PAGAN POETRY: BRONIUS KUTAVICIUS

Having been introduced to his work by Seth Nehil years ago, recently I've been returning to the music of Bronius Kutavicius (b. 1932, Molainiai, Lithuania). There is an extremely small amount of information on his work, so I will try to consolidate it here for the most part, leaving aside the more common notes of his pedigree, and focusing on the music itself.

His sound-world is wrought by a combination of traditional Lithuanian folk instruments, Western European orchestral instruments, field recordings, and the raw power of the human voice. His earlier works sought to dig deep into the folk and esoteric traditions of his native Lithuania. He is best known and best heard in his cycle of oratorios, which often involve folk and ritualistic elements within the music and/or performance: Pantheistic Oratorio (1970), Last Pagan Rites (1978) for children's choir, soprano, four horns, and organ, From the Jotvingian Tree (1983) for the Vilnius New Music Ensemble, and The Tree of Earth (1986)... He is often lumped in with Algirdas Martinaitis, Vidmantas Barulis, and Mindaugas Urbatis in Lithuania, alongside Pärt and Tormis from Estonia, as one of the Baltic 'Minimalists' of their respective generation. But Kutavicius shines in the vocal domain and the human expression he solicits there. He somehow ties together familiar melodies and evocative tunes with the avant-guarde tendencies to break speech down into its raw sonic elements. But unlike this tendency in the music of Ligeti, Stockhausen, Cage, and, for that matter, in Reich and Riley, Kutavicius is able to create an incredibly natural and rich texture out of these raw sounds and, more than that, imbue them with an intensely emotional expression (something often deeply lacking in American and European 'minimalism').

Other works in this vein:

The Village Burial Ground (1969)
Music for Seven (1975)
Little Performance (1975) for actress, 2 violins, and 2 pianos
Mėtaujėla (1976)

Before going on to Kutavicius' own music, let's listen to some of the more influential Lithuanian traditions that have inspired him. The sutartine (a 2-4 voice polyphonic practice, notable for its hocketed exchanges), which has been active since the 16th century up to the 20th. This music emphasizes a kind of hocketed call-and-response, which is emblematic in much of Kutavicius' music.



Sutartines mana vainikas by MattMarble

Similar to this folk practice, Kutavicius' music is rooted in repeated melodic phrases (ostinato), much as in the work of Terry Riley, while Kutavicius tends to ponder more compositionally on aspects of timbre and form.



Closer to the gradually expanding human dramas of Gorecki's symphonies, listen to this excerpt of Kutavicius' Tree of the Earth...

The Tree of Earth excerpt 1 by MattMarble


What does a magician do? Practically nothing, except wrap himself in mystery. Well, the past is the greatest mystery. In all my works I seek mystery. If it is not there, then there is no music. (BK)




Last Pagan Rites was my introduction, and I was totally blown away by this record. The instrumentation, melodic phrasing, and general musical style were derived from Kutavicius' extensive research into Lithuanian traditions. Listen to "Oh You Green Grasshopper" which explores a single shimmering chord (a dominant 9th) with voices, organ, and brass. Interestingly, the music in Last Pagan Rites involved a spatial choreography of musicians moving around the audience.

What’s important, is to make an impression - to stun the person, to 'knock him out' with sound, so that he leaves tottering...

Oh you green grasshopper excerpt 1 by MattMarble

The scores from this period are inherently symbolic and visually compelling, something I've noted elsewhere (**)

[Momma is currently falling asleep to "The Golden Girls" on television.]

Last Pagan Rites (score)



From the Jatvingian Stone (score)



My favorite work of Kutavicius is from another one of the oratorio cycles, From the Jatvingian Stone (Is Jotvingiu Akmens). Uniquely tuned plectrums, strings, staccato voices, and vessel flutes intertwine and rise into a calmly ecstatic atmosphere. This work was an ode to an extinct Baltic tribe, the Jatvingians, and Kutavicius evoked their imagined sound-world with vocal yalps and the percussive play of pebbles, clay pots, and bottles. I haven't heard music like this by anyone anywhere else ~ Pretty special...

From the Jatvingian Stone excerpt 1 by MattMarble

Another favorite work is The Gates of Jerusalem (1991-95), of which "Nothern Gates I" is the most memorable. A pulse (bass drum and chains) is joined with an animalistic chorus of strings, cascading across one another in their own time, and ultimately working themselves into a frenzy. This is one of Kutavicius' most simple and provocative works, and references the practices of Yakut shamans. This work sought to sonify the religious rites of various cultures from a geographical form (there are also Eastern, Western, and Southern gates).

[Hmm, Poppa is impressively falling asleep to this at the moment.]

Put your ear in it...

Northern Gates excerpt 1 by MattMarble

That was by the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra. Now try this version by the St. Christopher Chamber Ensemble, which moves at a slower tempo and, for some reason, lacks the underlying pulse of the previous performance (???).

Northern Gates excerpt 2 by MattMarble

Here is page 1 of the score for those inclined...


His most recently available work, Lokys The Bear doesn't carry the compelling aspects of his previous work, but deserves a mention due to the small amount of available recordings. As Kutavicius described his intention, he was seeking to compose "a nice romantic opera for the delight of every opera-goer". So if that is you, you may well be enchanted. Other, I do not have a strong recommendation here. Even more recently (2009) he has scored original music to Carl Theodor Dreyer's "The Passion of Joan of Arc". This is the only audio I've been able to find, with Bronius (I think?) conducting at the computer. More along the romantic Western European orchestral vein...



In America the closest affinity we have is Harry Partch. But Kutavicius shoots far ahead of Partch in his ability to tap into the originary sources that inspired him, whose simplicity and expressiveness can transcend the confines of experimental music circles, should it fall on ears outside of this woodland ritual ring. Kutavicius' music excells when it is expressed by his lands native instruments and tradition, though his own slow-developing lens, not at all for the novelty of its sound, but because of the deep understanding and natural expression that this music brings to the ear. I can only hope that some Mickey Newbury or Arthur Russell fan can stumble here and discover something outside their box... Bronius.

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bibliography

Linas Paulauskis, Bronius Kutavicius Celebrates the Passage of Time: http://www.mxl.lt/en/classical/info/251

Šarūnas Nakas, "What is the Lithuanian Brand of Minimalism": http://www.mxl.lt/en/classical/info/307