June 30 the only such b'ART evening in an unusual environment - the piece "8" by one of the most outstanding composers of the USA today, Michael Gordon, will be played in a modern and unexpected architectural expression building - the Vilkaviškis bus station.
A famous representative of the New York music scene, Michael Gordon, who has Lithuanian roots, has himself visited Lithuania several times, his works are often heard in our country and every time they receive the highest appreciation from the audience, who accompany this creator in the world's most famous concert halls. The composer's work these days covers a wide spectrum: from long works for ensembles to orchestral scores and interdisciplinary collaborations. Michael Gordon's clients include Lincoln Center, Carnegy Hall Concert Hall, Stuttgart Ballet, US, European and Asian orchestras, famous contemporary music festivals.
Mr. Gordon's music is the product of his traditional composition training and experience with underground New York rock bands. The composer's post-minimalist work embodies the original, "crossover" spirit of American music, which does not shy away from artistic and technical challenges. For the past ten years, Mr. Gordon has been thinking about how sound originates and spreads when making music.
"We're used to the sound just coming: we're used to the concert format, the musicians on stage playing for us, the sound coming at us, and that sound is flat. And I'm very interested in sounds that come from many points around, I'm interested in how they move in space in different directions.
I've always created what I'm interested in, or what I'm feeling at the moment, what feels right to me, what's the mood inside. I'm not trying to make the same or just things that are actually meant to be consumed. They are for what I feel, what I am interested in, where I am going. It can be very light and very serious music, and lately I've been interested in being in an environment where music is playing: then you kind of immerse yourself in it."
Mr. Gordon's work "8", despite its extremely laconic title, is an impressive audio journey lasting about an hour. According to the author, this music is intended to "induce a quasi-meditative, almost ecstatic state in both listeners and performers." The number "8" indicates the number of performers - the piece is played by eight cellos arranged in a circle. For the audience, this piece is best heard seated around the octet of performers. The acoustic result Mr Gordon envisions is a "spiral of sound", and "the innovation is that the sound travels in a circle in both directions".
"If you listen closely, you'll hear bass notes traveling in space independent of the melodic line." I think of this sound perspective a bit like the transition from two-dimensional art to three-dimensional. Sound is not a flat line - it plays many roles in space and time. It's like a three-dimensional sculpture," says M. Gordon. He also adds that he chose the name "8" because of the shape of the number itself: "It's a wonderful rounded sign that also resembles the outline of a cello."
The Lithuanian version of this work will be performed by the charismatic group of cellists "Cello Club", whose composition will be significantly expanded thanks to this work. Collective in 2020 founded by excellent soloists and chamber music performers Povilas Jacunskas, Domas Jakštas, Arnas Kmieliauskas, Evaldas Petkus and Rokas Vaitkevičius. Gleb Pyšniak, Dainius Misiūnas and Šarūnas Pozniakovas will join them in the performance of M. Gordon's work. The name of the group, which means "cello club", encodes a message of openness, not committing to one line-up and leaving freedom for various choices of the music performed. Therefore, since the beginning of its activity, the Cello Club has taken a creative approach to its programs - it offers the audience both classical and popular music, and encourages composers to write pieces especially for this group. The uniqueness of Cello Club is that each member of the ensemble can become its leader, soloist. A flexible approach to themselves and the music they perform allows Cello Club to take on interpretive challenges such as M. Gordon's "8".
