After the usual deliberation, I chose my album of the week, today. Released 26 September 2025, this is Ms. Dobrinka Tabakova's Sun Triptych.

​YOUTUBE ALBUM LINK ​

As I listened to it, I made notes of the impressions I had. I decided not to edit any of them on publication, but to offer them "as they are" to you. Here they are.

Whispered Lullaby: the very first piece on the album left me silent, in awe of its spacious, minimalist sounds. The beautiful piano entry (Dasol Kim) is a wonderful surprise, after the start of the piece on the viola (Maxim Rysanov). Intense long notes in the viola and background arpeggio-like passages fill this emotionally aching piece. Its writing is in places similar to Arvo Part's, and its final, C major resolution chord sounded like a release, like a benediction to a soul unshackling itself from the world.

Suite in Jazz Style:

1. Talk: superb writing, mixing jazz with contrapuntal writing inspired by the Baroque style of composing. A heady mix, the harmonies are spellbinding. Maxim Rysanov (viola) and Dasol Kim (pianist) clearly very much enjoying Tabakova’s daring offering, and performing it with gusto. Fun, naughty (even) writing, full of joy, jazzy harmonies, and the odd dash of chromatic scales played sul ponticello.

2. Nocturnal: self-reflective. Extraordinary writing from Tabakova, this composer really has so much to convey and communicate, and she knows how to do so. Supreme technical command, all in service of the music. Ravel-like, in places ... with beautiful, gypsy-like melodies in the viola, and accompanying arpeggios in the piano. The harmonics passage is made of the stuff dreams is made of. This is music which is not only well worth listening to, but an essential must-hear for the soul.

3. Dance: the tapping start to the piece, an original, interesting choice. This is jazz, mixed with traditional, folklore sounds. This is a somewhat rough and direct dance, with the piano being played in its lowest register throughout the fast, middle section of the piece. Reflective and dance passages alternate. Tabakova does nothing superfluous or “for effect” in her writing. She communicates with every single note, every single chord and harmonic passage of her writing, and her writing is therefore highly expressive (even in the rougher, dance-like sections), appealing directly to the emotional “receptors” of the soul. Loved the viola cadenza-like passage, which has an improvisation-like feeling, before the piano returns for the final part of the piece.

Fantasy Homage to Schubert: The beginning is quiet but visceral, not reminiscent at all of Schubert’s music (not to my own ears, at least!). Quiet string harmonies, played by the BBC Concert Orchestra under the direction of the composer herself, which gradually grow and grow, in an organic crescendo. Words cannot do justice to the sheer beauty of this music - written by a modern composer who knows what she is doing, why she is doing it, and how to reach the audience’s soul without in the least pandering to the lowest common denominator, but staying true to her own language, and to what she has to communicate through it. When this crescendo culminates, around the 8:40 mark, it’s as if a swell of an emotion has arrived at its climax, softly subsiding afterwards, to (eventually, around 10:10) a soft C Major chord and an immensely moving and soaring violin solo - played (one assumes) by the un-named leader of the BBC Concert Orchestra. Here, the Schubert influence can be clearly heard. The piece briefly resumes its mysterious string textures, before returning to consonant harmonies, and that stunning solo violin playing. The pacing of the piece is superb, and kept my attention throughout. By the time of the closing C Major chords, it is absolutely and abundantly clear to me: this work is (without any exaggeration) nothing short of a masterpiece, which I want to hear many, many more times.

Organum Light: This piece seems to have echoes of Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia upon a Theme by Thomas Tallis, with its ubiquitous open fifths in the string section of the BBC Concert Orchestra. 2:40 … the harmonic glissandi were spellbinding; beautiful textures. Another beautiful, expressive short work - very different from its predecessor, a more limpid, clearer work.

Spinning A Yarn: Roman Mints on (if I’m not mistaken) the instrument known as the hurdy-gurdy. This has the sound of Scottish bagpipes to it, and returns to the minimalistic style deployed earlier on in the album. The melody overlaps this folklore-like sound, with repeated intervals and melodies. It is incredible, and quite humbling in fact, to hear how very interesting Ms. Tabakova manages to make even deceptively simple musical writing, such as this one appears to be. Evocative of a never ending spinning wheel, mesmerising and hypnotising, infused through and through with folklore sounds.

Sun Triptych:

1. Dawn

Kristina Blaumane, the solo cellist, soars above the evocative, lush, open harmonies of the string section of the BBC Concert Orchestra. This truly evokes dawn … a primal feeling, based again on open fifths, with the augmented fourth making its appearance from time to time. This seems to be Ms. Tabakova in her element, in the harmonic language she seems to be most at home in, the one evocative of folklore, of pure, raw, visceral sound, the one reminiscent of Nature at her most beautiful and organic. Minimalistic, and beautiful. The cymbals make an unexpected appearance at the climax of the movement, which is in its entirety played with the required passion by all musicians.

2. Day

This movement continues seamlessly, without interruption, from the previous one. We are now in the key of A major, with string arpeggios dominating the texture. Repeated rhythms, powerful dynamics rule this piece. We travel into C minor, and return always to A major, the shimmering beauty of this key in the upper register of the strings ushering it slowly towards its conclusion.

3. Dusk

We are led into the third movement, moving into a stunning F# major section, wistful and reminiscing of times gone by. As we move into alternating A major / C# minor sections, we look back fondly at what was, and vanish softly into silence, with no regrets, but joy at a day well lived. The beautiful long notes in the strings, and soft touches in the percussion section accompany us into the night.

***

It is always a joy to hear works which differ from the norm, in their high quality of writing, appeal to emotion rather than solely to the intellect, visceral, thought-provoking … the list goes on. Ms. Tabakova is firmly established as one of the most interesting voices to listen to, in modern music. I remember her, when she was in the jury of the BBC Young Musician Competition, praising the young musicians she’d just heard, and railing against the mediocrity prevalent in the modern world. If there’s something that Ms. Tabakova definitely is NOT, that word is “mediocre”. She writes every note as if her life depends on it, and this invariably communicates itself to the listener, whose soul has almost no choice but to be drawn into Ms. Tabakova’s sound world.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time listening to this extremely beautiful, enticing music, and I know that, if you do the same, you will not remain indifferent to what Ms. Tabakova has to (and does) communicate through her music, but will feel the same way.