BBC Music Magazine: outstanding. These orchestral works by Sofia Gubaidulina and Elena Firsova explore sound as a space of spiritual tension, introspection and prophecy. In Pro et contra, Gubaidulina shapes a vast sonic landscape from sharply contrasted instrumental colours, yet beneath the work’s surface drama lies an atmosphere of remarkable stillness and concentration. Bells, percussion, glissandi and shadowed bass sonorities emerge and recede around melodic lines rooted in the intonation of an ancient Russian “Allelujah”, lending the music a sense of ritual and inward direction. Firsova’s Cassandra brings a more explicitly human voice to the programme. Inspired both by the Trojan prophetess and by anxieties surrounding Russia’s future in the early 1990s, the work unfolds as a darkly lyrical meditation in which the solo cello embodies Cassandra herself, while the bass drum suggests the inexorable presence of fate. Under Tadaaki Otaka’s direction, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales responds with clarity, restraint and dramatic focus, revealing the expressive richness and emotional depth of these visionary scores.