Vilnius'

Parker, Guy, and Lytton are no strangers to one another. According to a quick and dirty count, this is their 17th release as a trio since 1983. And even with nearly four decades of collaboration, they still have new statements to make as a group. Recorded in October 2017 at the Vilnius Jazz Festival, the aptly titled Concert in Vilnius is about 55 minutes in length and spans four tracks. Parker plays the tenor and soprano sax, Guy the double bass, and Lytton drums and percussion. (But that instrumentation probably goes without saying, right?)

Lithuanian composer Mikolajus Ciurlionis, equally well known as an artist in his native country, wrote some daring and experimental works before his early death from pneumonia in 1911, at the age of 35. He wrote music with bold tonal disconnections and even some that seems to anticipate Schoenberg's tone row technique, well in advance of the Austrian composer. Both his artworks and his music suggest synaesthetic tendencies. This release of string quartet music, however, consists of student works composed by Ciurlionis in and around the time he attended the Leipzig Conservatory, and it doesn't give a good idea of his style.

This new release by the Vilnius String Quartet presents two exciting gems in 20th century chamber music: the first two String Quartets by Lithuanian composer Jurgis Karnaviius (1884-1941) as world premiere recordings.

The first volume of the premiere recordings of Jurgis Karnavičius’ (1884–1941) string quartets performed by the Vilnius String Quartet resulted in a growing number of excellent album reviews. It included the composer's romantic and folkmusic-inspired first two quartets. This second volume includes the composer’s last two quartets: Nos. 3 & 4 which are more expressive and modern in nature. Karnavičius wrote his four impressive string quartets during his study and teaching years in St. Petersburg during the 1910s and 1920s, filling the chronological and stylistic gap between the String Quartets of Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich.

The first volume of the premiere recordings of Jurgis Karnavičius’ (1884–1941) string quartets performed by the Vilnius String Quartet resulted in a growing number of excellent album reviews. It included the composer's romantic and folkmusic-inspired first two quartets. This second volume includes the composer’s last two quartets: Nos. 3 & 4 which are more expressive and modern in nature. Karnavičius wrote his four impressive string quartets during his study and teaching years in St. Petersburg during the 1910s and 1920s, filling the chronological and stylistic gap between the String Quartets of Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich.