CONCERTS "ČIURLIONIS. SLOWED AND REWERB" BY ENSEMBE OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC “SYNAESTHESIS“

We invite you to the concerts “Čiurlionis. Slowed and Reverb“, played by the ensemble of contemporary music "Synaesthesis", on 11 May, Sunday, at 2.00 p. m. and 4.00 p. m., in the Museum Yard of Crosses.  

„Čiurlionis. Slowed and Reverb“ – this is a point of view from which we would look at Čiurlionis' piano work as if through a microscope, compositionally elongating it and slowing it down to an extreme.

The idea of ​​the program, conceived by a member of the ensemble Simonas Kaupinis, is based on the phenomenon of a sound which is available on the Internet, where, since about 2017, more and more well-known music recordings with the note slowed and reverb can be found. These are versions of popular compositions or songs that the Internet users upload to music or video platforms, slowing them down a bit and applying an echo effect. If songs in pop culture are usually modulated upwards, thus creating a sense of uplift, in this case (slowed and reverb) the listener feels the opposite – the work sounds deeper and calmer, the sounds flow as if through a mist. Sometimes songs or compositions are elongated to the extreme, up to one or several hours, thus turning the work into an atmospheric, ambient sound flow.

The composer Dominykas Digimas, who recomposed the work, used a unique musical language based on the principle of slow change, when repetitious musical motifs are performed by one or more musicians, without being tied to a single meter and tempo. M. K. Čiurlionis' prelude in D minor (VL239) was chosen for this recomposition, which is extremely extended and orchestrated for the musicians of the ensemble "Synaesthesis". All the harmonic proportions of the prelude have been preserved authentically. The musical elements are arranged in time like sound objects in an everyday soundscape. This becomes another link between Čiurlionis' unique atmospherics, attention to nature and its symbolism, and D. Digimas' thematic field, which is often based on the concept of listening and looking into the small details of everyday life.

The piece was written and first performed during the LRT KLASIKA residency.
The project is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture
The project is implemented by “Šiuolaikinė ausis” 

The creative team:
Author of the concept – Simonas Kaupinis
Composer – Dominykas Digimas
Performers – ensemble of contemporary music "Synaesthesis”:
Arminas Bižys – tenor saxophone
Artūras Kažimėkas – clarinets
Simonas Kaupinis – tūbe
Marta Finkelštein – grand piano
Monika Kiknadzė – alto
Arnas Kmieliauskas –cello

The concerts are part of a series of events related to the exhibition “From Amber to the Stars. Together with M. K. Čiurlionis: Now and Then“ at the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art.

The event is public and may be filmed and photographed. By participating in the event, you agree to be seen in photos and videos of the event and you are informed that these photos and videos may be published publicly.