Vladas Jakubėnas (1904-1976) studied in Riga and Berlin, admired the music of Paul Hindemith and various trends of modernism. In Lithuania he became more conservative: "Lithuania is not a country of huge cities: just stroll to the outskirts of Kaunas or take a half-hour ride on a bus, and we're steeped in completely rural, quiet, romantic country." His music blends features of romantic, impressionist and neo-classical music, often soaked in 'Lithuanian mood', "the harmony is partly avant-garde, sometimes poly-tonal". Jakubėnas was the most prominent interwar music critic, taught piano at the Kaunas Conservatoire. Having emigrated West due to the Soviet occupation, the composer experienced a huge discomfort and almost stopped writing music.
Šarūnas Nakas
