Narcissus

Pjesy kompozitorov Pribaltiki dlia dvuch piano. - Leningrad: Sovetskij kompozitor, 1989
Vilnius: Lithuanian Music Information and Publishing Centre, MILC 010, 1999
Kamen: Karthause-Schmülling
CD Nymphaeum. - Vilnius: Lithuanian Music Information and Publishing Centre LMIPCCD033, 2006
CD Lithuanian Ensemble Network. - Iš arti 001, 2010
CD Lithuanian Music in Context II. Landscapes of Minimalism. - Vilnius, Lithuanian Music Information and Publishing Centre LMIPCCD067-068, 2011

Although in her later works Nomeda Valančiūtė had somewhat veered away from the style found in the Narcissus, it was her first piece, with which she had achieved prominence, and one of the most striking manifestations of the new generation of composers, which was soon labelled the “machinists.” This effective and evocative piece seems to embrace the styles of different epochs by combining the elements of Baroque keyboard music, features of Classical sonata development, heightened sensitivity and drama of Romanticism, and, finally, timbral extravagance characteristic of the 20th century music. The image of Narcissus who fell in love with his own reflection is conveyed in music by applying a simple yet ingenious trick: both performers play exactly the same part, as if reflecting each other, while the unusual combination of instruments adds a piquant and unexpected twist to this otherwise classical story.

Linas Paulauskis