The Lithuanian Music Information and Publishing Centre presents
Zoom In 8, the new compact disc from the promotional Zoom In series which pursues the goal of introducing best works of the Lithuanian contemporary composers to broader audiences. Two years after the earlier release, the new CD features six pieces, all premiered in 2008 or 2009 and almost all awarded by the Lithuanian Composers’ Union in its annual competitions.
The pieces for this CD have been selected from more than 100 compositions, the main criteria being stylistic idiosyncrasy, excellence of composition, and originality of idea. However, the contents of the Zoom In 8 has, quite incidentally, acquired certain correlation in terms of genres and themes. More than half of the compositions in this CD are choral with a choir playing different roles in all of them.
Symphonie de Septembre by Ramūnas Motiekaitis, written using texts by Oscar Milosz, is presented in this recording by the Latvian Radio Choir, one of the best performers of contemporary choral music. The composition emerges as a glimpse of impressionist musical poetry where the beauty of text, with all of its meanings, gains exclusive importance.
Three Visions After Tagore by Marius Baranauskas exploits voice as a boundless source of sound transformation. The musical texture, interwoven with Rabindranath Tagore’s poetry, scintillates here with different colours, timbres and means of sound producing.
Bronius Kutavičius’ Sigitas’ Five Miniatures (texts by Sigitas Geda) and Corona stellarum, the fourth part from Onutė Narbutaitė’s Lapides, flores, nomina et sidera, recorded by the Jauna Muzika Chamber Choir, approach to other traditions of performance, such as the liturgical litany chant and a folk-style recitative.
The CD also features two instrumental pieces, Elongation of Nights for string orchestra by Justė Janulytė and Icon of Fire for instrumental ensemble by Šarūnas Nakas. Both compositions fit into the disc’s thematic context marked with contemplation over a human being, departure, resignation, sacral experiences and autumn melancholy.
The partners of this recording are Sinfonietta Riga, the Latvian Radio Choir, the Jauna Muzika Chamber Choir, the Lithuanian National Radio and Television, and the Lithuanian Composers Union.
The release was sponsored by the Lithuanian Culture Support Foundation.
LMIPC info
