Composers On Air welcomes Mindaugas Urbaitis. This special guest is a monumental influencer in the historical evolution of contemporary music. Not only a composer, Urbaitis is an important figure in the Lithuanian cultural landscape with a broad spectrum of contributions in the field of music education, musicology, theater, film, opera, ballet and broadcasting. He is a co-founder of Modus, a radio show and now a podcast with Šarūnas Nakas with over 600 episodes.

Tracklist: Compositions by Mindaugas Urbaitis: Schlußstück from the album Lithuanian New Music Year 1998 (Music Information Centre, 1999), Judita Leitaitė (soprano), Vygantas Šilinskas (trombone), Danielius Rubinas (double bass), Pavelas Giunteris (percussion), Ramūnas Kaučikas (percussion), Chordos String Quatet, Conductor Mindaugas Piečaitis; Lithuanian Folk Music from the album A Baltic Collection (Finlandia Records, 2000), Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, conductor – Juha Kangas; Der Fall Wagner from the album Vėl. Lithuanian Chamber Music 1991-2001 (Guild, 2004), Carsten Hustedt (flute), Ingrida Armonaitė (violin), Audronė Pšibilskienė (viola); Lacrimosa from the album Psalmos. Lithuanian Sacred Contemporary Music (Vilnius Recording Studio, 1998), conductor – Modestas Pitrėnas; Quartetto per archi from the album Love Song and Farewell (Vilnius Recording Studio, 1998), Vilnius Quartet: Audronė Vainiūnaitė (1st violin), Petras Kunca (2nd violin), Girdutis Jakaitis (viola), Augustinas Vasiliauskas (cello); Salve (2017), Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre Symphony Orchestra, conductor – Gintaras Rinkevičius, Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, 2019; Arrest and First Investigation. Fräulein Bürstner from the ballet The Trial (Creative Industries, 2022), Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre symphony orchestra, conductor – Modestas Barkauskas; Stillness from the album M.K.Čiurlionis 125 (Bomba Records, 2000), Sonata Deveikytė-Zubovienė (piano), Vilnius String Quartet; The Book of Jerusalem of the North from the album Zoom in 2: New Music from Lithuania (Music Information Centre Lithuania, 2003), Edgaras Montvidas-Prudkauskas (tenor), Aleksandras Štarkas (violin), men's group of the chamber choir Aidija, Saulius Astrauskas, Zenonas Bagavičius, Vladislovas Šeibakas (percussion), Liudmila Adomavičiūtė (celesta); Strolling Over the Groves and Fields from the album Aidija. Lithuanian Choir Music (Aidija, 2009), chamber choir Aidija, conductor – Romualdas Gražinis.

The music of Dominykas Digimas is an overwhelmingly reliable source for transporting the inner state to a melancholic feeling of emotional simplicity. This is experienced as inexplicable comfort possibly making the listener feel like they are connecting with their true nature. A committed champion of the contemporary classical community, Digimas is a co-founder of the acclaimed ensemble Synaesthesis, a powerful force in the international performance and recording scene. We discuss the complexity of memory, the vulnerability of private communication, the creative process as well as his work as an organizer. The excerpts include a variety of instrumentation including examples from Synaesthesis and his orchestral palette.

Tracklist: Podcast intro: Bronius Kutavičius Anno cum tettigonia from Lithuanian Music in Context II. Landscapes of Minimalism (Music Information Centre Lithuania, 2011), Silesian String Quartet: Marek Moś (violin), Arkadiusz Kubica (violin), Łukasz Syrnicki (viola), Piotr Janosik (cello). Compositions by Dominykas Digimas: per sense (2018), Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, conductor – Juozas Domarkas, Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society, 2018; Oscillations from the album Melos. Minimal Voices (Aktualios muzikos projektai, 2020), Vocal Ensemble Melos: Justina Leinartaitė, Gabrielė Bilevičiūtė, Karolina Macytė, Gabija Adamonytė; From Another Point of View from the album Another Point of View (Music Information Centre Lithuania, 2018), Synaesthesis: Vytautas Oškinis (flute), Artūras Kažimėkas (clarinet), Andrius Rekašius (percussion), Marta Finkelštein (piano), Diemantė Merkevičiūtė (violin), Elena Daunytė (cello), Donatas Butkevičius (double bass), conductor – Karolis Variakojis; komorebi (2021), Cello Club: Povilas Jacunskas, Rokas Vaitkevičius, Evaldas Petkus, Domas Jakštas, Arnas Kmieliauskas, Lithuanian National Culture Centre, 2022; playing chess in Antarctica (2017), Twenty Fingers Duo: Lora Kmieliauskaitė (violin), Arnas Kmieliauskas (cello), Music Innovation Studies Centre, 2017; Sensescape from the album flaneur (Synaesthesis, 2021), Contemporary music ensemble Synaesthesis: Vytenis Gurstis (flute), Artūras Kažimėkas (clarinet), Diemantė Merkevičiūtė (violin), Monika Kiknadzė (viola), Arnas Kmieliauskas (cello), Donatas Butkevičius (double bass), Andrius Rekašius (vibraphone), Marta Finkelštein (piano), conductor – Karolis Variakojis; swells, pines, rustles… (2022), Lithuanian Symphonic Winds Orchestra, conductor – Karolis Variakojis, Baltic Music Days festival, 2022.

Rūta Vitkauskaitė’s work reflects a deep commitment and understanding of academic music combining her sincere interest in tribal and ethnic music. In addition to hearing her own solo violin performance, we learn about the complex and sometimes challenging aspects of her compositional process, her courage to fight for her creative space, the relationships she has formed with her collaborators and her sincere care for her audience. We also learn about her sound walk project. Her music is highly dynamic, always generating an active emotion.

Tracklist: Podcast intro: Bronius Kutavičius Anno cum tettigonia from Lithuanian Music in Context II. Landscapes of Minimalism (Music Information Centre Lithuania, 2011), Silesian String Quartet: Marek Moś (violin), Arkadiusz Kubica (violin), Łukasz Syrnicki (viola), Piotr Janosik (cello). Compositions by Rūta Vitkauskaitė: Chrysalis (2018), Jude Carlton (percussion), Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, conductor – Karolis Variakojis, Gaida Festival, 2018; Orion Arm (2011), Ludus Gravis: Daniele Roccato, Stefano Battaglia, Maurizio Bucci, Paolo Di Gironimo, Simone Masina, Giacomo Piermatti, Francesco Platoni, Alessandro Schillaci (double basses), Gaida Festival, 2011; Savęsp (2018), Martynas Levickis (accordion), Vilnius City Ensemble Mikroorkéstra, Congress Hall, Vilnius, 2018; Song about tree, river, sea and land (2009), NOA vocal ensemble: Olga Zagorskaja (soprano), Nora Petročenko (soprano), Rita Mačiliūnaitė (mezzo-soprano), Ana Ablamonova (mezzo-sooprano), Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė (alto), Akvilė Kalinaitė (alto), Artūras Miknaitis (baritone), Mykolas Natalevičius (bass), Giedrius Gelgotas (flute), Arūnas Kučinskas (double-bass), conductor – Egidijus Kaveckas, Druskomanija Festival, 2009; The Oracle of Many Winds (2021), Katherine Wren (viola), Modern Chants 2021; Byoyomi (2020), CRAS: Henrik Bay Hansen, Mikkel Egelund Nielsen, Jacob Nørrelund, Søren Eriksen, Uffe Carl Hanson, Peter Oldrup (guitars), Cinemateket 2020; O Mirum (2020), Rūta Vitkauskaitė (violin, electronics).