
The CD of Bacevičius' "Complete Mots" launched in London
2012-01-31
"Vytautas Bacevičius: The Complete Mots," Gabrielius Alekna's first CD
on "Toccata Classics" label, has been launched in London on January
25, 2012. The Lithuanian pianist and composer Vytautas Bacevičius (1905–70) is one
of the undiscovered pioneers of twentieth-century music. His series of
seven Mots (‘Words’) for keyboard – five for solo piano, one for
organ and one for two pianos – were written between 1933 and 1966 and
show the evolution of his musical language from the post-Skryabin style
of the early works, via the influence of Prokofiev and Stravinsky, to a
highly individual modernism, akin to that of two fellow radicals,
Varèse and Wolpe.
More than half of the compositions on this CD are first
recordings. In this project, its initiator Gabrielius
Alekna collaborated with the two-time Grammy winning producer Judith
Sherman and the three-time Grammy-nominated pianist Ursula Oppens. The launch event in the Lithuanian Embassy in London included a conversation between Gabrielius Alekna and Martin Anderson, the owner of "Toccata Classics," as well as live performances by Gabrielius Alekna of Bacevičius' compositions.








