In brief


The Chordos String Quartet has featured Fragment from the Hospital Park by Nomeda Valančiūtė during their tour in Germany this September. This work for string quartet, written for the New Music Festival 'Jauna muzika' in 1998, was acknowledged as one of the most original and attractive recent chamber pieces in Lithuanian music and included in the IAMIC Annual List of Works. Chordos recording of this piece was released on CD 'Lithuanian New Music Year 1998' and the score was published by the LMIPC.

Magic Flute for flute and tape by Antanas Kučinskas has been awarded 'Very Highly Commended' in the Kathryn Thomas International Flute Composition Competition 2000. Kathryn Thomas plans to include this work in her future recitals. The score of the piece was published in 1998 by the LMIPC.

The repertoire of the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra - one of the most active exponents of contemporary music in Finland - continually flashes with names of Lithuanian composers. The CD 'Lighthouse', released this year by Finlandia Records, contains, among works by Estonian and Latvian composers, Sinfonia col triangolo by Onutė Narbutaitė, recorded by the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra. The symphony was created in 1996, and it was dedicated to the orchestra, which premiered this work at the Kaustinen Chamber Music Week in 1998. The previous Finlandia Records CD 'Baltic works for string orchestra, Vol.1', released in 1995, included Opus lugubre by Onutė Narbutaitė.

The British piano sextet Piano Circus, which has premiered Šarūnas Nakas' new version of Merz-Machine for six pianos at the New Music Marathon Prague in November 1998, is planning to release their new CD including the said composition. Such decision was based on especially successful performances of Merz-Machine in Indonesia, Milan, London and Scotland during the last years. By the end of the year, following the release of the CD, it is planned to hold several concerts for promotion of the recorded repertoire.

Lithuanian Music Link No. 1