Borges Music – Gheorghi Arnaoudov

Mythology is a term derived from μῦθος—and that means a word, speech, whereas mystique comes from μύστης—a derivative of μύω—“to close” (in the ancient practice of initiation—the eyes or the mouth), “to keep silent.” To define these two categories derived from sound and silence, is something great.
—Gheorghi Arnaoudov

Gheorghi Arnaoudov (b. 1957)

Introduction
Gheorghi Arnaoudov is a Bulgarian minimalist who writes unabashedly spiritual music designed to create “mystical spaces.” While secular music aspiring to religiosity is too-often riddled with clichés, from “new age” music to “inspirational” film scores—even John Tavener occasionally indulges in sentimentality—the restlessly searching music of Gheorghi Arnaoudov avoids these pitfalls unerringly. Embracing dissonance and finding beauty in the strange, his music remains rooted in the avant-garde, but its elegance and poignancy feel entirely relevant and accessible. Difficult to categorize and impossible to predict, the music of Gheorghi Arnaoudov truly warrants the much-abused description of “unique.”

Biography
Gheorghi Arnaoudov was born in Bulgaria to a family with a strong musical background. He attended the Pancho Vladigerov National Academy of Music in Sofia, and studied composition in Florence under Brian Ferneyhough, where he explored electronic and musique concrète. Upon graduation and completion of his studies abroad, Arnaoudov began establishing a reputation as a musical theorist. Specializing in “modern and postmodern aesthetics, communication and semiotics,” Arnaoudov also studied ancient and Far Eastern musical forms.

Often compared to composers such as Alexander Scriabin, Olivier Messiaen, Krzysztof Penderecki, and Arvo Pärt, Gheorghi Arnaoudov is known for creating “a music of stasis, a kind of intense minimalism that tells no conventional stories but rather meditates on an idea.” Mysticism and ritual are important features of his work, and Arnaoudov’s music frequently calls for musicians to use their instruments in non-traditional ways to produce overtones and resonances. He also draws inspiration from other artistic fields, particularly the art of René Magritte, the cinema of Andrei Tarkovsky, and the writing of James Joyce and Jorge Luis Borges.

Arnaoudov has won several international prizes, including the Grand Prix of the European Broadcasting Union, the Golden Harp Prize, and the Carl Maria von Weber International Prize of Music. In 2017 he was awarded Bulgaria’s “Golden Age Star” award “for his contribution to the development and the flowering of the Bulgarian culture and national identity.” In 2009, Gheorghi Arnaoudov was appointed associate professor in Composition and Harmony and at the New Bulgarian University.

Borges-Related Works

Offertorium II after Jorge Luis Borges (1991)
Described on the composer’s homepage as “dance theatre,” Offertorium is Arnaoudov’s first piece inspired by Borges. It was choreographed by Mila Iskrenova. [Unreleased. This link directs you to Arnaoudov’s homepage.]

Ritual III, “Borges Fragment” (1992)
A work featured on the 1998 disc Compositions, this is a meditation for solo cello.

Phantasmagorias I (2010)
Also known as the Concerto for Violin, Harpsichord, Keyboard Instruments, Percussion, and Orchestra, its three movements were inspired by Ficciones, the poem “El sueño,” and The Book of Imaginary Beings.

Phantasmagorias III (2010)
A string quartet based on The Book of Imaginary Beings, this piece is subtitled “Imaginarium super Jorge Luis Borges.” [Unreleased. This link directs you to Arnaoudov’s homepage.]

Seven and One Nights (Catalog of Nightmares, Poetry, Blindness, Buddhism and Kabbalah) (2021)
A work for violin, bass clarinet and piano, Seven and One Nights is based on Borges’ series of lectures Siete Noches. [Unreleased. This link takes you the description of the NYC World Premiere.]

Notes of the Phantom Woman (2024)
A chamber opera for female voice, prepared piano, percussion, and electronics, Notes of the Phantom Woman is a monodrama based on the work of Bulgarian poet Iana Boukova and Borges’ “The Sect of the Phoenix.” [Unreleased. This link directs you to Arnaoudov’s homepage.]

Other Arnaoudov Albums of Interest

Gheorghi Arnaoudov is a composer that deserves a wider audience, from fans of traditional classical to those who favor the esoteric in all its forms. While neither of the following albums contain Borges-related material, they are both worth a listen!

Gheorghi Arnaoudov: Empire of Light (1997)
Piano: Angela Tosheva
CD: Empire of Light. Concord CCD-42032 (1997)
Purchase: CD [Amazon], Digital [Presto Music]

This wonderful album focuses on Arnaoudov’s compositions for piano. While perhaps more uniform than the pieces found on Compositions, the works on Empire of Light convey a similar sense of longing and exotic beauty. Ritual I and Ritual II are present on both collections; here Angela Tosheva takes them slower than Boyan Vodenicharov, and, in my opinion, shows greater sensitivity to the material. Released by Concord Records, Empire of Light boasts superior packaging and liner notes than the Gega CD.

Gheorghi Arnaoudov: The Way of the Birds/FOOTNOTE (2010)
Conductor: Lubomir Denev
Musicians: Chamber Ensemle “Musica Nova”
Soprano: Tanya Kazandjieva-Chauche
CD: The Way of the Birds. Labor Records LAB7068 (2010)
Purchase: CD [Amazon], Digital [Presto Music]

This album was released by Labor Records in 2010. It includes FOOTNOTE (…und Isolde/ns Winkfall lassen…)—an imaginary interlude to the second act of “Tristan and Isolde” after the text of James Joyce, a piece written in 1991 that combines a poem by James Joyce with themes from Wagner’s opera Tristan und Isolde. You can read more about this album and the Joyce-inspired work at The Brazen Head’s Arnaoudov page.

Additional Information

Gheorghi Arnaoudov Website
The composer’s official homepage is the most complete source of Arnaoudov information on the Web.

Music Bulgara Arnaoudov Page
Musica Bulgara hosts a small page on Arnaoudov.

Wikipedia Arnaoudov Page
Wikipedia maintains a brief page on Arnaoudov in English.

Arnaoudov Interview
Public Republic, 18 July 2012. Jasmina Tacheva interviews Arnaoudov in an “Artist of the Week” feature.

Author: Allen B. Ruch
Last Modified: 9 August 2024
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