Gediminas Gelgotas was interviewed by Robert Hugill for his online Planet Hugill publication upon Gediminas’ visit to the UK to record at the legendary Real World Studios with his ensemble New Ideas Chamber Orchestra NICO.

Please find an excerpt from the article bellow as well as a link to the full publication here.

Saturday, 27 January 2018

planethugill.com

Classical with a popular feel: I chat to Lithuanian composer & performer Gediminas Gelgotas

<<Excerpt>>

He is also influenced by the music that surrounds us

When I ask about the style of his own music, Gediminas is firm that it is minimalist. But admits that there are different styles of minimalism and that his own pieces do not strictly sound like American minimalism or the Baltic minimalism associated with Arvo Pärt. But Gediminas is excited by the possibilities provided by the sheer number of shapes and layers that can be developed out of the same material, and he likes to work in this focused way.

He is also influenced by the music that surrounds us in taxis, in the street, and from popular culture. He also appreciates the ability of popular music and rock music to communicate with big audiences, and some of NICO’s performing style is influenced by this. But he and the other musicians are all classically trained in music academies. Though he does not do it deliberately, he admits that his own music is impacted by these more popular influences, and he describes it as classical music with a popular feel.

Whilst he feels that anyone who likes the music of Arvo Pärt or Philip Glass would like his music, that he allows the influences of popular music into himself, into his music, partly explains why NICO’s work is so popular with younger audiences. And these influences extend to club and dance music, so that Gediminas will use the sort of strong beats that are found in dance music by, for example, using the double bass to provide a strong beat in the bass line. He also uses some electronics, as in his Symphony No. 1.

3 – 7 February 2018

The application deadline is 15 January 2018.

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Composition masterclasses are a part of the BAO Academy and will be taking place predominantly in Tartu, Estonia. Tartu is considered to be the intellectual center of the country, especially since it is home to the nation’s oldest and most renowned university, the University of Tartu, established in 1632.
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The accepted composition students will get the chance to work with Gediminas Gelgotas – Lithuanian composer whose music is especially captivating the new and younger audiences of the classical music world. Meanwhile, critics acclaim his unmistakably unique and highly attractive musical language.
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The masterclasses shall include not only individual lessons on musical material, form, and orchestral instrumentation, but also various discussions helpful to discover and provoke different musical ideas. Students will also get a unique chance to hear their music performed by the Glasperlen Sinfonietta, conducted by the participants of the BAO Academy Conducting masterclasses. This incredible opportunity will provide a real-life experience of the situation between a composer and an orchestra, often proving to be quite a professional challenge for a young composer.
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“We all are similar in a way. But also we all have some differences deep in ourselves. And I believe music writing is all about those differences. We shouldn’t be afraid of them. And if we are, we most likely will always try to ‘fit’ somewhere, or copy something, and that is not what the music writing is all about” – says Gelgotas, a long-time collaborator of the Baltic Sea Philharmonic.
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You can read the latest news on Gediminas Gelgotas here at the Strad Magazine. Gediminas Gelgotas’ first violin concerto will be premiered at the Kissinger Sommer Festival on Saturday, 7 July 2018 by Kristjan Jarvi, David Nebel (violin) and the Baltic Sea Philharmonic.
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The BAO Conducting Academy is a great opportunity for young composers to develop their skills, be in a supportive and dynamic atmosphere, and experience the unique moments of creation and collaboration with the orchestra.
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If you have any questions, please contact bao@gmf-lanota.com

Gediminas Gelgotas’ recording of Sanctifaction with Roman Patkoló is now available on all major streaming services, including Spotify, Google Play, Apple Music. Please find the links bellow:

Spotify

Google Play

Deezer

Violin concerto No. 1 by Gediminas Gelgotas is going to see it’s World premiere at the prestigious Kissinger Sommer Festival in Germany on 7 July 2018. The concerto is to be performed by the commisioner, young Swiss violin virtuoso David Nebel together with the Baltic Sea Philharmonic conducted by Kristjan Järvi.

Previous Gelgotas’ premieres have taken place at Zurich Tonhalle, Berlin Konzerthaus, Leipzig Gewandhaus and Verbier Festival to name a few.

More on information on Kissinger Sommer Festival website

Youtube – Gelgotas Violin Concerto World Premiere July 7th, 2018

A story about Gediminas Gelgotas’ new composition for double bass Sanctifaction and the recording session with legendary Roman Patkoló has been featured on the Strad Magazine’s online outlet theStrad.com.

Read the whole story here: theStrad.com/double-bassist-roman-patkolo-recording-gediminas-gelgotass-sanctifaction

From 21st January, 2017 more music of Gelgotas on Mezzo Classical-Jazz TV!

Baltic Sea Philharmonic’s performance of Mountains. Waters. (Freedom) will be broadcasted on Mezzo Classic-Jazz TV globally.

The international TV music station will provide the concert of Baltic Sea Philharmonic with Kristjan Järvi and Alexander Toradze, including music by Gelgotas, Pärt, Stravinsky and Prokofiev to up to 28 million people across 60 countries.

Be one of them and switch on your TV for the first broadcasts!

http://www.mezzo.tv/en/our-programs

22301 Hamburg, Germany

You can review the catalogue online here: www.peermusic-classical.de

The most recent composition by Gediminas Gelgotas – Mountains. Waters. (Freedom) is announced in the​ program of the Baltic Sea Philharmonic tour Baltic Sea Landscapes and is to be performed at numerous important concert venues in Europe, including the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow, Mariinsky Concert Hall in St. Petersburg, Helsinki Music Centre and Estonia Concert Hall in Tallinn this April. The program also consists of works by Prokofiev, Pärt, Stravinsky​ and others.

The Baltic Sea Philharmonic has frequently performed and recorded Gelgotas’ music. Kristjan Jarvi, the artistic director of the Orchestra, has conducted numerous important performances of the composer’s works, including the Extracultural Symphony at the Vilnius Festival, premiere night of the Orpheum Foundation commission Mountains. Waters. (Freedom) at the Zurich Tonhalle in 2015, as well as following performances of the most recent work at the Gaida Festival in Vilnius last Autumn with the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra and the Bergen Youth Symphony Orchestra performance just few weeks ago.

Gediminas Gelgotas’ music has showed impressive demand in the recent years. It is often broadcasted by the pivotal classical and jazz music channel Mezzo TV, and is often programmed by Verbier, Schleswig-Holstein Beethovenfest, Young Euro Classics and other important classical music festivals. His latest premieres have taken place at the Leipzig Gewandhaus, Berlin Konzerthaus, Zurich Tonhalle and other major European concert halls.

More information about the Baltic Sea Philharmonic and their Baltic Sea Landscapes tour can be found online at: http://baltic-sea-youth-philharmonic.eu/music/concerts-schedule/

Photo by Peter Adamik

18 million people across 44 countries will have the opportunity to hear Gelgotas’ ‘Never Ignore the Cosmic Ocean’ as the MEZZO network broadcasts a recording of the Baltic Sea Youth Philharmonic’s acclaimed Paris debut on September, 2015.

The Paris concert, which took place at the city’s beautiful Théâtre des Champs-Elysées on 31 March 2015, presented the program from the orchestra’s recent CD release, ‘Baltic Sea Voyage’, conducted by Kristjan Järvi.

MEZZO is a French television station, launched in 1992 to broadcast classical, jazz and world music, which now transmits across 44 countries to 18 million subscribers. It will present the Paris concert, as part of a special focus on Kristjan Järvi, offering performances and interviews with him on ‘MEZZO Voce’.

Broadcast of ‘Baltic Sea Youth Philharmonic: Live from the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées’ on Mezzo TV

Monday, 21 September 2015, 8.30 pm
Friday, 25 September 2015, 9.30 am
Sunday, 27 September 2015, 2.52 pm
Saturday, 3 October 2015, 1.30 pm