When Music Turns Cosmic

Gabrielius Alekna brings the music of Čiurlionis, Bacevičius, and other modernist visionaries to U.S. stages this fall. 

This fall, pianist Gabrielius Alekna brings his recital „Visionaries and Trailblazers: From Čiurlionis to Messiaen” to audiences in Chicago, Portland, Seattle, and New York. The program honors the 150th anniversary of M.K. Čiurlionis, Lithuania’s most celebrated artist, whose music and painting together shaped a unique modernist vision, as well as the 120th anniversary of Vytautas Bacevičius, a pioneering composer whose daring, cosmic style made him a key figure in 20th-century modernism. Both artists pushed Lithuanian music beyond its traditional boundaries and aligned it with the most daring trends in European art.

Alekna, lauded by legendary conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim as “a highly gifted pianist and musician,” will perform works by Čiurlionis and Bacevičius alongside pieces from contemporaries like Szymanowski, Skriabin, Schoenberg, Janáček, Josef Matthias Hauer, and Olivier Messiaen. These selections form a vibrant portrait of the innovative and visionary spirit behind early modern music. For U.S. audiences, the recital presents an opportunity to discover Čiurlionis as a composer, to recognize Bacevičius as Lithuania’s leading modernist pioneer, and to experience their music within the context of some of Europe’s most daring innovators.

Draugas News spoke with Gabrielius about his musical path, his recordings,

Could you tell us a little about your journey as a pianist – where you studied, who your most important teachers were, and how you shaped yourself into a performer?

My path was to a large extent pre-ordained – my mom wanted me to be a pianist before I was born. When I started formal lessons at the age of five, I already knew I wanted to be a concert pianist. My father, an amateur pianist himself, oversaw my practicing and instilled the discipline needed to progress on this path. A journey of my musical studies, in a way, reflects the story of Lithuania. I received an excellent and free musical and piano education at the National Čiurlionis Arts Gymnasium in Vilnius. I was 15 when Lithuania declared independence from the Soviet Union. Until that point, the best young musicians could only hope to study in Moscow; suddenly, the whole world opened up. I continued studying in Vilnius with my longtime teacher, the late Liucija Drąsutienė, until the right opportunity came up and I became the first Lithuanian to be accepted at the Juilliard School in New York on a full scholarship.

Many years ago, you received a Lithuanian Foundation scholarship and even played at one of their concerts for emerging artists. What do you remember from that time, and what did it mean for you early in your career?

I received a scholarship from the Lithuanian Foundation not once, but five times! And played in one of their yearly gala events. The only reason I was able to come to study in the US was due to generous scholarships, first from the Juilliard School and also from organizations such as the Lithuanian Foundation. Coming from a still poor post-Soviet country, I couldn’t rely on any support from my parents in Lithuania, and as an international student, I was not allowed to work in the US. I greatly appreciate all the assistance I received from the Lithuanian Foundation during those years, and several years ago, I became a member of the LF myself.

This fall you’ll be performing in New York, Chicago, Portland, and Seattle. For many listeners, it may be their first chance to encounter the music of Čiurlionis and Bacevičius. What do you hope American audiences will discover in hearing these composers for the first time?

Indeed, the music of Lithuanian composers is not widely known beyond Lithuania, even by professional musicians. My upcoming recitals offer an opportunity to explore the music of two of the most important Lithuanian composers of the 20th century. I’ve placed some of the most characteristic works by Čiurlionis and Bacevičius in the context of stylistically related music of their international contemporaries. I hope my listeners will notice and appreciate the sometimes-unexpected interactions, influences, and interconnectedness of artistic developments from that time. My larger goal is to show that the panorama of 20th-century music is richer and more nuanced than is usually thought.

Many Lithuanian Americans may be familiar with Čiurlionis’ music, but far fewer are aware of Vytautas Bacevičius. How would you describe him as a composer, and why is Bacevičius important?”

In the number and quality of his piano and orchestral works, Bacevičius had no equal among his contemporaries in Lithuania. In interwar Lithuania, he was a leading figure of the modernist movement in music and is now widely acknowledged as a central figure of 20th-century Lithuanian music. Additionally, he was the first and, for a very long time, the only Lithuanian pianist to achieve and maintain international recognition. He was the face of Lithuanian music to his international audiences.

This year marks Čiurlionis’ 150th and Bacevičius’ 120th anniversaries. How do you see their music relating to each other? What threads connect them, and where do they differ?

The idea to juxtapose their music in one recital program occurred to me for a very simple reason – it was due to their anniversaries. But the more I thought about that, the more links and threads I found that connect Bacevičius and Čiurlionis. That got me very excited! For example, both composers shared a predominantly Polish upbringing and, as already-formed artists, made the difficult decision to identify themselves as Lithuanians. For Čiurlionis, Lithuania as a state did not yet exist; for Bacevičius, the second half of his life was spent under the shadow of the Iron Curtain, cut off from his homeland.

Čiurlionis burst into the cultural life of Vilnius at the turn of the twentieth century as an entirely new creative force, while Bacevičius brought a comparable modern energy, both as composer and as concert soloist of international stature, to Kaunas in the interwar years. Each concentrated his creative fire above all in orchestral and piano music, and in their later works, both revealed a distinctly constructivist approach to composition. Their art, in different ways, reached toward the cosmic and the visionary: Čiurlionis most visibly in his paintings, Bacevičius in the titles of his works and in his conception of himself as an artist.

Finally, their compositions, now considered the greatest achievements of early and mid-20th-century Lithuanian culture, were at the time either misunderstood or simply unknown. Many of their most valuable works were never performed during the composers’ lifetime and were not published until decades after their deaths.

Your program also features music by Szymanowski, Scriabin, Janáček, Hauer, Jolivet, and Messiaen. Was there a particular discovery in preparing this program that excited you?

Yes! What particularly excited me was the realization that, rather than simply tracking stylistic influences, it’s more interesting to highlight unexpected associations and echoes across different periods and styles that cannot be easily explained. For example, some of the idiosyncratic music by the Viennese Josef Matthias Hauer in the 1920s bears uncanny similarities to some of Čiurlionis’s preludes written 20 years earlier; however, it is certain that Hauer was unaware of Čiurlionis’s music. Similarly, some elements of Leoš Janaček’s music (stormy ostinato patterns in the low register combined with a folk-type melody in the high register) are anticipated much earlier in Čiurlionis. My program illustrates these particular examples. Similarly, since Bacevičius cited the French composer André Jolivet as one link in the line of composers of “cosmic music,” it was interesting to include some of Jolivet’s music alongside Bacevičius’s. I hope that the listeners will find these kinds of connections enlightening and enjoyable.

Messiaen’s music is deeply spiritual, while Čiurlionis and Bacevičius also reached for something visionary and cosmic. When you play them, do you feel a kinship in their outlooks?

Very much so. That visionary, “cosmic” aspect is what unites my program. And not only relating to these three composers, but also to Scriabin, Hauer, and Jolivet. It’s fascinating to see how formal and structural aspects of music relate to its spiritual intentions.

You’ve recorded all of Bacevičius’ piano concertos and three volumes of his solo piano music — an extraordinary achievement. Many of the works were first recordings. How did it feel to be the first pianist to give them a recorded voice?

It felt great. When, more than 20 years ago, I became interested in Bacevičius’ music while searching for a topic for my doctoral dissertation at Juilliard, I quickly realized the vast potential for performing, recording, and publishing his music. It was almost unknown at that time, for two reasons. In the US, despite Bacevičius’ tireless efforts (for instance, his seven solo recitals at Carnegie Hall), he never quite broke into mainstream American musical culture. And behind the Iron Curtain, in the Soviet Lithuania, the work of all emigrant artists was virtually erased from the cultural consciousness. His music is a great untapped treasure. Once I started exploring that treasure, it began to feel like my mission – to bring Bacevičius’s music back to Lithuania and to the world.

Another major project was Žibuoklė Martinaitytė’s “Chiaroscuro Trilogy,” which she wrote especially for you. What was it like to work so closely with a living composer on a piece dedicated to you?

Premiering and recording “Chiaroscuro Trilogy” was a very special experience. I felt a special responsibility and joy working with Žibuoklė, my dear friend and fellow New Yorker, and can attest that the resulting work for piano and string orchestra is a true masterpiece. Its recording was a surreal experience. The sessions were scheduled in Lithuania in the summer of 2020, during the Covid pandemic. It was not clear until the sessions started whether they would take place, not least because I had to obtain a special permit directly from the Lithuanian Minister of Culture, allowing me to enter Lithuania.

Those recordings have been warmly praised by the New York Times, Gramophone, and others. Has this recognition changed the way international audiences approach Lithuanian music?

These releases, of course, represent a step forward. I cannot claim too much credit in the case of Žibuoklė Martinaitytė. She is a brilliant composer with many successful works, recordings, and collaborations, and is an excellent communicator. There are hundreds of festivals, ensembles, and organizations dedicated to contemporary music, and new music is, by definition, news-worthy. It’s more difficult to bring to attention the lesser-known music of the earlier part of the 20 century, which often falls through the cracks. That said, the fact that Bacevičius’ music is now available to listeners worldwide through the records of labels like Naxos or Toccata Classics is a good start.

Looking ahead, after these concerts in the U.S., what’s next for you? Are there projects you’re especially looking forward to?

Something related – I had the honor to serve as chair of the jury of the inaugural International Vytautas Bacevičius piano competition, which just ended in Kaunas. The competition was dedicated to the music written in the last 100 years, i.e. after 1925. After two solo rounds and the finals with orchestra, four brilliant young pianists from UK, Lithuania, and South Korea were awarded monetary and performance prizes. I hope that the competition will become a regular triennial event.

I continue preparing Bacevičius’s piano concertos for publication (none of VB’s orchestral works have ever been published), in collaboration with several Lithuanian institutions. The score and a two-piano arrangement of his 1st Piano Concerto came out this past month (September). The other three concertos are in the pipeline – it’s a large multi-year undertaking that I’m very proud of. As to performing or recording, I’m interested in presenting more programs like this fall: combining music of Lithuanian composers with that of their international contemporaries. Also, in playing more chamber music and more music of our current, 21st century.

Gabrielius Alekna recital tour „Visionaries and Trailblazers: From Čiurlionis to Messiaen”

CHICAGO, IL
Sunday, October 26 – 3:00 PM
Ganz Hall, Roosevelt University
430 S. Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL
Presented by the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture
More info: balzekasmuseum.org

NEW YORK, NY
Wednesday, October 29 – 7:00 PM
Mary Flagler Cary Hall
The DiMenna Center for Classical Music
450 West 37th Street, New York, NY 10018
Tickets: pianistalekna.eventbrite.com

SEATTLE, WA
Friday, November 7 – 7:30 PM
Nickerson Studios, Seattle Pacific University
340 W. Nickerson Street, Seattle, WA
Admission free
Info: dainiusv@spu.edu

PORTLAND, OR
Sunday, November 9 – 5:00 PM
Lincoln Recital Hall, Portland State University
1620 SW Park Ave, Room 75, Portland, OR 97201
Ticket information will be announced on the Draugas News Facebook page.