One More Billion
Problems?

Chordos String Quartet

The Chordos String Quartet, laureate of the Government Award for Culture and Art, presents a unique creative project at the Liepkalnis Water Storage—a multimedia immersive work titled “One More Billion Problems?” by composer Matas Drukteinis.

The piece invites the audience to journey through the history of modern humans (Homo sapiens sapiens), from millennia before our era to the near future, while observing the changing population of Earth. From the dawn of humanity, it took until the early 19th century for the world’s population to reach its first billion. By the end of 2022, the population surpassed 8 billion, and it is projected to reach 10 billion by the second half of this century.

Exploring the continuous growth of human numbers, the composer sonically captures the historical, present, and potential future processes that influence these trends, revealing environmental, societal, technological, and other factors. The work blends two emotional states: formal, statistical observation and an irrational interpretation of the era, transforming the composition into a reflection of human civilization.

At the same time, the piece highlights contemporary challenges associated with the immense human population, such as food and clean water supply, equitable economic and social development, or ecosystem stability. However, as the composer notes, the artistic exploration revealed an unexpected perspective. According to one of the most realistic United Nations forecasts, by the end of this century, the global population will begin to decline for the first time in modern history, bringing entirely new challenges to societies.

Program

Matas Drukteinis

(Lithuania)

One More Billion Problems?

(Premiere)

Balsams, fleitai, obojui, saksofonui, smuikui, fortepijonui, perkusijai, objektams

Performers

Chordos String Quartet

Vadovas – Vykintas Baltakas

Ieva Sipaitytė – violin I
Vaida Paukštienė – violin II
Robertas Bliškevičius – viola
Arnas Kmieliauskas – violoncello

Formed in 1997. During its existence, the quartet has demonstrated an enduring commitment to promoting the latest in Lithuanian music abroad and bringing the most recent as well as the greatest pieces of contemporary repertoire to wide audiences in Lithuania. CHORDOS was in fact the first in Lithuania to perform quartet pieces by many world-renowned contemporary composers, such as M. Feldman, G. Ligeti, G. Crumb, T. Riley, S. Reich, G.Bryars, etc.

Apart from contemporary works, which normally forms the centerpiece of the quartet’s concert programmes, its extensive repertoire encompasses a rich variety of different styles, epochs and genres. CHORDOS is often found participating in unconventional and innovative projects, which include collaborations with choirs, such as “Jauna muzika” or “Brevis”, and Lithuanian rock and jazz stars such as Andrius Mamontovas, Liudas Mockunas, Baltic jazz trio. CHORDOS has been regularly performing with many prominent Lithuanian and foreign classical musicians, including Davidas Geringas (cello), Liudas Mockunas (saxophone), Anton Lukoszewieze (cello, UK), Raimundas Sviackevičius (accordion), Daumantas Kirilauskas (piano) and others.

Its recent recording credits also include incidental music for films and theatre. Since its inception, the quartet has been pursuing an active and versatile concert career by participating in a variety of national events and projects, including those organized by the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture and nearly all music festivals in Lithuania (Gaida, Vilnius Festival, Music of Changes, Musical Autumn, Jauna muzika, etc.). CHORDOS has been also frequently invited to perform on international tours to various festivals and projects in Germany, United Kingdom, Sweden, Latvia, Rusia, Belgium, France, Austria, Norway, Poland, Czech Rep., Egypt and Turkey.

The quartet has significantly enriched the musical resources of the Lithuanian National Radio by recording both newly written and classical pieces by Lithuanian and foreign composers. Its continuous collaboration with the living composers has thus far yielded a number of compositions written and dedicated especially for the group. Chordos quartet has been the recipient of several grants of Lithuanian Council of Culture – 1999, 2001-3, 2005, 2006-present days.