Composer Ramūnas Motiekaitis presents a concert exploring the traditions of Japanese Zen Buddhism and their musical dialogue with the West.
“Since 2008, I have been playing an instrument that I have rarely shared with the public – the Japanese bamboo flute known as the shakuhachi. I have given a few small concerts in intimate settings. Having received requests to perform and reached a sufficient level of mastery, I feel that the time has come to present a concert built around a particular concept,” says Ramūnas Motiekaitis.
The concert will feature some of the most significant works from the classical shakuhachi repertoire, rooted in the traditions of Zen Buddhist monasteries, with some traditionally traced back as far as the 13th century. These include Kokū (“Empty Sky”), Shika no tōne (“Distant Call of the Deer”) and Mukaiji (“Flute of the Misty Sea”).
“I have always been intrigued by the possibility of an aesthetic dialogue between the West and Japan. In this case, it has taken the form of juxtaposing Western woodwind instruments with the shakuhachi within a single concert. I plan to compose a series of musical commentaries on the classical Japanese pieces, to be performed on the oboe and clarinet,” explains the composer.
The Myōan tradition of shakuhachi performance holds a special place in this musical dialogue. One of the most conservative traditions, it has preserved centuries-old performance practices and reflects the essence of Japanese art and that of East Asia more broadly.
Ramūnas Motiekaitis is a composer and philosopher of art and culture. Born and raised in Vilnius, he studied composition, philosophy and Japanese studies in Norway, Finland and Japan.
Motiekaitis composes music across a wide range of genres and has received five awards in the Lithuanian Composers’ Union’s Best Work of the Year competition. He previously taught at Vilnius University and Vytautas Magnus University and currently teaches at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.
From 2008 to 2010, he studied shakuhachi performance in Tokyo under Taizan Kawamura and Satoshi Shimura.
PERFORMERS
Ramūnas Motiekaitis (shakuhachi)
Andrius Žiūra (clarinet)
Ugnius Dičiūnas (oboe)