LITUANUS LITHUANIAN QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES   Volume 42, No.1 - Spring 1996 Editor of this issue: Antanas Klimas ISSN 0024-5089 Copyright © 1996 LITUANUS Foundation, Inc.

A REPORT: 
THE 1995 GAIDA FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC IN VILNIUS, LITHUANIA

ENRIQUE ALBERTO ARIAS

"Gaida" is the Lithuanian word for a note of music, but it is also the name of a festival of contemporary music held annually at the end of November in the city of Vilnius. The 1995 festival which occurred between November 24 and December 2 was the fifth such festival and was marked by an increasing participation of foreign composers and chamber ensembles. In 1991 I visited the "Gaida" festival and wrote a report on its activities at that time. It was interesting for me to see and hear the changes between that festival and the present one. In general terms, the major difference was the increased inclusion of music and performers from outside the Baltic circle. Composers, performers, and chamber groups were present from the United States, various parts of Europe, and even Australia. This meant that the 1995 festival offered an opportunity to hear not only very contemporary Lithuanian composers but also music by advanced and imaginative composers form elsewhere. What this means is that the "Gaida" festival can now rival its counterparts in other parts of Europe and the United States.

The program for the festival, written in both English and Lithuanian, included the repertory for the concerts, brief biographies of the composers as well as short lists of work and brief analytic comments by the composers themselves. This means that the program represents not only a listing of the festival contents but also a document with historical implications for further study.

It is difficult in a succinct article to detail all the musical events of eight concerts held in the space of nine days. What I plan to do, however, is try to capture the highlights and draw the readers attention to what were, in my opinion, outstanding works and moments. In anticipation of this, I should note that the level of contemporary Lithuanian composition is very sophisticated and that the many very gifted Lithuanian composers employ the same arsenal of advanced compositional techniques that do their counterparts in Europe, Asia, and the United States. This puts them on equal footing with their contemporaries, but also allows this festival to become a means of comparison between their compositions and those by other composers. Recent trends include folk-inspired post-minimalism, often combined with striking textures and colors, and works which combine performance and drama in a number of experimental ways.

For ease of reference I give the complete program of the festival as an appendix to the article. It should be noted that the concerts were held in the recently remodeled Philharmonic Hall which seats about 1000 and has ideal acoustics. This beautiful hall complimented the many ambitious musical activities.

The first night's concert represented an impressive inauguration of the festival through the use of a full orchestra. The orchestra was of a high quality and equal to the demands of the evening's repertory. Of special interest was the piano concerto by Vytautas V. Barkauskas, the son of the composer Vytautas Barkauskas. This attractive work combined elements of minimalism and texturalism into an interesting design highlighted by dialogues between the principal piano and one in the orchestra.

The concert for the second evening was presented by the Vienna Saxophone Quartet, an important chamber group specializing in contemporary music which frequently commissions chamber works for its own use. Many of the compositions on the program were commissioned by this ensemble, including C.P. First's Mosaics (1993).

The third concert of the festival was divided into two parts: the first was made up of solo piano works by Australian composers, the second by Lithuanian compositions involving a string quartet. Several works on the second part of the program used minimalistic gestures and folk-inspired melodic ideas. An example of this was The Resignation for string quartet and voice by Mindaugas Urbaitis. The other works on this portion of the program featured the voice in quasi-instrumental and virtuoso role.

The fourth program featured two large-scale choral works by one of Lithuania's leading composers, Bronius Kutavičius. This concert was presented in St. Casimir's church, a lovely Baroque edifice. The participation of the chorus and the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra gave the Stabat Mater (1995) special impact. Kutavičius used Lithuanian folk music and pre-Christian mythology as source materials for The Last Rites of Heathens (1978), creating a work that has the aura of a ritual.

The fifth program of the series was presented by an American duo named Basso Bongo. This duo consisted of a double bass player and a percussionist aided by electronic amplification. This duo reflects a common interest in the United States in what is called "fusion" or the amalgamation of elements from post-rock music and more cultivated elements. I found the most successful scores on this program to be the two based on the music of Machaut by the American composer Eve Beglarian. Again many of the compositions on the program were commissioned by the duo.

The sixth concert of the series was given by a trio from the Netherlands called HET, an ensemble consisting of a bass clarinet, flute, and piano. As in the case of the Basso Bongo concert, electronic amplification played an essential role. A particularly striking piece was Pastiche (1991-92) by the Netherlandish composer Simon Burgers. This work combined the bass clarinet with throbbing rhythms in the electronic amplification. The compositions on this program were extraordinarily demanding and required high ensemble as well as performing skills.

The next concert of the series was to be given by a Lithuanian ensemble named Ex Tempore. Unfortunately, this concert was canceled.

I was not able to hear the two final concerts which were devoted to music for strings or smaller ensembles. Included on these programs were compositions by two composers who have Chicago roots: Craig First and Robert Lombardo. Featured on this program were experimental pieces for the mandolin written for the Greek-American mandolin virtuoso Dimitrios Marinos. The C.P. First and Robert Lombardo works explore new coloristic and playing techniques on the mandolin and demonstrate the mandolin's potential as a solo and ensemble instrument.

Naturally, in a festival which presented over fifty works, there will be variations of the quality of the works. Some concerts communicated real excitement, while others were more mundane. In general, however, the "Gaida" festival represents a tremendous accomplishment for a small country with limited economic resources. It is my hope that this festival will continue and attract even greater international attention.

5TH BALTIC MUSIC FESTIVAL "GAIDA"
24 November - 2 December 1995
VILNIUS

November 24, 7.00 p.m.
NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC
NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Conductors Martynas Staškus and Mindaugas Piečaitis
Birutė Vainiūnaitė (piano)

November 25, 7.00 p.m.
NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC
VIENNA SAXOPHONE QUARTET (Vienna, Austria)

November 26, 6.00 p.m
NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC
Raminta Lampsatytė (piano, introduction)
Eva Ben-Zvi (soprano, Israel)
Andrius Vasiliauskas (piano)
Kaunas Quartet

November 27, 9.00 p.m.
ST.CASIMIR'S CHURCH
WORKS BY BRONIUS KUTAVIČIUS
The Last Rites of the Heathen
The Western Gates (Stabat Mater)
Gintarė Skėrytė (soprano),
chamber choir "Aidija" (cond. Romas Gražinis),
St. Christopher's Chamber Orchestra (cond. Donatas Katkus),
Leopoldas Digrys (organ)

November 28, 7.00 p.m.
NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC
BASSO BONGO (USA)
Robert Black (double-bass),
Amy Knoles (percussion)

November 29, 7.00 p.m.
NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC
HET TRIO (The Netherlands)

November 29, 7.00 p.m.
LITHUANIAN OPERA AND BALLET THEATRE
Eduardas BALSYS "Eglė - the Queen of the Snakes"
Ballet

November 30, 7.00 p.m.
NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC
EX TEMPORE (Lithuania)

December 1, 7.00 p.m.
NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC
St. Christopher's Chamber Orchestra (cond. Donatas Katkus),
String Group of the Orchestra of the Lithuanian Radio and TV (cond.
J.Cechanovičius), Dimitris Marinos (mandolin, USA)

December 2, 3.00 p.m.
ACADEMY OF MUSIC
MUSIC FOR STRINGS
Dimitris Marinos (mandolin, USA),
Raimundas Katilius (violin),
Audronė Pšibilskienė (viola),
Petras Kunca (violin),
Raminta Lampsatytė (piano),
Živilė Karkauskaitė (piano),
Vilnius Quartet

December 2, 6.00 p.m.
NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC
CIKADA DUO (Norway)
(Lithuanian premieres)