Premiere of “Brocade” (2023) by Duo Simile
Justina has composed Brocade (2023) for violin and viola commissioned by Duo Simile with the support of the Lithuanian Council for Culture. The Duo Simile, consisting of Milda Kraujutaitytė and Silvija Čiuladytė, will perform Brocade in different Lithuanian cities.
Duo Simile: Milda Kraujutaitytė and Silvija Čiuladytė rehearsing at the Lithuanian Composer’s Union.
Brocade will be performed by Duo Simile on the following dates :
2023.09.29
Beatričės Kleizaitės- Vasaris galery in Marijampolė
2023.10.12
Kaunas Juozas Gruodys Conservatory
2023.11.04
Kurhauz in Birštonas
2023.11.05
Organum hall in Vilnius
Concert program:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - 2 Duets (1783)
Bohuslav Martinů - 3 Madrigals (1947)
Justina Repečkaitė - Brocade (2023)
Program Note
The composition Brocade is inspired by the intricate craft of brocade weaving. Music is woven focusing on concentration and repetition leading to a meditative state. Sustained pitches create a wave-like pattern, rising and falling throughout the piece. The essence of the composition centers around the harmonic spectrum of the fundamental note C, particularly its 5th octave, which shapes the overall harmonic landscape. Viola and violin collaborate as equal partners, exploring their open strings in fifths and adding harmonies with neutral thirds and seconds, including subtle quarter-tone intonation.
Drawing parallels with the art of brocade weaving, the composition explores the use of additional weft threads to create ornamental patterns in specific sections of the musical fabric. Much like the weft yarns are strategically inserted to form patterns in brocade, the main musical structure interweaves with added ornamentation, including string harmonics, timbral variation of both placement on the string and pressure by the bow hair, and occasional vocals, reflecting the ornamental glowing brocade look.
Justina Repečkaitė
From the article Woven Bands, Medicines and Recipes: Cod. Pal. Germ. 551. The Adventures, Provenance and Contents of a 15th Centur enance and Contents of a 15th Century Manuscript Held at the Library of Heidelberg University in Germany by Ute Bargmann, Sprachen-und Dolmetscher Institut, Munich, 2013.
