The LENsemble Vilnius, conducted by Vykintas Baltakas, won my attention because of their astounding interpretation of their interpretation of Osvaldas Balakauskas‘ composition Rain for Cracow (1991) for violin and piano. A worthy release.
Lithuania
Džiunglių Dvasios – Urban Jungle
Džiunglių Dvasios is, from what I understand, a drum & bass/downtempo project run by Evaldas Azbukauskas, who also records as Girių Dvasios. The beats are heavy and dubby with a bit of soul singing sampled into the tracks. Not quite easy listening, but pleasant in its own way.
Various Artists – Fly, Fly, You Hardened Arrow: Round Dance Songs of “Polish” Old Believers from Altai
The now-legendary Antonovka Records have done astounding work documenting music from Russia’s myriad of ethnic communities. This one is from the so-called “Polish” Old Believers in the Altai region. From the label’s Bandcamp site: “The ancestors of the Altai “Polish” Old Believers were peasants of the Vetka-Starodub territory of the Continue Reading
[Video] Mindaugas Piečaitis – Catcerto
![[Video] Mindaugas Piečaitis – Catcerto](https://musicyouneedtohear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/index.jpg)
No, this isn’t a prank. Lithuanian composer Mindaugas Piečaitis really did make a piece of orchestral music, and the cat, Nora, holds her own in comparison to more bloated practitioners of contemporary music. Not a bad effort, to be honest, and yes, it’s available through Apple Music, though there is Continue Reading
Giedrius Kuprevičius – Erotidijos
Giedrius Kuprevičius is a Lithuanian composer with roots in theater music. Erotidijos has a rather long history, originally being released on cassette in 1994, but the latest release adds around 30 minutes of music, and is available on vinyl as well as download. From his Bandcamp site: Erotidijos is a Continue Reading
(Video) When Dusk Meets Dawn – A Journey Through Baltic Music
I have a deep love of Baltic culture which kind of makes sense since my maternal line has roots in what is today Kaliningrad, Russia, but was, for centuries, German and Baltic (Old Prussian) soil. The music in the region possesses a magical quality to it, quite unlike any other Continue Reading