Music Information Centre Lithuania has released a new album, "Meine Seele wartet" (My Soul is Waiting), subtitled "Metamorphosen" (Metamorphoses), by Diana Čemerytė, a Lithuanian composer living in Frankfurt am Main. The seven opuses selected for the album are inspired by the music of the old masters, which the artist transforms and presents in her own way to the modern listener, inviting us to rethink past and present.

According to German musicologist Christian Münch-Cordellier, all of the works on this CD are inspired by the works or compositional styles of other composers, and sometimes just by one memorable motif. “The German-based Lithuanian composer transforms all this into her own new work by means of metamorphosis(es). This type of composition has recently been at the centre of her work. It's like paying homage to the old masters, or having a conversation with them. In her compositions of the metamorphoses, Čemerytė is in dialogue with the history of music – paradoxically, she has come closer to herself in this way,” he observes.

The title piece, “Meine Seele wartet…”, is inspired by a cantata by J.S. Bach, while Jahre ohne Mozart (Years Without Mozart) is inspired by this great composer’s string quintet. Other works refer to songs by Schubert and Schumann, and the theme “Heinrich and Thomas Mann in exile”. The earliest work on this album was inspired by Gregorian chant, written after the composer graduated and moved to Germany. Such compositional method is used to create a dialogue with the audience. According to the composer, the moment of recognition is crucial.

“When I release a new work or a CD, I always have ambivalent feelings: on the one hand, the joy of having done a great job, and on the other hand the excitement of wondering how this baby will go on living without me. I’m very happy with this work, happy to have the most amazing team of contemporary music performers! I sincerely wish that the metamorphoses will be heard and recognised, and that they encourage the listener to rethink the links between the past and the present,” says Čemerytė.

The composer’s new album was recorded at the MAMA Studios in 2023 by well-known performers in Lithuania: the Chordos string quartet, the Synaesthesis contemporary music ensemble, the flautist Giedrius Gelgotas, the harpist Joana Daunytė, and the accordionist Raimondas Sviackevičius, while the harpsichord part was played by Lukas Butkus. The album design was created by Laura Grigaliūnaitė.

“It’s vital to keep in touch with Lithuanian composers living abroad, so we’re happy to have succeeded in eternalising the music of Diana Čemerytė. A true ‘dream team’ participated in this project and recorded the music,” says Greta Jakobsonaitė, the album’s producer and project manager at MICL.

On 23 February at the Vilnius Book Expo, a discussion will take place led by the question, “How and why do the music and literature of the old masters still influence the work of contemporary composers in post-modern times?” It will be attended by Čemerytė and Robertas Bliškevičius, the founder of Chordos, and will be moderated by musicologist Rasa Murauskaitė-Juškienė. After the discussion, there will be an opportunity to talk to the artist and get her autograph at the MICL booth.

Diana Čemerytė was born in Panevėžys in Lithuania and studied composition at the Lithuanian Academy of Music in Vilnius with Osvaldas Balakauskas. She went on to study musicology at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main. Her works include chamber music, choral music, and two operas for children. In 2019, GENUIN Classics released her first portrait CD “Mondgesänge” for recorder and accordion.

The album “Meine Seele wartet” can be purchased at Music Information Centre Lithuania’s e-shop MusicLithuania.com and at Bandcamp. It is also available on all popular music listening platforms.

The recording and publishing of the album was financed by the Lithuanian Council for Culture, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, and the association LATGA.

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Content:

1. "Meine Seele wartet...", After Listening to Bach 
Synaesthesis Ensemble: Vytenis Gurstis - flute, Artūras Kažimėkas - clarinet, Kristina Morozova - violin, Monika Kiknadzė - viola, Arnas Kmieliauskas - cello, Marta Finkelštein - piano, Karolis Variakojis - conductor
2. Lamentation. I 
3. Lamentation. II 
4. Lamentation. III 
Chordos String Quartet: Ieva Sipaitytė - violin, Vaida Paukštienė - violin, Robertas Bliškevičius - viola, Arnas Kmieliauskas - cello
5. "Dämmrung will die Flügel spreiten"
Giedrius Gelgotas - flute, Robertas Bliškevičius - viola, Joana Daunytė - harp
6. After Listening to Louise Reisner
Raimondas Sviackevičius - accordion
7. Ave Maris Stella, or Ten Minutes with Organum
Chordos String Quartet: Ieva Sipaitytė - violin, Vaida Paukštienė - violin, Robertas Bliškevičius - viola, Arnas Kmieliauskas - cello
8. Advent Meditation on the Chorale "How Beautiful the Morning Star Shines" 
Lukas Butkus - harpsichord, Chordos String Quartet: Ieva Sipaitytė - violin, Arnas Kmieliauskas - cello
9. Years Without Mozart
Raimondas Sviackevičius - accordion, Chordos String Quartet: Ieva Sipaitytė - violin, Vaida Paukštienė - violin, Robertas Bliškevičius - viola, Arnas Kmieliauskas - cello