VYKINTAS BALTAKAS Ouroboros Rita Balta Het Collectief LENsemble . Vykintas Baltakas Klangforum Wien . Johannes Kalitzke © Simonas Skabeikis Vykintas Baltakas (*1972) 1 Lift to Dubai (2009) 28:08 for ensemble and electronics 2 Smokey Arnold (2015) 13:26 for flute, clarinet, piano, violin and violoncello 3 Ouroboros – Zyklus (2004 – 2005) 26:58 for soprano, ensemble and electronics TT 68:32 1 LENsemble, Vilnius Vykintas Baltakas, conductor 2 Het Collectief Toon Fret, flute Julien Hervé, clarinet Wibert Aerts, violin Martijn Vink, cello Thomas Dieltjens, piano 3 Rita Balta, soprano Klangforum Wien Johannes Kalitzke, conductor 3 To Bálint András Varga (1941–2019) with gratitude The ouroboros is an ancient symbol Der Ouroboros ist ein altes Symbol, depicting a snake or dragon swal- das eine Schlange oder einen Dra- lowing its own tail, constantly creat- chen darstellt, der sich in den eige- ing itself and forming a circle. It often nen Schwanz beißt, sich ständig selbst represents self-refl ection or cyclical- neu erschaff t und einen Kreis bil- ity. The album represents Baltakas’ det. Das Symbol wird oft als Zeichen works for ensemble, which are based für Selbstrefl exion oder Zyklizität ge- on recycled, reused or ‘found’ musical sehen. Auf dieser Aufnahme fi nden material. sich Werke von Vykintas Baltakas für Ensemble, die auf wiederverwende- tem oder „gefundenem“ Musikmateri- al basieren. 4 …On Flagey Square, at the Pitch-Pin, sible. If both conditions are met, the before the concert… difference between personalities and their cultural and social contexts will 17 December 2017, be clear. Brussels There are many good examples in history, for example, comparing Brahms and Tchaikovsky. Theoreti- cally, they are not es sen tial ly differ- ent, speaking about form, harmony, dramaturgy, orchestration etc. – but they sound totally different! One has a Claire McGinn (CM): You seem to very careful process, as quickly writ- clear German flavour, the other is very have an instinct for writing quite dis- ten notes can easily destroy the orig- Russian. sonant, non-tonal music which sounds inal idea. as if it’s alluding to something – not CM: I once read something that like extended harmony or tonal impli- CM: How do you understand you wrote about how tradition and cation, it is something richer than that tradition? progression needed to be in sync – … But, you have said that you are not that if something progresses ahead choosing your chords with numbers in VB: There is very often this beyond any people who actually a strict prescriptive way. Then, do you question of ‘nationality’ in music. Of- care about it, then it’s meaningless – begin with a pitch set and then follow ten it is confused with modernity or … One really engaging aspect of your your ear? cosmopolitanism. For example, is an music is that it’s not compromising Asian composer obliged to use ‘Asian the interest at all, but it’s somehow … Vykintas Baltakas (VB): I begin with a intonations’? Is abstract thought on- it’s not alienating, in a way that other sound idea. At the beginning, it may ly ‘allowed’ for western European and work that is equally complex often is be very incomplete, a sense of sound North American composers? I be- alienating. cloud. … Dark, light, heavy, big… Ac- lieve that we are dealing with the tually the whole work process is ap- wrong question here. The right ques- VB: I believe in the directness proaching this cloud to get a more and tion would be that of how to express of music – the power of sound, which more precise picture of it and finally a thought authentically. If the idea is can touch us directly. There is nothing to realize it with concrete musical el- strong and clear, it defines itself. The mystical about it, since a sound is just ements: pitches, rhythms, expressions, next step for the composer is to real- a concrete physical reality. The sound textures, colours etc. It is a slow and ize his or her idea as clearly as pos- doesn’t care about our musical cate- 5 gories or stylistic preferences. This is At some point I couldn’t stand it any CM: But your career would have a good starting point for any musical more. I was hungry to discover differ- been very different if you had stayed? analysis: e.g. what is a form? If the mu- ent music. I went to study in Germany sic is a wave, then the change of this with Wolfgang Rihm, later on with Pe- VB: My musical path has been wave in time can be called form. The ter Eötvös. I was travelling from one different from my colleagues who wave doesn’t understand the differ- concert to another, spent days on end stayed in Lithuania. Perhaps that ex- ence between the classical, pop or in the library and recorded everything I plains why my work isn’t always under- jazz. It can be simple or complex, sin- could get my hands on. One of my first stood in my own country. gle-layered or multi-layered, fast or pieces written in Germany was Pasa- slow, finally – … interesting or boring. ka for piano and electronics. It was my CM: I know that composers really This way of thinking allows us to per- ‘freedom scream’, by which I liberated hate words that end in ‘ism’, but do you ceive any type of music and starts with myself from Lithuanian ‘musical my- feel that the words ‘modernism’ and real listening, instead of categorizing thologies’: the worship of silence, eth- ‘postmoderns’ have any value or func- of musical elements, without blocking no roots, heavily loaded meanings. tion at all, either in general to discuss our perception. I believe that first the art or in relation to your own work? sound and not the idea should touch CM: Do you then feel that you you. lean more towards Balakauskas’s ideas VB: To be honest, I really don’t of purity? know anymore what it is. It’s all so CM: Well, you have said that the mixed in different arts and contexts… Lithuanian composers Osvaldas Bal- VB: I discovered O. Balakauskas All that terminology: contemporary, ex- akauskas and Bronius Kutavičius have quite late, but I am very convinced by perimental, avant-garde, modern, post been important to you. his music. modern, you name it … Safety jack- ets for those who are afraid to jump VB: Yes, I was studying with CM: Do you yourself feel that in to insecurity of listening. The sound Kutavičius, in high school. His music you are a Lithuanian composer? doesn’t care how we call it. effectively incorporates the roots of Lithuanian ethno music. He was very VB: Very much, yes. I am also popular in the 1990s during our ‘Sing- very proud to be Lithuanian. However, ing Revolution’. Contemporary music I do not intentionally express this in my was very popular in these times and music. I think that my cultural context Kutavičius was a bit like Verdi during as well as other specific influences the Italian revolution. This had also (German, European, …), find their way a downside: the 90s produced ma- into my music, regardless. ny cheap copies of Kutavičius’ style. 6 Lift to Dubai shopping mall, bazaar – is what links ished quality of classical instruments, them to tradition more than the his- creates a sonoric tension I believe is ‘into’… was developed by Ensemble torical buildings in the old town that quite unique for Lift to Dubai. Modern and the Siemens Arts Program, seem to signify little more than tourist in collaboration with the Goethe-Insti- attractions. Most of the technical files for this tut. It was an ambitious project, that piece were produced at the Experi- tried to cast the essence of four dif- Instead of searching for ethnic music, mentalstudio des SWR (Freiburg), with ferent cities in music. Does each city I picked up a microphone and started assistance of Thomas Hummel. For my have a different sound? Can sound recording the real city: people talking transformations of audio I also used alone grasp the feeling of a city? in underground tunnels, construction some of the studio’s ‘historical’ elec- cranes, shopping malls, boats, local tronic instruments. Sixteen composers spent a month publicity and even my hotel TV set. I discovering these four cities: Istanbul was harvesting huge amount of sound: The title of the piece refers to the lift of (Turkey), Dubai (United Arab Emirates), rattling and squeaking objects, hum- the Burj Al Arab Hotel. During our stay Johannesburg (Republic of South Afri- ming machines, sounds of people and we visited this magnificent sail-shaped ca) and Pearl River Delta (China). the things they bring with them, local hotel, the third tallest in the world. It and exotic. stands on an artificial island and offers It was my curiosity that prompted me great view of the city and the sea. As to choose for Dubai. Historically, Lith- Dubai felt to me as a recycled city: we were riding the open glas lift all the uania didn’t have much contact with ideas, objects, people recollected way to the top, people came and went, this part of the world. from different places of the world, who interrupting and at the same time add- built this place anew. I tried to do the ing to the event. Once a small settlement of fisher- same thing in my piece, transforming men and pearl divers, Dubai has trans- and rearranging the recorded material I was recording the whole thing and formed into a fast-paced go-getting to create something new. later used the sound files as a meta- metropolis.