Articles

https://www.7md.lt/muzika/2019-06-07/Muzikines-noveles

“Everything starts with an idea. Then I search for ways to realize it”, said composer and cellist Arvydas Malcys in one of his interviews. He sees “poetry of music” as the fundamental generator of creative process. This CD, a collection of chamber music pieces, unfolds a certain quintessence of his individual music vocabulary and creative principles explicitly projecting his creative personality.

Malcys is an autonomous creator, the one who does not submit to the dictates of imposed techniques and stylistic vogues, and does not restrict himself and creative process with a priori notions. He can be seen as a contemporary creator open to rapidly changing world, its different angles, but at the same time not rejecting sonorities of cultural past and vigilantly safeguarding his creative values. This CD presents colourful chamber music revealing his approach immune to the canons. Therefore, one should not be surprised to discover one work presenting protominimalist structures, repetitive and motoric thinking, and the other offering episodes associated with sonorism or aleatorics, and even inserts of harmonic shifts characteristic of pop music. And all of that is often embodied in expressive and richly contrastive (from nostalgic to ironic, neoromantic to austere avant-garde) melodies integrating wide diapason and techniques of soloing instruments. In Malcys’ works they often act as a certain leitmotif migrating through textural layers and incarnating into different instruments. 

This collection features seven chamber music opuses. Many of them were inspired by various poetical images, nature, fragility of time and human existence. The period of composition spans twenty-five years – from Sonata for cello and piano Remembrances (1987) to Hyacinth of the Snowfields (2012). All of these works are linked by contrastive inner dramaturgy, wide emotional range, perusal of instrumental timbres and interacting textures, as well as eloquent allusions. Although they have different sound forms, they all embody human inclination to contemplation and longing for the unknown, metaphysical. Strong, almost program bond with the theme, expressive musical dramaturgy, search for contrasts, timbral buoyancy and performer’s approach – these qualities link the seven compositions.

The chamber works included in this CD inspire the listener to get involved into musical happening, follow expressively narrated stories and reflect on strong and electrified emotional charge. Quite a few musicologists have pointed out the personification of instruments as Malcys’ idiosyncrasy. It is easily detectable in these compositions. One feels that the instruments ‘acting’ in his chamber works get alive – rejoice or get perturbed, delve into sadness or become playful. For a moment the instruments are granted the gift of language through which the composer seeks to communicate with the listener.

In these opuses the laws of autonomy and variety are initiated not only through different timbres, textures and melodic formations, but also non-fear for contrasts. The composer focuses on communicative relationship with both the to-be-narrated message and the audience. Therefore, the suggestive quality of Malcys’ chamber music reveals his openness to surroundings and its components.

“One cannot frame Malcys’ music into any classification, however one notices spiritual bond with the past of European music and familiar cultural milieu in which one easily perceives common musical signs, accents and symbols”, wrote musicologist Laimutė Ligeikaitė. Thus this collection of chamber music can be compared to a book of short stories or essays in which each track presents a new story, symbol or yet undetected element of inner world.  

Performers of Arvydas Malcys new chamber music album  „Broken Time“: Trio "BaccK" (Broken Time), Maria Fedotova and Mindaugas Bačkus (Solitude for Two), Moscow M. Ippolitov-Ivanov piano quartet (Hyacinth of the Snowfields, Milky Way), Alexander Ramm and Anna Odincova (Sonata for cello and piano „Reminiscences“), Liudas Mockūnas and string quartet Chordos (Saxchord), Asta Krikščiūnaitė and Vilnius State Quartet (Jasmine’s Song). Sound directors - Arūnas Zujus and Vilius Kondrotas; recorded at MAMA studio, Lithuanian National Philharmonic, LMTA studio; the booklet was published by UAB Garsų pasaulis; manufactured by BOD Lietuva.