Cosmatesque
Cosmatesque (2017) for Symphonic Orchestra.
Commission of the festival Gaida. Performed by Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, conductor Christopher Lyndon-Gee, at Vilnius Philharmonic the 30th of November, 2017.
Cosmatesque term refers not only to a medieval style of geometric decorative inlay stonework but also to a developed symbolical system, which represents concepts and ideas of a universe structure thanks to the coded geometry.
Cosmatesque technique, where a model is created from different size and shape pieces of stone, was an inspiration for this big orchestra piece. The singular proportion in permutation is used to create different temporality canons. They build the musical architecture repeating themselves while the orchestra register opens up. Orchestra is divided in to different groups associated with distinct tempo, duration, register and colour. It’s superposed repetitive patterns are condemned to be broken by the developed percussion lines symbolically destructing the musical mosaic.
Cosmatesque was played on the National Radio in the show Classical Concert Hall Lithuanian Composers premiers.
Reviews
GAIDA 2017: The Snippets I heard
When I had initially heard Justina Repeckaite had been commissioned for an orchestral piece, I could have jumped for joy. It was so wonderful to see the festival had such faith in her to ask for an orchestral piece from the young prodigy. Having worked a lot over the year with Justina, there have been times I have rather felt like her shadow; constantly following and observing every inch of her creative process. Cosmatesque was not an exception. Having had the luxury of seeing the score shortly after completion I was struck by the skill and nuance within the piece. The organic control of timbre and pitch, the subtle flutters of percussion, and sheer directness of construction really struck me and I knew the performance would be a truly special event indeed. The performance, under the baton of Christopher Lyndon-Gee, was inspired. What particularly hit me about the performance was the conductor’s tenacity and ability to craft the performance to his design. Often when conductors approach a work focused around a mass of sound, they almost get washed adrift by the sheer immensity of it. However Lyndon-Gee managed to really highlight and exploit the subtleties within the piece. The result was almost like witnessing and extended conversation across the orchestra, with a simple counterpoint of two melodies is spread across the technicolour spectrum of the orchestra. Each note and iteration sounding like a continuation of a never-ending melody. This is definitely the first time I have found myself almost suggesting Justina Repeckaite has a slight hint of Wagnerian flair in her work. But in reality the greater comparison is with Per Norgard’s Voyage into the Golden Screen where the second movement his constructed on his infinity series. The constant rolling of sound and melodic figures carries you on quite the journey leaving you curious to see where the ending will take you. Just a joy to listen to.
Baltic Musical Gems, composer conductor musicologist Ben Lunn.
LT Reviews
Langas ir paLangės: Mintys pasibaigus festivaliui „Gaida 2017“
Justinos Repečkaitės orkestro spalvų ir atspalvių klausytis buvo kur kas įdomiau. Iš esmės skyrėsi ir paties muzikinio kūrinio suvokimas, pabrėžiant ne tiek linijinį laiko parametrą, kiek jo skambesio erdvines konfigūracijas. Nuo pirmųjų frazių „Cosmatesque“ tapo skambančiu objektu, tarsi įšaldytu laike. Įsivaizduojamu žvilgsniu slenkant nuo viršūnės iki pačios apačios (nuo aukščiausios natos kūrinio pradžioje iki žemiausios pabaigoje) atsivėrė šio muzikinio kūno daugiabriauniškumas, įvairių paviršių, tiesių ir lenktų linijų kombinacijos, orkestro švystelėjimais ir mirgėjimu išgaunamos šviesos ir atspindžių iliuzijos.
Eglė Gudžinskaitė 10.11.2017
Jauna Prancūzijoje gyvenanti kompozitorė Justina Repečkaitė kūrinio „Cosmatesque“ struktūrai idėjos šįkart sėmėsi iš viduramžiškos geometrinių formų mozaikos. Kompozitorė, preciziškai apskaičiavusi, muzikinėmis struktūromis dažnai paverčia architektūrines struktūras. Precizika, ko gero, būtų žodis, geriausiai nusakantis kompozitorės stilių, kuriam būdingi tembro išieškojimai, formos griežtumas, perfekcionizmas. Šis kūrinys sudarytas iš tąsių, spengiančių, veriančių garsų, kuriems kartais įdurdavo aštrios, akcentuotos atakos. Lyg būtų skenuojama mozaika. Pasigirsta ir mikrointervalų, glissando. Kulminacijai artėjant, plečiamas orkestro diapazonas, ryškėja varinių pučiamųjų tembras. Bet tuomet perkusijų linijos, turėjusios „simboliškai sunaikinti muzikinę mozaiką“, skambėjo kaip tarškėjimas statybose ar daužymas į radiatorių – vienintelis nesusiklausęs tembrinis sprendimas šiaip jau rafinuotame audinyje.
Raimonda Žiūkaitė 17.11.2017
In her PhD thesis Lithuanian modernisms: Alternative paradigms in contemporary Baltic art music at University of York, Claire McGinn (2021) discusses Cosmatesque:
“Cosmatesque are characterised by a teeming, voluminous density and near-constant forte dynamic that in some ways creates a much stronger impression of homogeneity. While the Navickas pieces incorporate dynamic variation on a more structural level, enhancing the sense of difference between sections and phrases of the piece, Cosmatesque’s striking use of constantly fluctuating dynamic motions — created by insistent internal pockets of dynamic hairpins acting on all sections of the orchestra at all times — creates a feeling of constant energy. The ebbs and flows are expressed continually, on such a small scale that it is easy to perceive the majority of the piece as a solid wall (or mosaic) of sound. ”
7.3.1 Cosmatesque (Repečkaitė, 2017), pages 225 - 229.