VIDMANTAS BARTULIS

The oeuvre of Vidmantas Bartulis, abounding with the variety of styles, genres, manners and moods, embraces a wide range of music genres – from chamber miniatures to opera and large scale orchestral works, from arrangements of folk songs to the monumental Requiem, etc. In almost all of his compositions, Bartulis used to turn to his favourite music of the past. By quoting or imitating beloved composers in his works, he saluted Vivaldi, J. S. Bach, Haydn, Chopin, Dvořák, Puccini and others. His series of musical dedications I like… is akin to a reverence to the past, to the great masters. Perchance the most popular I like… by Bartulis is dedicated to Franz Schubert. Commissioned by Maestro Donatas Katkus the opus was composed in 1998 for St. Christopher Orchestra. Bartulis chose the Austrian romanticist’s Adagio (second movement) from Quintet in C major, Op. 163 as the target of his reflection. According to the composer, “as a matter of fact the whole series of my I like…, employing the original ‘details’, was constructed as ‘new’ music… So, in this case, it can be said that the ‘notes’ belong to Schubert, and ‘music’ to me…”.