Pulse of Minimalism

In the concert Pulse of Minimalism, Lithuanian composer Gediminas Gelgotas leads musicians of the New Ideas Chamber Orchestra and the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra as well as the guests of the evening – Slovak double bassist Roman Patkoló and Swiss violinist David Nebel. According to G. Gelgotas, the initiator of the concert, the programme is full of many connections, stage and creative friendships and premieres.

The concert opens with the premiere of Bach Cello Suites Recomposed (2018) by Peter Gregson, a British cellist and composer. The composition is performed for the first time on double bass, with an accompaniment of a string orchestra (the piece was originally scored for cello sextet). The new construction of J. S. Bach’s Six Suites for Cello seems to take on new life and acquire unexpected colours, which are projected by double bass virtuoso R. Patkoló. The concert proceeds with the appearance of violinist D. Nebel, who has fascinated audiences all over the world with his virtuosity and profound musical matureness. The violinist presents two compositions for solo violin. Philip Glass’ Epilogue was written as the soundtrack to the film Bent (1997, dir. Sean Mathias). This two-minute piece contemplates the life’s painful challenges. The soulful meditation is followed by the Russian-German violinist and composer Aleksey Igudesman’s technically challenging composition Applemania (2020) from the album “Fasten Seat Belts: Virtuoso Pieces for Solo Violin”.

The concert features quite a few works by G. Gelgotas, the initiator of this programme. “It’s probably hard to assign my music to any category, current, style or direction. That is why, it reflects the world around us. Never before have people of different outlooks, races and confessions been as close to each other as they are today. Unity and the unification of processes in everything is a new language ”, said the composer. The concert Pulse of Minimalism features his highly rated compositions: Cadenza from the Concerto for Violin and Symphony Orchestra No. 1 (2018), Transitory, Higher Energy, Sanctifaction from Symphony No. 1 Extracultural (2015) and Lock Me In Your Light (Saint Luke, 2020). Written in a traditional radio-song format, this miniature was composed at a difficult time, when musicians around the world were shaken by a viral pandemic. This is an appeal to St. Luke, the patron saint of doctors and artists; it is a plea for the patronage of all who face doubts and go through complex inner experiences prompted by creative processes. The premiere of the work is performed by the members of the New Ideas Chamber Orchestra.