Rytis Mazulis – *** Essem Parvulus (2004)

The compositions Sybilla and Cum Essem Parvulus are like streaming rivers on a clear day. Each tiny wave reflects the sun and is immediately followed by a next ripple of water doing exactly the same thing, or nearly so; perhaps the angle of reflection differs just a little bit, almost imperceptibly.
This ongoing current happens so fast, and the waves are so small, that it is hard to notice anything else but a static flickering of mirrored lights. It gives an optical illusion of immobility…whereas that river is streaming at a considerable speed.
This metaphor may explain the workings of microtonalism in the titles mentioned above. The technique is carried to its ultimate consequence in the fourth track, Ajapajapam. The piece sounds as if it will never stop. It will, though, but you may not notice until hours after your speakers became mute, and you wake up from your trance. You wake up to A Deafening Silence, or that's what happened to me when it finally stopped; the world was terribly, menacingly silent. After a while, everything went back to normal and I heard the familiar purring of my pc.

The first track, Canon Solus, is a solid piece of good old traditional polyphony. Reviews on the net compared it to Ockeghem or Josquin. It’s one of Mazulis’ earlier compositions, and baltically beautiful.
Is that a valid phrase, baltically beautiful? Ha, no it isn't.

tracklist

01. Canon Solus [0:05:20.18]
02. Sybilla [0:06:59.46]
03. Cum Essem Parvulus [0:08:39.10]
04. Ajapajapam [0:35:49.69]

Performers

Latvian Radio Chamber Singers – Kaspars Putnins
Chordos Quartet