Vytautas Bacevi​č​ius. Selected Piano Works

Vytautas Bacevičius (1905-1970) was a composer and pianist, an outstanding personality in the history of Lithuanian music, and one of the first avant-gardists in interwar Lithuania who called for the creation of a modern Lithuania. After Čiurlionis, he was probably the only one to leave a huge and valuable legacy of piano and symphonic music, and he was himself an excellent concert pianist.

© Šarūnas Nakas

I came to know the music of Vytautas Bacevičius by chance. I was attracted not only by the fact that his music was related to the tendencies of 20th-century mysticism that interested me, but also by the uniqueness of this music both in the context of interwar Lithuania and in comparison with the trends of Lithuanian music in the Soviet era. While studying in Lithuania, I also got to know the winding path of his life (emigration, etc.) and his peculiar personality. His musical worldview, which is revealed in his letters, was close to mine. The programme of this album covers different periods of Bacevičius’ work, from the earliest to the late, so-called cosmic, music period.

© Yusuke Ishii

Recorded at MAMA Studios, 2023
Mixing and mastering: Arūnas Zujus
Graphic design: Liudas Parulskis
Producers: Lina Aselskytė, Radvilė Buivydienė
Texts: Yusuke Ishii, Šarūnas Nakas
Editors: Linas Paulauskis, Lina Aselskytė, Radvilė Buivydienė
Translator: Greta Jakobsonaitė
English language editor: Howard Jarvis

Partners:
Lithuanian Composers’ Union
Embassy of Japan in Lithuania
Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania to Japan

Released by Music Information Centre Lithuania
Supported by Lithuanian Council for Culture and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania