HOTEL AT THE END OF THE WORLD
The Music of Sofia Ganeshian

Liner Notes

I have studied the science of departure / In the nights’ sorrows with hair unbound. Who can know, when the word farewell is spoken / What kind of separation is at hand?

— Osip Mandelstam, from Tristia

Sofia Ganeshian was — and remains — a mysterious figure in the world of 20th century avant-garde composition. After discovering a trove of her handwritten and eccentrically notated scores, we decided to record as much of her music as possible. We released the first CD, The Hidden Music of Sofia G., in 2021. Since then, we have worked through more of Sofia’s manuscripts, and the result is this second recording.

 Sofia’s musical life spanned many turbulent years in Europe. Born in Armenia in 1899 to a Greek mother and Armenian father, she spent her late childhood and early adulthood in Locarno, Switzerland. After the Second World War, she travelled throughout Europe and eventually found her way to the Greek island of Corfu, where she remained until her death in 1987. Based on Sofia’s notes and diary entries, the music on this CD was composed from 1950 onward, after she settled in Greece.

Sofia's unconventional approach to notation and, in many cases, her lack of specific instrumental designations, could be seen as frustrating. But as we deciphered her graphic symbols and sometimes-cryptic notes, we realized that she approached composition with a freedom that set her apart from her contemporaries. For example, on one page in her rather sparse diaries, she wrote: “Interesting experiment — composition for oboe, cello, and viola; performed another time  by harpsichord, double bass, and baritone saxophone.”

Tracks 1 through 4 are excerpts from a score Sofia wrote with a ballet in mind. Invocazione morphs quickly from a kind of chant into a whirl of sound, followed by the extended introspection of Atlante del Tempo. Below the score for the brief Frammento, Sofia wrote out several lines from poet Osip Mandelstam’s Tristia. Frammento is repeated, with Madelstam’s words sung in English, on La Scienza della Partenza. Sofia titled her imagined ballet I Viaggiatori.

The title of Track 5, Pietri del Drago, refers to numerous mysteriously carved stone monoliths scattered throughout the Armenian Highlands. Their purpose remains unknown, and while they have never been dated accurately, many of them appear to be thousands of years old.

Track 9 is named for Khosrovidukht, one of the earliest known female musicians and composers. She was an 8th-century Armenian princess whose father and brother were both murdered. Khosrovidukht herself was abducted by invaders and taken to the impregnable fortress of Ani-Kamakh where, it is believed, she spent 20 years in isolation. The violence that informed her life is at odds with the liturgical music attributed to her.

 Tracks 7 and 12 are both sarakans, or “hymns.” Sofia composed many sarakans over the years, some of which differ from each other only slightly. We have chosen two that were written 22 years apart. The microtonality that distinguishes the great majority of Sofia’s compositions is evident in the later-dated piece (Track 7).

 As far as can be determined, Sofia had no desire, or perhaps no opportunity, to hear her music performed. Nevertheless, like so many women in the arts and sciences throughout history — some only recently acknowledged, some still unknown — she did what she had to do. And she did it on her own terms.

— Eva Lindal & Virg Dzurinko

Special thanks to Magnus Granberg, Yngve Malcus, Stewart Wallace, Maria Lindal, Greg Ford, Silvia Rocciolo, Theo Adriakis, Zoe Efstathiou, Teresa Gentile, and Loredana Sottile for all their support and encouragement.