This second Ondine recording of music by Žibuoklė Martinaitytė (b. 1973) is devoted exclusively to works scored for string orchestra, all of which were composed in the last three years. These works are performed by the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, one of the most internationally well-known orchestras from Lithuania, conducted by Karolis Variakojis. Based in New York City, Martinaitytė has begun to be recognized in the United States as well as throughout Europe; recently her orchestral work Saudade was performed on a subscription concert by the New York Philharmonic. Martinaitytė continues to refine her carefully crafted musical compositions which are equally inspired by the external natural world and internal psychological realms, but which are all filtered through her desire to create music that, first and foremost, is beautiful.

REVIEW:

The two opening works Nunc fluens. Nunc stans (which also features percussion) and Ex tenebris lux explore ideas of time and change, conveying gradual shifts in mood through subtle fluctuations in musical colour and texture. There follows the substantial four-movement work Sielunmaisema. Each of the work’s movements is named after a season, while the title itself draws on a Finnish word for ‘soul-landscape, a particular place that a person carries deep in the heart and returns to often in memory’. Thus each movement is a ‘sonic portrait of the composer’s internal responses to the four seasons’, from the brittle and percussive rigour of ‘Winter’ to the humming, drone-like warmth of ‘Summer’. Performed with great flair by the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, this excellent disc offers a welcome introduction to Martinaitytė ’s compelling and transporting music.

-- BBC Music Magazine