Lithuanian Vocal Music Catalogue
Within a few years the LMIPC plans to implement a handy search tool for Lithuanian repertoire. In the series of Lithuanian music catalogues launched in 2002, the listings of works for string and wind instruments, piano and chamber music have already been published. The fifth issue of the series devoted to vocal music appeared in the winter of 2004, comprising all chamber and orchestral compositions with voice. The contents of the catalogues is not confined to the repertoire archived by the centre: they include all professional output of living composers with precise details on scoring, dates of creation, duration, publications and commercial releases. It is an indispensable tool for everyone seeking to enrich one's repertoire with less known but nonetheless vibrant and distinctive works. All the catalogues are available upon request by emailing to info@mic.lt
Laudate Dominum. New Lithuanian Choral Music. –
Lithuanian Music Information and Publishing Centre. Series: Lithuanian Music Anthologies, 2005, 96 pages (ed. by Vaclovas Augustinas)
Giedrius Svilainis Laudate Dominum / Giedrius Svilainis O quam tristis / Jonas Tamulionis Lacrimosa / Raminta Šerkšnytė Aurei Regina Caeli (3 movements) / Algirdas Martinaitis Sanctus / Vytautas Miškinis Nunc dimittis No. 2 / Vaclovas Augustinas Hymne à Saint Martin / Zita Bružaitė Hymn to the Good Shepherd / Vidmantas Bartulis Little Prayer / Alvidas Remesa The Lord's Prayer
This publication includes a selection of ten works for a cappella choir from the last decade, written to Latin and liturgical texts (except the three last compositions, written to Lithuanian texts, with translations added). All compositions presented here can be performed not only by professional choir singers, but also by the amateur choirs with moderate capabilities. It was important that the vocal parts be written comfortably, and that singers would not encounter major problems in learning their parts – that is, without the difficult intervals and complicated rhythms.
This collection presents choral works of the most popular choral composers (often choirmasters themselves) that have achieved certain success. Vaclovas Augustinas' Hymne à Saint Martin won second prize at the international composition competition in Tours. Giedrius Svilainis' O quam tristis and Laudate Dominum helped two chamber choirs from Vilnius, "Psalmos" and "Brevis", to become prize-winners at the international choral competitions in Switzerland, Austria, and Italy. Raminta Šerkšnytė's Aurei Regina Caeli and Algirdas Martinaitis' Sanctus have been frequently showcased by "Jauna muzika" chamber choir at large international choral music forums. Vytautas Miškinis' Nunc dimittis No. 2 was commissioned by the Choral Department of the University of Louisville in 2002.
Ten choral pieces are an ideal addition to the repertoire of every choir, and should find their admirers amongst the choir conductors and singers in many countries. To get your copy of publication, please contact us via info@mic.lt
24 Lithuanian Composers. A Collection of New Brochures
The basis for new promotional brochures about 24 Lithuanian composers in English is a catalogue "Musiken i Litauen" ("Music in Lithuania"), published in Swedish by the Concerts Sweden (Rikskonserter) within the framework of the program "Sweden-Lithuania. Musical Links 2002-2003". Laconic and accurate profiles on Lithuanian composers for this catalogue as well as their renewed and newly contributed versions were written by the Swedish musicologist, Göran Bergendal, who interviewed composers in Vilnius during the Jauna muzika and Gaida festivals in 2003-2004 and researched a large amount of their music heard in concerts and on records.
Differently from the catalogue published in Sweden, these promotional brochures are supplemented with lists of selected works, commercial releases, and samples of scores. Photographs used in the brochures were made by the prominent Lithuanian photographer Arūnas Baltėnas in 2002-2004.
Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis. Compositions for Piano. Complete edition. –
Kaunas: J. Petronis Publishing, 2004, 432 pages (ed. by Vytautas Landsbergis)
This fundamental volume was published to commemorate the 130th anniversary of M. K. Čiurlionis' birthday. This is the first complete edition of his piano works collected from the manuscripts or verified according to them. Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis wrote for piano throughout his lifespan. The new publication is a perfect way to follow the astonishing development of the composer's craft from his early romantic works – reminiscent of aristocratic salon music-making and bearing ostensible influences of Polish music of the time – to his late abstract, polyphonic and sombre works in which certain seeds of serial technique can be found.
According to the compiler and editor of the publication, Vytautas Landsbergis, Čiurlionis often put down only notes, thus, more than 95 per cent of tempi, dynamic markings and other interpretational details are the editor's work. From the commentaries we will learn that it was not uncommon for the composer to write his works only until recapitulation. He thought that this way a composition was already solved. In this publication, all additions to the unwritten parts of works were for the first time distinguished by a different typeface. References to a primary source and earlier publications, explanations of performance details and musical language, and descriptions of wider historical context have also been included.
The heritage of M. K. Čiurlionis' piano music is plentiful and diversified, with a knack for tone painting. At the same time it is very pianistic and unsurpassed in quantity by any other Lithuanian composer to this day.
