Audio
On the occasion of the tenth orchestras anniversary, the VMU Chamber Orchestra has presented a new CD which consists of the latest and the best pieces of written by these Lithuanian composers: Algirdas Martinaitis, Zita Bružaitė, Arvydas Malcis, Jievaras Jasinskis and Vidmantas Bartulis. Some of the works were created on the initiative and commission of the orchestra, others are the result of independent activities of composers.
Due to the variety of authors, styles and origins chosen, VMU chamber orchestra once again proves its ability and determination to form the best teams and present the work of the most talented professionals. We are glad that this aspiration was also appreciated by Kaunas State Philharmonic, to which we thank for the provision of hall for recordings.
We hope that the CD ‘title’ will help our listeners to discover the modern day Lithuanian composers music, and will open broader horisons for those who are already familiar with it.
Saxophonist Liutauras Janušaitis, who has played with many prominent Lithuanian and international jazz musicians,released a highly anticipated album named „Two Different Sides“.
The first part of the album features works recorded with jazz musicians, and has a rougher sound, sometimes even close to rock music. The second part of the album features lighter and softer music, recorded with the Chamber Orchestra of Vytautas Magnus university, and is closer to classical music. “I admire the idea of representing the duality of our world through music. The battle between light and darkness, good and evil, is eternal, it is in everyone’s life. I have been collecting my works for several years. In fact, I listen to a lot of music, but it is a rare occasion to see an album that contains such a fundamentally different music. Both sides, the dark and the light, are equally close to me. Finding a balance is one of the recipes for a good life,” – said Mr. Janušaitis.
The album is available on CD and LP format.
Album „Infinity“ is a 30-minute musical journey of an uninterrupted sound, where natural sounds of nature are intertwined with various levels of sounds as well as with individual electronic, acoustic instrumental or full string orchestra sounds. The word meditation was chosen to describe the work to convey the relaxing and often transcendental nature of the music. And although it consists of several shorter parts, the barely perceptible interconnections that develop between these parts make the whole suite seamlessly take the listener to new musical landscapes, creating a sense of one continuous narrative. The meditative, dreamy, and relaxing atmosphere is created by multiple layers of “spatial” sounds, that are sounding as if in the distance and created by using various sound design tools. The listener is enchanted and transported to a distant uninhabited island by the sounds of nature, recorded over several years in different parts of the world (the sound of the ocean, the chirping of birds, the wind, cicadas at night, thunder, etc.).
Composer and performer: Liutauras Janušaitis (saxophone, flute, vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards, percussion and programming)
Bass guitar: Louan Kemlin
Vocals: Germaine Ingram, Lina El-Mounzer, Augusto Albuquerque
VMU Chamber Orchestra
Author of the poem: Lina El-Mounzer
The album is available on CD format.
The first album of the VMU Chamber Orchestra, named “EKSPRESIJA”, was released in 2013. Zita Bružaitė, who is the composer and author of one of the pieces of the album and who has also participated in the album premiere concert, said, “Sometimes a composer writes a work for an abstract chamber orchestra. And I knew who I was writing for, and I imagined the orchestra itself, and even its individual people”. By this quote, the composer recalled the process of creating “Nocturne”, all the notes of which were written during the night, and also welcomed the fact that from now on it will not only be performed in concerts, but will also be available on a CD.
The album is available on CD format.
The album of Kostas Smoriginas, recorder together with „Vilnius Sinfonietta“ and VMU Chamber Orchestra, was released in 2020.
Such songs as “Paukščiai” (eng. Birds), “Pažadėtam kvartale” (eng. Promised Quarter), “Užtrauktukas” (eng. Zipper), “Per tą lietų…” (eng. During the rain..) and many others, which have already become a part of the musical culture of Lithuania, and which have been sung by several generations of people on the Lithuanian music scene, have been featured on the album.
The album is available on CD and LP format.