Onutė Narbutaitė at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2002

Throughout spring to autumn of this year, "Finlandia Records" introduced three CDs of works by Onutė Narbutaitė: Autumn Ritornello (0927-42996-2), The Gate of Oblivion (0927-43072-2), and June Music (0927-43437-2). The whole series will culminate with a fourth orchestral music CD, to be released in the spring of 2003. Three new releases will be launched at the Frankfurt Book Fair, where Lithuania will participate as this year's principal invited guest. The Frankfurt presentation will start with an introductory video featuring Onutė Narbutaitė discussing her relationship with her native town of Vilnius - the creative background for her oratorio Centones meae urbi - followed by a round-table discussion entitled "Open the Gate of Oblivion: Finlandia Records Presents Lithuanian Composer Onutė Narbutaitė".

The subtle and masterfully conveyed message in Onutė Narbutaitė's music is the most valuable quality that a composer of this generation can contribute to contemporary music. This generation influences our perception of the world: it forms ideas of countries, landscapes and local spaces, which open horizons of the imagination. If we want to understand our Europe we have to attentively listen to the music of Lithuanian composer Onutė Narbutaitė.
Andrzej Chłopecki

What changes in contemporary music are reflected in the work of composers born between 1948 and 1956? What parallels can be drawn between the music of Onutė Narbutaitė and that of Gérard Grisey in France, Magnus Lindberg in Finland, or Wolfgang Rihm in Germany? What is their relationship with composers of previous generations? Onutė Narbutaitė's music is in a continual dialogue with various trends in contemporary music - can the composer herself define the similarities and differences? How can her music be evaluated in the context of postmodern eclecticism? How does the category of "ethics" unfold in her music? These and many other questions will be raised at the round-table discussion which will include Onutė Narbutaitė, Polish musicologist Andrzej Chłopecki, and German music critic Lutz Lesle. The event will feature the Ensemble Carsten Hustedt performing Winterserenade by Onutė Narbutaitė.

The event will commence at 12:30 p.m., on October 10, 2002 in the Forum (ground floor).

Lithuanian Music Link No. 5