Championed and supported by musicians like violinist Gidon Kremer and leading Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich, Tatar-Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina, who died in March 2025, crafted spiritual-yet-unpredictable music from the 1950s. Her music typically weaves dreamlike and sometimes nightmarish soundscapes, as she drew inspiration at the intersection of Bach, Mozart, and Webern, while also boldly experimenting with both conventional and unconventional instruments to discover their sonic potential. Gubaidulina’s use of evocative melodies and of silences in the midst of her sonic tapestries encourage us to hear the intrinsic sound and expressiveness of each instrument. Try Gubaidulina’s bizarre yet atmospheric Canticle of the Sun, or the expressive and often zen-like beauty of Silenzio, and you will discover a unique and haunting compositional voice.