Day 321
Čiurlilonis: In the Forest (Miške)
Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
Juozas Domarkas
Čiurlionis (1875-1911) was an important figure in Lithuanian artistic life. He was a painter as well as a composer, indeed judging by the results of a google search he seems to have been better known in the former capacity. I had heard one of his tone poems - The Sea - before and rather enjoyed it, but that was the only piece of his that I had heard.
I thought when I heard the opening of this piece that it was going to be a winner. The quiet string chords and the gentle undulation painted a really evocative picture of the forest. Alas it was not to be, After this opening the music rather lost its way and became completely characterless. It was rhythmically very four-square and the melodic material seemed rather trivial. Although it is quite a short piece I quickly became bored with it. The opening material returns at the end, but by that time it was too late - I had lost interest. So a frustrating piece. That opening showed a composer of real imagination but after that it was all downhill.
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