swells, pines, rustles ...
for symphonic winds orchestra
2022

It's a work that tries to describe the uncommon state of being in a rather mystical, unusual situation, when you are taken away by what you hear, see and, as if lifted off the ground, lose your sense of time, space and other everyday things.
This piece, as it is, is the result of listening to an unnamed audio recording. It had a sound, a volatile, ever-changing rustling. As I instinctively began to think it might be the sea, my imagination began to create the circumstances in which it was recorded. However, in those visions I could not see myself anywhere. Towards the end of the recording, the rustling sound was complemented by sounds uncharacteristic of a seaside soundscape, which immediately gave me an idea of what was happening. These sounds were recorded on a summer night, sitting on the moss under a pine tree, listening to the pine trees being bent by strong wind gusts.

Premier at Baltic New Music Days/"Iš Arti" festival 2022

Performed by Lithuanian Symphonic Wind Orchestra
Conductor - Karolis Variakojis

Listen:

The recording that inspired the piece:

Press:

Lukas Butkus, critic and composer:
Thanks to the self-reflection evoked during the listening experience, the listener may briefly sense their presence as merely a body in the moment of experience—fleetingly, as if trying to catch the blink of one's own eyes in a mirror. But it's enough to feel as though you've suddenly awakened from an indescribable state of calm. You applaud out of inertia, though you were just elsewhere, awaiting a climax that never arrives. This leaves you feeling lonelier than before. Congratulations go to the composer and the performers for realizing the piece.

Aušra Strazdaitė-Ziberkienė, critic:
Digimas’ composition 'swells. pines. rustles...' demonstrated an aesthetic seemingly detached from everyday life. Inspired by the sound of strong winds recorded in a pine forest at night, the composer created a captivating soundscape of ephemeral, almost imperceptible changes."

The piece was commissioned by the Lithuanian Symphonic Wind Orchestra. Among other Lithuanian premieres, it was performed at the "Iš Arti" festival in the Kaunas State Philharmonic. Later, it was presented at the "Druskomanija" festival and "Vilnius Winds." It will also be included in the orchestra's upcoming CD release. The composition was inspired by a soundscape recorded by the composer himself, rediscovered in his archive. Initially mistaken for a recording of the sea, the composer later identified the time and location: it was a pine forest at night during a powerful storm. Together with a colleague, he was documenting environmental sounds. The intense force of the storm, and the way different natural elements produced similar sounds and energy, served as the guiding concept for shaping the musical material.