Review. EGIDIJA MEDEKŠAITĖ - TEKSTILĖ / TEXTILE (2017). A sound of endless space

Electronic / Contemporary / Modern Classical album is a complex one as one can see from its tracklist:

1    Tekstilė 1 | Textile 1
Piano – Motiejus Bazaras, Mykolas Bazaras
10:42
2    Oscillum
Cello – Anton Lukoszevieze
12:19
3    Âkâsha
Directed By – Mindaugas Bačkus Orchestra – Klaipėda Chamber Orchestra
12:28
4    Pratiksha
Cello – Anton Lukoszevieze, Ensemble – Apartment House Organ – Kerry Yong, Percussion – Simon Limbrick, Piano – Philip Thomas, Viola – Bridget Carey, Violin – Gordon MacKay, Hilary Sturt
8:34
5    Tekstilė 2 | Textile 2
Choir – Vilnius City Municipal Choir Jauna Muzika *Conductor – Jaunius Šakalys
7:53
6    Sandhi Prakash
Conductor – Kelly Lovelady Orchestra – London’s All-Australian Chamber Orchestra Ruthless Jabiru
9:45
7    Scintilla
Conductor – Modestas PitrėnasOrchestra – Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra
12:12

Egidija Medekšaitė. Photo by Martynas Aleksa.

The first piece of the album is a light walk through midnight Paris. But don't get fooled: the second one with its heavy cello by astonishing artist Anton Lukoszevieze makes you shiver and reminds a bit The Killimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble or other dark jazz band. It's a deep texture, meditation without letting you stop for a cup of tea. Sit, and do your Zazen, bastards, says Master. And you do sit. With ears open and sounds going somewhere into deepness of your thoughts. Then, they disappear.

The third piece is for string orchestra and it has a complicated philosophical background. Akasha became a widely used term among New Age practitioners but Egidija is not the one. She follows the old path. So, please, remember Akasha (Sanskrit ākāśa आकाश) is a term for "æther" in traditional Indian cosmology, in modern Indian languages it means "sky" and comes from a root kāś meaning "to be visible". What can we SEE in this Egidija's work of art?

The word in Sanskrit is derived from a root kāś meaning "to be visible". It appears as a masculine noun in Vedic Sanskrit with a generic meaning of "open space, vacuity". In Classical Sanskrit, the noun acquires the neuter gender and may express the concept of "sky; atmosphere" (Manusmrti, Shatapathabrahmana). In classical Vedantic Hindu philosophy, the word acquires its technical meaning of "an ethereal fluid imagined as pervading the cosmos". A web of many roads in universes. Or maybe the One, All Pervading substance. According to the Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy, Akasha is one of the five Mahābhūtas (grand physical elements) having the specific property of sound. Maybe this is Akasha's sound that we hear in this album? A sound of endless space, infinity.

Akasha

After Akasha comes pretty annoying Pratiksha for ensemble. Pratiksha could be the mother of all strange mythological beings Rakhsasas. Pratiksha also could mean waiting. Annoying waiting for what? Godot, reincarnation, better life...?

Then, another kind of instrument - choir - appears, and the fifth piece is the second part of TEXTILE. It sounds like Lithuanian Sutartinės, unique songs, zipped and calmer.

After it, Sandhi Prakash, Ragas which are performed at dusk or early evening, come out with string orchestra. Heavy and good as J. S. Bach.

The last piece, Scintilla, is for symphony orchestra. It is very light. Letting us go to the light.

Oscillum