Composers On Air

Composers On Air welcomes Mindaugas Urbaitis. This special guest is a monumental influencer in the historical evolution of contemporary music. Not only a composer, Urbaitis is an important figure in the  Lithuanian cultural landscape with a broad spectrum of contributions in the field of music education, musicology, theater, film, opera, ballet and broadcasting. He is a co-founder of Modus, a radio show and now a podcast with Šarūnas Nakas with over 600 episodes.

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The music of Dominykas Digimas is an overwhelmingly reliable source for transporting the inner state to a melancholic feeling of emotional simplicity. This is experienced as inexplicable comfort possibly making the listener feel like they are connecting with their true nature. A committed champion of the contemporary classical community, Digimas is a co-founder of the acclaimed ensemble Synaesthesis, a powerful force in the international performance and recording scene. We discuss the complexity of memory, the vulnerability of private communication, the creative process as well as his work as an organizer. The excerpts include a variety of instrumentation including examples from Synaesthesis and his orchestral palette.

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Rūta Vitkauskaitė’s work reflects a deep commitment and understanding of academic music combining her sincere interest in tribal and ethnic music. In addition to hearing her own solo violin performance, we learn about the complex and sometimes challenging aspects of her compositional process, her courage to fight for her creative space, the relationships she has formed with her collaborators and her sincere care for her audience. We also learn about her sound walk project. Her music is highly dynamic,  always generating an active emotion.

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With the innovative courage of Modernism combined with a deeply focused ruthlessness of fine detail, Repečkaitė guides us through a musical journey ranging from her cultural roots of folk music, her musical beginnings, then sharing the most complex experiments and meticulous execution in electronic and computer-based music. Electro-acoustic projects with groundbreaking techniques and meaningful collaborations with instrumentalists are a highlight as she walks us through her experiences at IRCAM (Institut de recherche et coordination acoustique/musique) in Paris.

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Vykintas Baltakas walks us through his creative process as a composer, conductor, ensemble organizer and educator. His approach to his compositions vary widely: they can be specific or metaphorical images, lyric poetry, formal models or particularly crafted energy patterns. In our conversation we discover the depth and richness of many of his multifaceted musical relationships in an exciting and meaningful creative life.

This dialogue investigates what at first seems to be a window into an ascetic and still landscape of sound, but we also experience carefully crafted complexity that is nurtured by space and breadth cleansed from chaos and demonstrating a clear musical message worthy of a special calm. We discuss aspects of early music, Gregorian chant, deep dives into the creative process and uncovering how intention and inspiration transforms into musical encounters of ruthless honesty.

The music of Egidija Medekšaitė is a culmination of interdisciplinary studies and practice writing concert music, music for dance, film and even animation. Many of her compositions are in the creative focus of utilizing textile patterns that are transformed into music as well as influences of Indian Classical music. Her calculated structural patterns result in a hypnotic and magical flow of sound and we are easily lured into an enchanting musical experience.

In this conversation, we discuss the dimensions of compositional process and style. Vytautas V. Jurgutis is truly an exponent of a new type of multi-faceted artist. He is a do-it-yourself musician, delving into primordial depths of sound. A mathematician, thinking in sophisticated musical routines of programming languages, we discover a composer of solid academic background, employing a vast modernist heritage of advanced instrumental writing and deeply engaging electronic soundscapes.

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In this Deep Dive, we explore the intricacies and designs of speech analysis and innovative processes that characterise an unusually deep thinker. From the richly complex solo instrument of a Tam Tam to a full orchestra, we find an infinite set of possibilities of how to master the subtleties of timbre.

In this conversation, we take a deep-dive into the compositional process, the experience of rehearsals and the inner dimensions of cross-cultural perspectives on a deeply fascinating musical life. Working at a world-class level, Šerkšnytė shares her personal views on accessing a meaningful intention that spans a broad range of emotions from meditation to dramatic expression. Her main artistic inspiration is the universal rules of harmony in nature with its metaphorical comparison to the archetypical states of the human mind. Working with distinguished orchestras and conductors, she searches for the coexistence of archetypes from both Western and Eastern cultures and the fusion of major and minor resulting in a special one-of-a-kind beauty.

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