ALGIRDAS MARTINAITIS

The creative field of Algirdas Martinaitis, one of the most prominent contemporary Lithuanian composers, includes various symphonic, chamber and vocal genres, as well as music for drama productions and films. The composer favours lyrical, meditative and theatrical melodies. The Concerto for tenor, flute, oboe, harpsichord and strings Musikalisches Opfer (Musical Offering, text from the Book of Revelation, 12) was commissioned by the Vilnius Festival in 2000 and dedicated to J. S. Bach’s jubilee year. In this opus the composer was able to combine religious and secular signs, baroque and contemporary elements. According to the composer, the musical material is based on two monograms: B-A-C-H and E-H-A-D. “He alone is God, and only He is God” (E-H-A-D translates from Hebrew in the Bible). The God and Bach fit here as if on a single musical altar. It is also a cross-cultural code understood by listeners from different countries. Martinaitis’ Musikalisches Opfer (Musical Offering) radiates vividly the desire for a universal Baroque Metaphor – an embodiment of insight, ingenuity and the spiritual wholeness.

Performers: Giovanni da Silva (tenor), Vaiva Eidukaitytė-Storastienė (harpsichord), Giedrius Gelgotas (flute), Eugenijus Paškevičius (oboe), the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra. Conductor Adrija Čepaitė.