Interview - Diana Cemeryte

Another week has flown by and I find myself with another interview for the blog. I have really enjoyed this particular process as I keep finding excuses to indulge myself in the music of composers I really admire. This interview is of course no exception. For those of you who are familiar with my blog, will know I have discussed Diana Cemeryte's work before, and have had more than positive things to say about it. For those curious, you can see me discussing Still by Diana here. 

When I initially discussed this interview with Diana, I had asked which piece should would like me to present alongside the article. She recommend I discuss her work Les essais c'est tout II (2016) for string quartet, percussion, and electronics. I was fortunate enough to witness the premiere firsthand in Jauna Muzika last year. I was struck by the sheer austerity and clarity of the work, despite its darker qualities. The metronomic pulsations combined with the mutterings from the electronics and the ensemble create a curious sense of spaciousness and impending urgency. The sensation is akin to watching the jittering activities at the microscopic level of a larger lifeform. The creature itself may be standing still, but at its most minute level, it is bustling with energy and anticipation. What I also find curious about Les essais c'est tout II is it appears to be one of the most overtly dramatic works by the composer. I always find moments like this, when a composer has a momentary shift from their 'typical' creations, and build something distinctly different but also distinctly them. It is a very pleasant moment indeed, and this work is a perfect example of this. I do hope it gets multiple performances in the near future. So before I move onto the interview portion, have a listen to Les essais c'est tout II on her soundcloud.

Labas Diana, thank you for allowing me to interview you for the blog. For those who did not see me talking about your music previously, could you briefly describe your work?

Labas Ben, thank you for your interest in my music. You know, I believe in power of not overloaded music  that is expressed with minimal number of gestures. My music must breathe, must have pauses and time to listen into it. This is perhaps (why) I mostly compose chamber music. Quite often I find inspiration in early music, especially in Gregorian chant. I sang personally Gregorian chant almost 10 years. So, this intimate relationship to that kind  of music inspired and guided me every time: 2001 I wrote Ave Maris Stella, oder zehn Minuten mit Organum for string quartet, 2006 -  a piece named O clemens, o pia.. for a clarinet and percussion, 2013 I initiated a project VIDI AQUAM: A Dialogue between Postmodern and Gregorian Chant  etc.

You have been living and working in Frankfurt for a significant amount of time now, I am curious to know what first led you to move to city first? And secondly how you feel the local scene and the national scene have influenced your work to date?

I always wanted to study in Germany. It’s a magic country for  musicians, isn’t it? So, I studied three years (of) musicology at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt. But the main reason, why I  left Lithuania (in 2001) was more simple – it was love.

Music trends in Lithuania were more or less influenced by the post romantic spirit at that time, so naturally I was fascinated at so different music landscape in Germany.  You could choose between various ways of music: K. Stockhausen, H. Lachenmann, W. Rihm etc.  You could attend concerts with amarvelous musicians and the most important thing at that time for me was – the contemporary music was truly played and performed live in concerts! Next important point was attending the Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik in Darmstadt. I did it twice in 2004 and 2006 and it was intensive learning and great experience for me. In two week I could meet and research in Darmstadt all the music streams and currents. And you get  such a dose, injection of contemporary music for the  entire year or probably even for the entire life. So, I really recommend it for young composers!

Back to your question, I think, I naturally pick some music elements or effects to my music vocabulary from the music, which I listen and appreciate in Germany. I also think, that I benefit from the both music landscapes – the Baltic and the western (I don’t want to say german).

I have been drawn to your music, mostly because of its honest depiction and dedication to form. It never feels complex, but you manage to portray complex ideas in such a manner that they can draw the listener in. How do you think you manage to make this quality? And which piece do you think shows this off the most?

You can speak much better about my music than I, Ben. You know, in my music I try to construct modes. I feel myself like a painter, who lays different layers of colors: sometimes thick, sometimes transparent. For me it is not important to develop themes, to lead them to the culmination. Much more important is to play with the material, with the colours, with different modes, to move these layers from one space to the space. Sometimes this is the way, I revive the sounds from the early culture (Hildegard von Bingen), or let myself inspire from the visual arts. This is like in the piece Les essais c'est tout II (2016) for string quartet, percussion and tape. I tried to dive into the art of a Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti, his long, continuous, fragile and often walking figures. An allusion to the works of Giacometti I  used long and subtle lines of instruments, reduced musical elements and somewhat transparent patterns.

Recently you had the premiere of your children’s opera, congratulations again, how did you feel when you approached writing for children? Often composers avoid such commissions as they feel it beneath them, but I imagine you hit it with stride.

Thank you! It was an honour to compose something for children! I was very glad, I could choose among five instruments (it’s still my favorite chamber music) and children chorus. Of course I had to concentrate on the simple melodies, to much more consonant music, but I also used my favorite effects, like air noises of the wind instruments, whispers in the chorus, or complex piano and percussion rhythms. I was so happy about this project! Especially - about the book and CD of this opera!

What are you currently working on at the minute?

This half of the year will be very intensive for me:  I will have three commissions. At this moment I am working on the piece for the Thomas Mann Festival in Nida.

And as is my habit with these interviews, what five recordings would you want to have with you if you were stranded on a desert island?

It is difficult to choose only five recordings. Every phase of our life has favorite music. Therefore, I will take these compositions, which were important to me in the different times of my life: something from medieval music (Hildegard von Bingen, or gregorian chant), Gustav Mahler Adagietto from Symphony no. 5, Arvo Pärt  Sarah Was Ninety Years Old, the Salvatore Sciarrino’s opera Luci mie traditrici and Keith Jarrett The Köln Concert.

Look back at the academic year.

After many months of personal evolving, exploring, listening, reading, and murdering of a new language, I have come to the end of my first academic year in Vilnius. It has been a wonderful year full of uncovering lots of glorious works and witnessing many fantastic performances.

I wanted to use this post to look back at some of my favourites. So in no particular order, here are the gems of the year:

GAIDA - Obviously it would be crazy to ignore GAIDA Festival 2015. The festival is a great time and place during the Vilnius calendar, showing off cutting edge pieces from across the world and placing native Lithuanians on a level playing field. The festival's championed composers were Terry Riley and Francesco Filidei, two glorious composers indeed and it was a particular joy to witness Francesco Dillon performing Filidei's 'Ogni Gesto d'Amore' such a beautiful work indeed. Out of the Lithuanians being premiered in the festival, two composers particularly stood out for me.

 Juste Janulyte's 'Radiance' for choir and electronics is probably the single most purified rendition of her monochromatic work. The intensity and beauty was second to none, and I have discovered it will be performed in Klaipeda in September so need to run to the sea for that! The other glorious work was Ricardas Kabelis's 'Bole LT', the work for string orchestra and electronics was profoundly intense. The pulsing cluster was dark and powerful. The hypnotic sensation was mind-bending, and then the sudden appearance of 'Bolero' was a true mark of artistic insanity. As I said in the review of the concert, whether you liked it as an audience member doesn't matter, the simple fact everyone was affected shows it was one of the most profound pieces of art in the festival, and for me, throughout the year.


JAUNA MUZIKA - Another important festival within Lithuania is JAUNA MUZIKA, the festival is dedicated to electronic music and is another dedicated festival promoting Lithuanians on par with composers from across the world. A particular highlight of the festival for me was the Art Vio Quartet's performance within the festival. Two works from the concert stole my heart.


Marius Baranauskas's 'Delta Cephi' was a profoundly colourful work for cello and tam-tam. The sonorous melody of the cello combined with the shimmers and scraps of the tam-tam made for a profound work, full of creative and powerful interplay between two instruments. The sheer capacity and ingenuity of the work could rival any work for cello and orchestra, a joy to behold and hopefully I can get hold of a recording of it. Another work that affected me profoundly was Diana Cemeryte's 'Les essais c'est tout II'. The work for strings, percussion and electronics was full of subtle nuances and gestures and the poetic interaction of the ensemble was elegant throughout. Thankfully the recording of the work is on Soundcloud so enjoy!

Melos Kamerinis Moteru Choras Debut - My year wasn't just full of elegant new music festivals, I also had the joy of witnessing new ensembles try to define themselves in the music scene. The most successful one, for me, was Melos Kamerinis Moteru Choras. This all female choir had the sheer audacity to perform new works from young composers from across the world. The premieres of works by Juta Pranulyte, Matas Drukteinis, Monika Sokaite, Nathan James Dearden, Sarah Rimkus, and Monika Szpyrka were a joy to behold, but for me the greater joy came from the sheer brilliance of the ensemble. This is a highly talented ensemble with the bravery to work with upcoming composers with such gusto and bravado has to be celebrated for the great thing it really is. 

Vytautas Bacevicius - Alongside many wonderful concerts, I also was able to come across scores, or gain a deeper knowledge of glorious gems hidden within the Baltic state. One of those composers was Vytautas Bacevicius. A composer whose imagination and harmonic dare rivals the likes of Scriabin and Messiaen. His Zodis (Mots) are a collection of seven works for keyboard instruments which gave Bacevicius a space to define his own development on his own terms. The seventh mots for two pianos, for me, is the most elegant example of it. The interplay of the two instruments within this elegantly constructed landscape is just magnificent. Definitely a series of works I need to know more deeply, from a composer I cannot wait to know even more about.


Vytautas Montvila - Before moving to Lithuania, I was vaguely aware of the work of Vytautas Montvila. The small knowledge I had of his blew my mind. A music that juxtaposes native folk melodies alongside gut-wrenching harmonies and sonoristic splendour can only be celebrated for the genius it is. During my time in Vilnius I was able to get a wider knowledge of his work, discovering his modestly skilled piano works like 'Miragen' or 'Sutartines' or other monolithic works like 'Chorai' or 'Sventine poema' have been nothing but a joy. Be prepared to find more articles about him from me.


For me another joy to behold has been discovering young talent within Vilnius. As Lithuania is in a wonderfully catalytic moment in its history, the younger composers are full of energy, desire, and imagination to run into new and to redefine themselves as a nation. For me there have been some really talented composers here are just two of them:

Karolina Kapustaite - In short, I have loved everything I have heard from this composer. Her sheer imagination, combined with a brutal directness means every work hits you hard. For me the strongest works I have heard from her, were her string orchestra work which was premiered in Druskomanija '16 as well as her intensive work 'No Title' for piano, magnets and multiple performers. The exploration of colours simply stunned me and it is a joy to be able to listen to her works on soundcloud over and over again.

Jura Elena Sedyte - Stunned me with her work for saxophone quartet performed by Katarsis4 in Druskomanija '16. The work was simply and profound violent. The slow growth and evolution of the music was magnificent, starting from little murmurings and squeaks before evolving into screams and roars. I look forward to see more from her.


This year has been glorious, I cannot wait to see what the next year will bring me. 

Grazio dienos!   

JAUNA MUZIKA 16: 5 Composers, 5 Pieces, lots of amplification

Last night was the second performance in the JAUNA MUZIKA 16 festival. The concert featured five brand new works, by five different Lithuanian composers who, funnily enough, I have wittered about on here at some point in the past. The performance in the Menu Spaustuves Black Hall, was of a very high quality and the mood was just right for premieres; full of excitement, nerves, and curiosity.

The first work Delta Cephei by Marius Baranauskas, was for the smallest instrumentation, but you'd have no idea when you listened to it. The piece was inspired by a quadruple star system in Cepheus and various parameters were used to shape the colour, tempi, and motivic development. The work was powerfully austere in the opening, with only a few scraps and brushes to move the music along, but despite this it always felt very rich and full. The cellist, Povilas Jacunskas, played every gesture with beauty and grace and Tomas Kulikauskas on percussion brought out every minute detail of the tam-tam to life. The shape and nuance of the work was profound and striking, this could easily be the strongest piece I have heard by Marius. I distinctly feel Marius enters a new realm when working with a chamber group, having to bring the most out of them to build the richest and most profound music. Who needs an orchestra when you have an amplified tam-tam?

Following this came Julius Aglinskas's '...' for string quartet. Instantly the worked revealed its intentions to challenge the notion of 'quartet' by separating the group into two duos. The lack of direct interaction between the duos was curious indeed, and the electronics went on the colour and blur the sensation of what we heard in front of us. The musicality was modest, and I kept finding myself pondering how much it reminded me of 'Jesus' love never failed me yet' by Gavin Bryars or even 'Lento' by Howard Skempton. However I did find the modesty began to stray too close to predictability, I imagine if it started from even less or was more radical and sparse by stretching it over a longer period of time would have been a far more impressive work.

Then came my other personal highlight of the concert, Diana Cemeryte's Les essais c'est tout II for string quartet, percussion and electronics. With whistles and clicks the music grew. I was so enthralled I struggled to write notes about it during the performance. The musicality was profound and striking. Every note struck to my core, and gripped me. The work had me eagerly wanting more. There was such austere beauty and profound sense of violence from five instruments, the work always advanced never resting and always on the attack. The intense restriction was so strong that when the simple electronic part came to the foreground I was dumbfounded by it. A truly elegant work and it was a real luxury to listen to the premiere.

After some shuffling came a work by Albertas Navickas, called 'tylos'. The piece started being very playful and inviting with the bowed cymbals in a cheeky counterpoint with the visuals on the screen. From this the work grew, building more and more colour, and feeling like it was accelerating, then suddenly the electronics started talking and instantly I was put off by it. The simple flaw in the work is it was almost identical to 'Different Trains' by Steve Reich, and why should I listen to a different work when I could listen to Reich; if I ever wanted to. It did sadden me this fact, because it was dedicated to his Grandma's 95th birthday, which is wonderfully sweet, but the music was just a pale imitation of something else.

And then, the finale came in the form of Monika Sokaite's 'O Tu Illustrata'; a setting of texts by Hildergard von Bingen for Baritone (doubling glockenspeil), string quartet, percussion and electronics. Instantly it could be seen the work was striving to achieve something big. Starting from a very still build up of chords built upon the foundation of the bass drum. The entrance of the baritone was nice, and the melodic line was rather pretty; but the positives were kind of ruined by the fact they were soaked in reverb. The piece moved along and climaxes were rammed down the throat simply because they were loud. At times the interaction between the different entities began to fall apart, as string quartet was often drowned out by the percussion, and due to all the reverb on the baritone he lost all the wonderful clarity in his voice. It was wonderful to see the composer strive for something more, but sadly this didn't achieve much, if this concert taught us anything doing less is far more striking and powerful. Sometimes the most heartfelt and profound gesture is whispered and not shouted.

The musicians in the concert were of a wonderful calibre, five disparate pieces can be a nightmare for any ensemble to do well, but the members of the Art Vio quartet were more than up for the task. Tomas Kulikauskas on percussion showed his clout throughout the concert, and Vaidrius Smilinskas has a bright future as a singer ahead of him, would love to hear him again in the future.

The festival has been very strong this year, and I am glad to see it hasn't fallen into the trap of producing its own 'festival sound' a rarity among festivals I fear. So the organisers of the festival do deserve congratulations for the success of this year.

Diana Cemeryte: Still

This week I am going to introduce a truly wonderful composer. Diana Cemeryte is a wonderful discovery I have made since I moved to Vilnius. A composer whose music is just wonderfully still and hypnotic. A student of Teistutis Makacinas, Rytis Mazulis, and Osvaldas Balakauskas Diana currently resides in Frankfurt.

Due to her study of gregorian chant and desire to not 'chatter' her music is extremely austere. The austerity is not a coldness or lack of sensation, but a chilled beauty like a singular snowflake. A snowflake is quite a wonderful comparison as the stillness is not just an empty space. In composers like Morton Feldman the stillness is frozen music moving extremely slowly, whereas in Anton Webern and Diana Cemeryte the stillness is extremely and elegantly layered. The fixation on gregorian chant and early polyphony means her work flows and moves seamlessly from space to space.

The music draws you in and forces you to focus on a singularity. As soon as you do this, you see how complex and sophisticated the construction is; like zooming in on a snowflake you see the symmetry, the skilled and perfect construction which was invisible from a distance.

The piece that first drew me into her astounding work was Still (2004) for solo piano. A work which in its seven minutes takes you away to something distant and profoundly mystical. The opening is intensely quiet, with lines bouncing around the highest reaches of the instrument. Notes hang in the air as the counterpoint thickens. Despite being so still and silent, the listener is frozen in place. You slowly begin to pick out small instances of the harmonic language, but due to the sparsity and modesty of it all these hints fall into insignificance. The flowing lines steadily pick up momentum and you gain the sensation of a rippling energy under the surface, like a river flowing under the ice.

The sensation of form has disintegrated in this piece, this isn't to say there is no form in actuality the form ceases to matter. The 'climax' around the five minute mark is striking, almost startling, and you calmly return to the meditative stillness and just follow the work to its end. The piece flows, the moment arrives, the moment passes. Once its gone it never returns, hints of a past are dropped every so often, but you just sit and watch the world flow by; like a monk meditating. A thought arrives and a thought leaves.

Such an elegant work indeed, you can listen to it here on soundcloud. I will definitely be on the look out for more work from this stunning composer.