Contemporary music in Vilnius

[some guy]

Maciek and Christo, here's the thread I promised you in the Lithuanian composers thread.

There have been plenty of Lithuanians played so far (the double festival: Gaida and ISCM World Music Days is about halfway through its sixteen day run), but since there are so many others, I thought I'd take things to the General discussion.

Opening concert, for instance, was Harvey, Olofsson, Baltakas, and Eötvös. So only one Lithuanian. That was my favorite piece of a very consistently enjoyable evening, Poussla.

And I have a few new CDs, mostly Lithuanians--Malcys, Kutavičius, Jurgutis, Mažulis, Ruoff, Shih, Vieru, Verbey, and four promotional CDs, with so many Lithuanians I should probably go back and post on the Lithuanian composers thread. And not only do I have these CDs, but I've met or at least seen many of these composers, now. The Lithuanians not only do new music well (composing, performing, attending), but they really like their own composers. With good cause, too, I must say.

I also, to keep it general, have three CDs of Gráinne Mulvey now, too, which her husband gave me after I expressed such happiness about her orchestra piece last night. Plus a compilation CD with Caffrey, Power, Wilson, Delap, Hellawell, Dwyer, Flynn, McLaughlin, O'Connell, and Doyle on it as well as Mulvey. Hmmm. Time for an Irish composers thread, maybe? I had only heard Doyle before from that list and, of course, Corcoran. Learning is fun.

Anyway, it's great here. There's been orchestra and chamber orchestra, with and without electronics, electroacoustic, DJ, live electronics, music theatre (Goebbel's Eraritjaritjaka, which I saw twice, because I could, and I am glad I did), and several very tasty installations. And last night Les Percussions de Strasbourg played a most satisfyingly loud electroacoustic/percussion piece, among other, quieter (and equally satisfying) pieces. (The loud one was Cendo's Refontes, written for Les Percussions de Strasbourg.)

It's been very heartening to be in a place where contemporary music is normal. Where symphony orchestras (the whole orchestra, not just a few members off in a tiny hall with a couple of people in the audience) play entire evenings of contemporary music to packed houses--harsh, abrasive, uncompromising... and thoroughly enjoyable and enjoyed--where the same audience will walk over to another hall somewhere for the second (and more electronic) concert of the evening. No apologies, not even a hint that this music is anything but fine and good. As of course it is, but you'd never guess that in most places in the states. Imagine the Cleveland orchestral, if you will, playing entire concerts of new music, to packed halls, night after night. Inconceivable. But there it is. In Vilnius, it's just business as usual. I love this place.

[Maciek]

Well, I'm still seething with jealousy.

What are those promotional CDs? The Zoom In series?

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the Mazulis and Jurgutis CDs. Which Kutavicius disc is that?

[some guy]

Yes, I now have Zoom In 4, 5, 6, 7.

I have to go back to the Composer's Union next week to pick up my ticket, and I hope they have 1, 2, and 3 of those (but I suspect not) and the string quartet collection, which includes Kutavičius' string quartet. (I see him practically every day, by the way, at concerts. He's very charming. I have no Lithuanian and he apparently has no English, but I did hear someone speaking German to him the other day, so maybe I'll give that a try.)

The Kutavičius' discs I got were The Gates of Jerusalem and Chorinės Dainos Vaikanis. I haven't listened to the children's songs yet, but one of the women at the Old Market Guesthouse here listened to it and thought it would be too difficult for children, so I'm looking forward to that. Also, if you know the Zoom In sets, you know that there's a Kutavičius piece on 5, Joys of Spring.

Everyone seems to love him here, and the reception to his new piece written for the cello octet Conjunto Iberico (which was wildly pretty) was very warm, but there are so few recordings of his works. After I picked up Lokys at Amoeba in Hollywood a few years ago, I've been trying to find everything I can of his. It's discouraging. But I have a little bit more, now.

I don't like Mažulis much. I've had the Twittering Machine CD for several years. And I've listened to Talita Cumi once, which I liked a lot better. I've not gotten to Form is Emptiness yet. So we'll see how well I rectify my listening deficiencies, eh?

I only have Jurgutis on the Zoom In CDs, same piece on 4 and on 7, woops! That's Terra Tecta, which is a pretty nice piece. Good cold metallic noises with the warmth of the cello. A lot of the cello part seems like note-spinning, but I've only heard the piece once. And the cello does make a lot of nice noises, too, so....

I fly back to Portland, OR on the same day the Huddersfield festival starts. Damn! They're featuring Raaijmakers and Tenney, and they're going to reproduce the 1958 25 year retrospective concert Cage and Tudor put on in New York. Grrr. I'll just play the CD of that and pout, I guess.

[Maciek]

I have Zoom In 4-6. 7 wasn't released yet last year, and this year we had to skip our (planned) visit because I have too much work to do. Last year, I think they still had a couple of copies of Zoom In 1-3 at the Composer's Union but I wasn't important enough to receive them. I was hoping to get a copy from musician friends this year but I guess it will have to wait till another time...

I'm not a diehard Kutavicius fan myself and didn't think much of Lokys when I saw it a couple of years ago, but Gates of Jerusalem happens to be my absolute favorite piece of his. In fact, I consider it a masterpiece. (Though the last movement is a bit weaker than the others.)

[Maciek]

No, wait! I have Zoom In 3-5. 6 wasn't yet released last year either! It was nos 1 and 2 that they didn't want to give me then.

[snyprrr]

hi-

i just recently got the edel lithuanian string quartet cd, featuring:

kutavicius- anno cum tettigonia for qrt + tape

balakauskas- qrt 2

rekasius- qrt 3

narbutaite- qrt no2 offne das tor des vergessens

juzeliunas- kantata for qrt + sopr

i had no idea what i was in for!! the kutavicius qrt+tape, as i recall, because right now i'm pretty relaxed, well, to me, it was horrendous, bludgeoning...it reminded me of xenakis' bohor.

the next two are from around 1970, and...i....just...can't....i just did not enjoy them.

the narbutaite seemed to me the most integrated qrt, a very arditti sounding piece, purposeful and mysterious

the kantata....schonbergesque

the vilnius qrt sounds dedicated...the recording is very hot indeed, but sounds better at low volumes..and the applause!!haha...it sounds as if the audience is being held captive and in the narbutaite are very sparse...yes, thank you, next....

i instantly hated this cd, but decided to selectively dip here and there to augment the collection, but i must say, to me, the music had a definitively polish, eastern european greyness, bleakness to it, not cozy at all, but likeable to me historically.

i hear the ardittis have recorded narbutaite's 3rd qrt.

well, thanks for letting me share.

[some guy]

I can't imagine a Kutavičius piece that would bludgeon, but then I can't imagine Bohor as an example of bludgeoning, either. Mycenae Alpha, maybe, but not Bohor.

Anyway, I've ordered that Kutavičius et. al disc from BRO (along with a disc of Katzer et. al electroacoustic music), so can enjoy it for myself!

[snyprrr]

please let me know what you think....i'll give the cd a few more goes.

bohor+mycenae alpha??haha oy! i was coming to grips with kraanerg today.

btw- have you heard any qrts by eotvos?

[some guy]

I have not. I only have three CDs, with percussion, various chamber ensembles, and orchestra.

In Vilnius, he played a couple of orchestral pieces of his, and the opera put on a production of his Love and Other Demons.

Oh, and a little electroacoustic piece, too, one evening.

[UB]

btw- have you heard any qrts by eotvos?

Other than Korrespondenz - Scenes for String Quartet and the very short Encore has Eotvos written any music for string quartet? I have a 2004 webcast recording with a quartet from Ensemble Intercontemporain of Korrespondenz and I find it rather bland and uninteresting. I have yet to hear the cd of the piece with the Pellegrini Quartet but I doubt if that would change my opinion.

[snyprrr]

I APOLOGIZE

i'm listening to the Kutavicius string qrt with tape (1980). i'm 6 minutes in...

no blugeoning...no, sounds like an A7 riff doing the minimal-phase thing. the tape is mostly background and a bell or two (ah...bohor!). is that a bartoky folk figure?
                          ok...then it completely changes into acid trip intervallic  vibratos (the sound i associate with "that sinking feeling"/nausea).
                          then it settles down...and dies off...

obsessive, kinda strange...are some of the people here calling him a minimalist? kind of "reminds" me of gorecki str qrts meets in phase/out. yea, there was nothing loud, i think the beginning was just a bit obsessive for me. i let the bohor thing go to my head!

yea, so my memory's not so good right now :-[haha

[some guy]

I APOLOGIZE

i'm listening to the Kutavicius string qrt with tape (1980). i'm 6 minutes in...

no blugeoning...no, sounds like an A7 riff doing the minimal-phase thing. the tape is mostly background and a bell or two

You are FORGIVEN.

I just got this CD from Berkshire Record Outlet, the slowest online company. I'm glad you got back to this and got that Bohor comparison out of your head! I can't imagine how it got there in the first place. I would think that the closest one might get would be early Reich.

The rest of the CD is pretty good, too. So far (one hearing), the Rekasius and the Narbutaite are the ones I'd guess will repay repeated listenings the best. The other two are quite pretty, though.

So even if you never get around to loving these pieces, I got a nice CD out of our whole exchange.

[snyprrr]

did you catch the "humor" at the end of the narbutaite piece when it sounds like three people are clapping? compared to the applause at the end of the other pieces?

also, any idea about a recording date? all we have is a 1991 copyright from the german company, but on the inside it says "VILNIUS-STREICHQUARTETT Litauen UdSSR".

in the "new" polish thread i mentioned two excellent cds of the modern polish repertoire by the DAFO string qrt., on DUX label.