The venerable Thanh-Tam Le has been trying to make us listers more
attentive towards music from the Baltic states, especially Lithuania which
he called "one of the very best musical "discoveries" I have made in years"
(sic).

Tonight I had the pleasure to hear the fourth symphony (Named:
Dodetatonica, sic) by Lithuanian Osvaldas Balakauskas (AFAIK: Not yet
available on CD) on Swedish Radio P2.  The recording is from a concert that
took place in Vilnius, Lithuania in 1998.  Here played Lithuanian National
Symphony under Jouzas Domarkas.  I have heard a few pieces by OB before and
then and still park him close to Estonian Arvo Part, tho without extrovert
religiousness that is synonymous with the latter.  This symphony is
flowing, in three movements, starting out in nothing, arriving in nothing
- and in between expanding to a mid volume.  Each of the movements are
built around an individual note series, 7, 8 & 9 notes respectively -
Unfortunately the surrounding radio presentation was short on fact about
this, so I cant elaborate - but the feel is like that of various church
modalities, but still remaining consonant, hence the close connection
perhaps to "mediaevalness" of Part.

Visualising I get a very pastoral feel from this music, even if its
absolutely nondescriptive, Starting out in a predawn darkness, broken by
the finding rays of light, moving through a rural coloristic glittering
realisation of day returning with the last farewells of a fading
illumination into dusks obscurity, silence, applause!

This is the kind of recalming music that will help Us endure life when
everything else is busying with stress up to where We have had it.  It
will help Us to reclaim an alleviated momentum.  Indeed Thanh-Tam, a
real discovery.

peter lundin, gothenburg.se