composer of our time. In her work one can feel the desire for organic
unification of Western and Eastern art properties, the influence of spiritual and
religious ideas. Through faith she also comes to the meaning of creativity. Along
with Alfred Schnittke and Edison Denisov, Gubaidulina is one of the so-called
"trinity" of Moscow avant-garde composers. "I am a religious orthodox person and
I understand religion literally as re-ligio - restoring the connection between life and
the height of ideal attitudes and absolute values, the constant recreation of legato
life. Life tears man apart. He must restore his wholeness - this is what religion is all
about. Apart from spiritual restoration, there is no greater reason for composing
music.
The 2011 documentary Garden of Joy in a World of Sadness was directed by
Andrej Torstensen and was filmed in the small Swedish city of Bostad at a chamber
music festival. The film was like a sequel to the 2001 film of the same name by the
same director and shot in Hamburg, in the house of Sofia Asgatovna.
The film "Sofia Gubaidulina. The Garden of Joy in a World of Sadness" is an
interview with the composer, where she discusses contemporary art, the state of
society, spirituality and pragmatism, creativity and femininity. The film includes
interviews at Sofia Gubaidulina's home on the outskirts of Hamburg, as well as
filming in Hamburg, Kazan and Moscow.