Am Rande des Abgrunds/De Profundis/Quaternion/In Croce

To celebrate Sofia Gubaidulina's 75th birthday, Wergo ofers this new CD of the composer's chamber music. Joining Julius Berger and Stefan Hussong, two well-known interpreters of new music, are Sofia Gubaidulina and her colleague, Viktor Suslin. In Am Rande des Abgrunds Gubaidulina and Suslin play aquaphones -- instruments which resemble water-filled censers with strange decorations. Their sound is rich in overtones and quite unusual, and contrasts sharply with the shimmering sound of the strings. These unusual instruments are an expression of the composer's eagerness to experiment, actively and consciously grappling with the sound worlds of the cultures of Africa and East Asia.