RECENT REVIEWS
[..] she may also be one of the leading choral composers of our time — a sonically shimmering album for unaccompanied chorus featuring magnificent performances by the Latvian Radio Choir, which continues to assert itself as perhaps the finest chorus singing today.”
“ Ululations is at once beautiful and terrifying, a symphonic weave of vocalizing that is halfway between howling and yodeling. In this complex music, the choir offers its signature unified blend of sounds, transparent and seemingly limitless in color and lighting. “
Tom Huizenga, NPR 10 Best Classical Albums of 2024
“the emotional impact of this bewitchingly beautiful music is direct and at times devastating”[…]
“With glassy harmonies and long stretches of monastic calm, these choral works draw listeners into a meditative state without ever letting them get too comfortable: the emotions invoked in the music are too cryptic, the vocal writing too full of sonic surprises “
Žibuoklė Martinaitytė, Feature by Richard Whitehouse in Gramophone Music Magazine, December 2024
[Aletheia's] deep emotions elicit a wall of choral sound within which there is living movement, Martinaityte connecting with 'the truth that can only be expressed directly through pre-verbal communication”[…]
This album presents a powerfully compelling, stunningly sung, hour of immersive listening to a distinctive and important music voice."
"It’s a powerful work, and one of disturbing beauty.”[…]"Overtones move, changing the character of the sounds in unobvious ways. The music seems suspended in time. And yet it is continually evolving and moving forward. "
Ralph Graves "Zibuokle Martinaityte choral works uniquely beautiful”, October 2024
“An intricate web of harmonies and sustained lines, sung with pristine tuning by the Latvian Radio Choir, conducted by Sigvards Kļava, Chant des Voyelles is a luscious work that doesn’t require a program in order to make a strong emotional impression. “
Christian Carey, Sequenza 21, November 4th, 2024
In profundis clamavi: Žibuoklė Martinaitytė”, Tim Rutherford-Johnson, Huddersfield festival feature, November 2023
"Her scores similarly appeal to something beyond the immediately cerebral, creating vast shimmering soundscapes that lead the mind somewhere dreamlike and seem to speak directly to the body’s senses in arresting and unexpected ways."
Kate Wakeling, BBC Music Magazine, August 2022
"This is dark, powerful music in which there is a hidden core of light..."
Ivan Moody Gramophone, August 2022
"This is extraordinary music with a harmonic language all Martinaitytė’s own: powerful, minimal while immense and unutterably beautiful."
Lisa MacKinney, Limelight Magazine, Editor's Choice, 5 stars, September 2022
"one striking aspect of Martinaitytė’s style being her ability to play with our perception of movement and motion".
Graham Rickson, The Arts Desk, July 2nd, 2022
"Mesmerizing" might be the best way to describe three recently composed sonic landscapes for string orchestra.." "its slow, subtle, detailed unfolding and frequent luminescence are unique."
Stereophile, September 2022, Jason Victor Serinus
…the colors in Martinaityte’s orchestral writing remain intriguingly agitated.”
Zachary Wolfe, New York Times, February 18th, 2022
"composer’s winning unpredictability"
"Minimalism with Surprising Jolts", Seth Colter Walls, Feburary 11th, 2021 New York Times
"Martinaitytė’s orchestral language is rich, colorful and textured with fine detail. On Saudade, composed in 2019, she instructs brass players to both blow and sing into their instruments, producing an otherworldly sound. Millefleur, composed a year earlier, hangs in a luminous air of subtle gestures—the composer describes it as a sonic garden. There’s a dramatic concerto for piano and strings and the brooding, muscular Horizons, from 2013, which draws inspiration from cinema. This album makes the case for Martinaitytė as a one of today’s most distinctive orchestral composers."
Tom Huizenga, CD "Saudade" among the Top 10 Classical Albums of 2021, NPR's music.
INTERVIEWS IN ENGLISH
5 Questions: Žibuoklė Martinaitytė, I care if you listen, October 29th, 2024
“Žibuoklė Martinaitytė: Unexplainable places”, Frank J. Oteri, New Music USA, SoundLives, August 2023
“Knowing oneself and the world through sounds- interview with Žibuoklė Martinaitytė”. Jari Kallio, Adventures in Music, October 2022
"Seven questions for Žibuoklė Martinaitytė“, Nordic Highlights 4/2021, Fennica Gehrman
interview with Žibuoklė “To be a composer means not only using one’s brain” Pizzicato Magazine,17/05/2021
Meet The Composer: Žibuoklė Martinaitytė”, BBC Music Magazine, June 2021
The Depth of Recognition and the Ocean: Guggenheim Fellowship awarded to Žibuoklė Martinaitytė, Lithuanian Music Information Center, April 2020
Interview with VOLTI San Francisco, February 2018
Žibuoklė Martinaitytė’s New Album - to All Those Ready to Face Themselves, LMIC, December 2017
“Layering a musical canvas: Q and A with Zibuokle Martinaityte”. Interview with Composers Inc., 2016.
Interview with TRANSIT New Music (New York), 2016.
PODCASTS, RADIO AND VIDEO INTERVIEWS
Cadenza with David Osenberg, WWFM, October 18th, 2024
Garso ekspedicija, LR Klasika, October 28th, 2024.
“Žibuoklė Martinaitytė: Unexplainable places”, Frank J. Oteri, New Music USA, SoundLives, August 2023
Žibuoklė Martinaitytė: Aletheia, Sounds from Silence, episode 2, May 10th, 2023
“Pasivaikščiojimai su Ryčiu Zemkausku”, video interview on LRT, 2023. 04.15.
“A Glimpse into the musical life of Žibuoklė Martinaitytė”, Composers On Air podcast, August 2021. Apple, PodBean, Spotify, Google Podcasts and Amazon Music.
Radio interview with John Schaefer on New Sounds, WNYC, April 12, 2019
Interview with Žibuoklė about “Hadal Zone” on the LR radio show “Garso ekspedicija”, November 25th, 2021 (in LT)
Video portrait and interview on LRT TV show “Stilius”. 2021.11.20 (in LT)
Interview with Žibuoklė on the LR radio show “Pakeliui su klasika”. Žibuoklė Martinaitytė: svarbu nepamesti savo vizijos. 2021.11.04 (in LT)
Interview with Žibuoklė on the radio show/podcast “Garso ekspedicija”, December 17th, 2020 (In Lithuanian)
INTERVIEWS IN LITHUANIAN
“Muzika yra mano raktas į būtį”, mic.lt., 2022.06.21
“Kompozitorė Žibuoklė Martinaitytė apie Saudade premjerą su Niujorko filharmonijos orkestru”, lrt.lt 02/2022 (in LT)
“Muzikos žodžiais nepaaiškinsi”, Bernardinai.lt, 2021.03.19 (in LT)
“Žibuoklė Martinaitytė stebuklus kuria vienatvėje”. Interview from “Composer’s Territory”, Lithuanian Music Information Center, 2017
“Geriausia muzika - Niujorkas, geriausias poilsis - tyla”. Interview with “Lietuvos žinios”, 2017 (in Lithuanian)
“Tik peržengus diskomforto zoną, įmanoma patirti kažką neįprasta”. Interview with “Literatūra ir Menas”, 2016 (in Lithuanian)
“Žibuoklės Martinaitytės “Horizontai” JAV”. Interview with Lithuanian Music Information Center, 2016 (in Lithuanian)
“Kompozitorę Ž.Martinaitytę įkvepia ir laumžirgiai”. Interview with “Lietuvos Rytas”, 2013 (in Lithuanian)
"Kompozitorė Ž.Martinaitytė atrado galimybių šalį", Interview with Asta Andrikonytė. "Lietuvos Rytas", 2009 (in Lithuanian)
REVIEWS
“Martinaityte’s dense, moody “Saudade” (2019) begins with a ceaselessly rocking motif and a quality of awakening, which is swiftly obscured by strange oscillations in the cellos and oozy, sliding dissonances in the violins…”
Zachary Wolfe, New York Times, February 18th, 2022
“In the riveting orchestral scores of the New York-based, Lithuanian composer, several musical strata are bound together into sonic realms of astounding beauty and connectivity.”
Jari Kallio “Gorgeous selection of Žibuoklė Martinaitytė premieres on Ondine, June 17th, 2022
"Stunning!”
David Old, The Whole Note, Canada, June 2022
"The attentive listener must be aware of not only the overall sonorities but also the abundance of detailed “building blocks” from which those sonorities emerge."
Stephen Smoliar "Ondine Releases Second Martinaityte album", June 4, 2022
"this is music that gets one in the gut as much as in the head."
David McDade, Musicweb-international, June 2022
“The large-scale ensemble project In Search of Lost Beauty …(Starkland, 4/19) alerted many listeners to the intricately alluring sonic domain of Žibuoklė Martinaitytė, and this Ondine release focuses on her orchestral works of the last decade.”
“Finely recorded and annotated, this is an ideal way to explore Martinaitytė‘s singular musical vision.”
Richard Whitehouse, Gramophone, April 2021
“Rarely has melancholy been so mesmerizing.”
I imagined hearing a strange wind blowing through Horizons (2013), the album's final work and its earliest, as I visualized a universe stretching beyond limits. Your consciousness may stretch, too, if you give this marvelous music the time and concentration it deserves.
Record of the Month, Jason Victor Serinus, Stereophile, April 2021
“The four pieces here, dating from 2013-19, reveal a fascination with timbre and texture central to Martinaitytė’s creative purpose: music is an art of time, yet she is more interested in exploring sound through moment-by-moment shifts in foreground and background than through linear processes.”
Steph Power, BBC Music Magazine, March 18th, 2021
“A sound world that draws you into its shimmering heart.”
Žibuoklė Martinaitytė:Saudade, Philip Scott, Limelight magazine, March 5th, 2021
“Martinaitytė’s orchestral music has a sensuously unified personality that is worth getting to know.“
“She can create hovering nimbus clouds of harmony with the best of them. Yet she’s not afraid to throw a thunderbolt through her subtle, scenic designs. Midway through the otherwise beatific “Millefleur,” a percussive edge emerges, offering an unexpected martial cast to the work. And on “Horizons,” as played by the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, the handoffs between strutting flutes and stark strings also serve notice regarding this composer’s winning unpredictability.”
"Minimalism with Surprising Jolts", Seth Colter Walls, Feburary 11th, 2021 New York Times
"a compelling world of sound"
Gramophone, Video of the Day, February 5th, 2021
"Taken together, these four pieces showcase a composer whose handling of the orchestra is expert and whose sense of form, in these works at least, feels unerringly right".
"The overall orchestral effects throughout Žibuokle Martinaityte’s music are mysterious, intense, hypnotic, ironic and utterly fascinating. "
“…the reappearing leitmotifs in Martinaitytė’s work are emptiness, loneliness, silence, tranquillity, transience, longing, memories, distances... And these are never empty sentimental words – the existential anxiety and blissful sadness emanating from her music are what convinces.”
“This feeling of mystery and hidden beauty that pervades this monster work for piano trio….The piece flows through dark spaces with hints of melody embedded in tremolo or down so deep in the register of the cello and piano that it can barely be made out. This dream world of the composer’s is one that will haunt and calm us at the same time…This work is powerful, and I urge you attend a concert performance if you can.” May/June 2019, American Record Guide
“Martinaityte’s passionately energetic musical language on this recording is one that will undoubtedly pull you straight into the beauty of the world that she has created for you."
“In Search of lost Beauty…” is built from a single sound that is continuously stretched and pulled apart to reveal textures and sounds previously unnoticed, but that were always present. This fractal-like quality gives its listeners the feeling of constantly being drawn in, and turns each separate listen into a chance for brand new discoveries.”
Austin Franklin, May 2019, The Sybaritic Singer
“Scored for piano trio with a backdrop of live electronics (similar in its presence to that of the ‘soundtrack’ often favoured by Michel van der Aa), the result is clearly intended as an immersive experience in its intricate layering of detail made subordinate to density of texture as this constantly changes across the whole. The original presentation featured synchronised video projections; but, while these were no doubt pertinent, their absence arguably enhances the music’s potency by drawing the listener into its ambit. Two of the sections were written and first heard separately but listening to them in this way makes clear just how Martinaitytė’s imagination is most acute when focused on an extended timespan and broader aural canvas.”
Richard Whitehouse “Martinaityte In Search of Lost Beauty”, Gramophone, April 2019
“Ultimately, the most interesting attribute of this opus is the flawless integration of registers: whatever the region of the sonic spectrum, each pitch appears to fulfil the exact aim. The expressive qualities of the resulting amalgamation remain vivid throughout.”
Massimo Ricci “Žibuoklė Martinaitytė- In Search Of Lost Beauty…”, March 2019
“The latest work from New York-based Lithuanian composer Žibuoklė Martinaitytė is a gorgeous, slowly-building suite that invites listeners to lose track of time. The tracks range from a minute to a quarter hour, but the transitions are virtually invisible: segues between scenes. When the journey is over, one is stunned to realize that seventy minutes have passed.”
“In the final minutes, the catchiest passages appear once more, tumbling back on themselves like folded time. A couple minutes later, the album will end, but it can be crumpled and un-crumpled, leaving mirrored reflections, tracks pressing into tracks, minutes into minutes, memories into memories. Did we recover that lost beauty? Or was the beauty in the search?“
Richard Allen, A closer listen, February 28th, 2019
The composition does have metaphorical devices which do suggest the emerging of ideas and themes from an initial chaos or, to use Ives term, a “silence of the druids”. One must get to the 4th track to really get a sense that there is actually a piano trio on this recording. Very effective actually and then it fades back into the chaos and then the silence.
The album opens with silence into which a drone gradually makes itself known. These meanderings take the listener on a journey which is essentially the artists sonic vision as she walked through and around the iconic cathedral. The listener doesn’t even hear really more conventional musical sounds until about track 4 and concepts like melody and harmony take on a different meaning in this context. It is a large arc of a composition that embraces both chamber and orchestral textures as it tells its sonic tale of the composer’s visions and returns to the chaos of the unfocused mind at the end.
Allan J. Cronin “Post Holy Minimalism? New Music from Lithuania", March 5th, 2019
“Martinaitytė as a composer of connotations. In “Chant des Voyelles” those connotations involved the underlying sonorities of speech itself. “In Search of Lost Beauty…,” on the other hand, offers connotations of visual stimuli transformed through fragmented reflections. Those connotations are, for the most part, expressed through the fragile sensitivity of quietude; but the music still rises to an intense climax around the halfway mark in a movement that is entitled (perhaps ironically) “Serenity Diptychs.”
Stephen Smoliar, “The rehearsal Studio”, March 6th, 2019
"These dynamics of focus and perceptual distance worked wonders for the premiere of Žibuoklé Martinaityté’s Chant des Voyelles (Incantation of vowels). Despite the publicly expressed concerns about the work’s viability in the space, Martinaityté’s composition, made up almost entirely of vowel sounds, was breathtaking. The subtly shifting transformation of vowels was the sonic equivalent of cirrus uncinus clouds, wisped and unusual. And Martinaityté’s music, reminiscent of Arvo Pärt’s minimalism, especially the slowly mutating ostinati at the end of the piece, and her deeply effective use of form and variety were profoundly moving.”
Tysen Dauer “Unpredictably Moving Music in and Unlikely Space at BAM/PFA”, San Francisco Classical Voice May 8, 2018
“[Chant des Voyelles] The result turned out to be a fascinating investigation of the nature of sound itself, rather in the spirit of how several painters from a variety of different periods have tried to use their work to understand the foundational nature of color. Those on the technical side of speech understanding systems appreciate the extent to which vowels are recognized through different patterns in the frequency spectrum. By having different voices sounding different vowels based on different pitches, Martinaitytė could synthesize her own individual frequency spectra, which would result in new sonorities not representative of any recognizable vowel. In other words the piece emerged from the composer’s ability to create new sounds almost as if she had been working with electronic synthesis equipment.
One result was that, every now and then, timbres would emerge that could not be attributed to any individual source but, instead, reflected synthesis through the superposition of multiple sources. Some might have thought that this amounted to replacing electronic oscillators with human singers. However, the performance of the piece transcended its “scientific roots.” Instead, execution took on an almost ritualistic quality (reflecting back on the Egyptian rite that inspired Lipchitz); and Volti’s performance was so focused and compelling that there was no doubting that this was an act of music-making that easily held the attentive listening in its thrall.”
Stephen Smoliar “ Volti Concludes Season with Two World Premieres”, May 5, 2018/ The Rehearsal Studio blog
“.. composer Žibuoklė Martinaitytė writes stimulating music that bristles with energy and tension. Her orchestral and ensemble compositions are stratified, allusive, digressive and episodic. Dense and restless, they never appear cluttered. Their language is gestural, flowing and bold. Even her reflective choral work The Blue Of Distance rumbles with a sense of latent drama, while Serenity Diptychs, for violin and tape, is far more vigorous and vividly etched that its title suggests. The dislocations, rapid acceleration and sudden slowing, and the disparate perspectives reconciled in Martinaitytė’s music embody complex structures of perception and rich textures of experience.”
CD review in “The Wire” magazine, May 2018
“And the sense of the world lies precisely in the contradiction that Martinaityté wanted to convey in each of these compositions: every joy is fleeting and you look well, you, listener, spectator, reader, to exult for any happy situation you happen to; death is always around the corner, it spies on us and is ready to strike. But we must not lose heart and the lesson of these five compositions is just this: do not give in, despite everything. “
CD review by Samuele Conficoni in MusicMap (Italian)
“While Martinaitytė is a master of the subtle and the delicate, her compositions equally demonstrate her capacity for the bold, with passages of grandeur and turbulence.”
“Horizons is a powerful orchestral work which transcends genre boundaries and interacts on many levels.”
CD review by Christopher Nosnibor, Aural Aggravation, February 2018
“These are beautiful, accomplished and dynamic modern classic works and they collate well into a 68-minute listening experience that should appeal to both people approaching it from both a traditional orchestral mindset and people looking for something with a true edge.”
CD review in Chain D.L.K, January 2018
“The first being a new work for piano and strings by Zibuokle Martinaityte called Chiaroscuro Triology. The work performed by Gabrielius Alekna (piano) and Robertas Servenikas (conductor) did initially give me alarm bells when I saw the title. Not because I was concerned about the quality of work, but more names like Chiaroscuro or Metamorphesis or Meditation or Sound Study have become overdone. Maybe I am just a cynic having been over indulged on such titles. However, once Zibuokle shared the recording on Soundcloud I obviously, had to listen instantly. And to be simple and direct. I was stunned. The moment the opening chord lands everything just feels right. The three movement work plays on different metaphors of light against dark, and it is explored to exquisite brilliance. This kind of duality opens up a fantastic conversational dynamic. Which is exploited well by the use of soloist. Gabrielius Alekna performs with such elegance it is almost like he was born for the sole purpose of performing this piece. I can only imagine within the concert hall setting the atmosphere must have been divine. Stunned into silence while the light and shadow dance their eternal dance right in our very ears.”
Baltic Musical Gems “GAIDA 2017/ The Snippets I heard”, November 2017
“There was a constant tingling felt in the chest, finally provoking a breakthrough of feelings or the efflorescence of the most colorful blossom – that’s how I would describe the form of Martinaitytė’s work. This unexpected unfolding – this moment of beauty, which was so awaited by the listener’s souls.“
(Brigita Jurkonytė “Išsiskleidusio žiedo beieškant”/ “Searching for unfolding blossom”, 7 meno dienos, 2016-10-14)
“Martinaitytė’s novellas demonstrated an allure of a refined aesthetic taste, combined with a comprehensive assembling logic of musical elements. It was a piece – an escape into a slightly different world as though though briefly suspended for the immersion into oneself, one’s senses, hearing and inner voice. “
(Rasa Murauskaitė “Į grožį aš tikiu, arba neprarasto grožio meditacijos”/ “I believe in beauty, or meditations on beauty that is not lost”, Muzikos antena, 2016/10)
Žibuoklė Martinaitytė’s The Blue of Distance (2010) on the other hand, is a truly innovative work. It was the second time I’ve heard Volti perform it and I was again impressed by subtle shifts in color achieved in this static, wordless piece through slowly morphing vowel sounds as well as extended vocal techniques such as ululation and nose-pinching (it’s not as silly as it sounds).
(“Mantras, Miracles, and Meditations from Volti Chamber Choir”, San Francisco Classical Voice, March 7th, 2017)
With The Blue of Distance Žibuoklė Martinaitytė, a Lithuanian composer living and working in the US, has created an entrancing, text-less, and atmospheric sound world for 8-part choir. Shifting rhythmic patterns and a rich harmonic palate evoke a reflective, subtle, and sometimes brooding expression of the color blue in the distance. Žibuoklė’s approach is uniquely sonorous, highly expressive, and shows a mastery of vocal writing.
Conductor Robert Geary about “The Blue of Distance”
“The Blue of Distance opens with the chorus humming a dreamy cluster chord at pppp — a nearly impossible feat for any other choir, but executed beautifully by Volti. Consonants and pure vowels began to emerge with new, slowly shifting harmonies. The piece consists mainly of static chords, though with some touches of Eastern European-sounding melodies. The main source of interest is the various timbral effects achieved through extended vocal techniques, such as ululation and pinching the nose in order to create an ethereal tone color reminiscent of throat singing.
While harmonies would build up, organ-like, there was never a firm sense of arrival, resulting in a continuous feeling of remoteness or unattainability. An excerpt from Solnit’s book reveals the likely inspiration for this aesthetic quality: “Blue is the color of longing for the distances you never arrive in, for the blue world….” St. Mark’s Church was an ideal venue for the work, then, as its ceiling is painted a gentle Himmelblau with tiny dark-blue stars above the altar.”
(“More Exciting Discoveries at Volti Choral Concert”, San Francisco Classical Voice, November 10th, 2015)
"Martinaitytė's aesthetics reject
the idea of creation as play. Even though her works may at first appear
colorful and extravagant,
in reality they are full of existential
pathos. Her acoustic and electro-acoustic compositions do not
overindulge in technological tricks, they take one on a journey to the
paths of being, sometimes clear and hopeful, sometimes a little ironic,
sometimes extreme, sliding down the very blades of emotions. Like an
illusionist, the composer crafts an inner space filled with high
tension controlled by her alone. Then one becomes the prisoner of the
author, sometimes forced to float in that inner space between reality
and transcendental states."
"Martinaitytė is writing a sound diary of her emotions and experiences.
Just listen: there's swirling pain, restless tension and, finally, quiet wisdom in there for you. It may not be safe to open up like this.
But is it possible to break an open window?"
(Jūratė Katinaitė "Žibuoklė Martinaitytė: Attention! High Tension!" Lithuanian Music Link No. 14)
"The maximum use of the instruments' technical capabilities,
intensive exploitation of extreme registers, and the sound of
percussion alternating between meditative and expressive moods create
an unexpected acoustic effect and an impression of a ritual. These
characteristics are typical of much of the composer's work.
Martinaitytė is a master of brass. In her scores exceptional roles are
typically given to such instruments as tuba, trombone or bassoon which
are traditionally thought to be dull or inert."
(Jūratė Katinaitė "Žibuoklė Martinaitytė: Attention! High Tension!" VivaVoce magazine, N.80, Frühling 2008)
"The
evening ended with Lithuanian-born Žibuoklė Martinaitytė's Polarities
for large chamber ensemble. Right out of the box, the music vacillated
between stark and spectral, pulsing and erratic. More than anything,
Martinaitytė's score reminded me of Gyorgy Ligeti's tough, eerie,
tribal sounds."
(MATA Recap, Feast of Music 2008)
Some reviews in Lithuanian
“Juolab kad Ž. Martinaitytė savo muzikines vizijas perteikia unikalia kalba – į lietuvių šiuolaikinę muziką ji įnešė tokių fonetinių atradimų kaip „šviesotamsa“, „vibruojanti muzika“, pasireiškiančių monolitinių tembrinių sluoksnių vibravimu, mirgėjimu, švytėjimu, tobula faktūros dinamika, kerinčia garsine galia. Greta to, kompozitorės muzika klausantįjį paliečia tarsi asmeniškai, priverčia kartu išgyventi aktualijas ir dvasinius sukrėtimus.”
Laimutė Ligeikaitė "Nugalėti laiką", " 7 Meno Dienos, birželio 24d., 2022
“Šis audiovizualinis kūrinys, nors ir buvo meditatyvus, mano manymu, neturi nieko bendra su minimalizmu ar drone muzika. Sukeliama visai kitokia būsena. Čia užkoduotas iš pradžių sunkiai juntamas ir apčiuopiamas „dirgiklis“, kuris vėliau attacca principu šauna lyg strėlė į kulminacinę viršūnę. Muzikinėje ir vaizdo medžiagoje nuolat buvo galima girdėti ir matyti virpančius objektus. Styginių sul tasto, sub ponticello atliekami tonai, harmonikų glissando, trumpi fortepijono kraštinių registrų garsai susieti su ekrane (vienoje iš „Piano.lt“ salės sienų) regimais lengvai banguojančio vandens, debesis remiančių medžio šakų siūravimo, vėjo blaškomų gėlių žiedų ar iš spalvingos kriauklės ištrūkti mėginančio gyvio (manoji šio pavyzdžio interpretacija) vaizdais. Klausytojas nuolat buvo dirginamas šiais virpesiais. Ypač sužavėjo, kaip autorė derino muzikinę artikuliaciją su videoprojekcijoje rodomų objektų materija.”
“Nuolat krūtinėje jaučiamas virpuliukas, išprovokavęs jausmų proveržį, ar spalvingiausio gėlės žiedo (gal šis įvaizdis kilo ir iš kompozitorės vardo) išsiskleidimas – taip apibendrinčiau Žibuoklės Martinaitytės kūrinio formą. Tas netikėtas išsiskleidimas – štai grožio momentas, kurio taip laukė klausytojų sielos.”
Brigita Jurkonytė “Išsiskleidusio žiedo beieškant”, 7 meno dienos
“… Ž. Martinaitytės novelėms, demonstravusioms žavesį, išlavintą estetinį skonį, suderintą su išbaigta muzikinių elementų dėliojimo logika. Tai buvo kūrinys-pabėgimas į kiek kitokį pasaulį – sustojusį trumpam įsigilinimui į save, savo pojūčius, girdėjimą ir vidinį balsą.”
“Kiekviena iš novelių įkvėpė sustoti ir pajusti unikalaus momento laikinumą. Trapumas, nostalgijos dvelksmas lydėjo visą „neprarastą“ kūrinio atlikimo laiką. Tokią emociją diktavo tiek vaizdinė, tiek muzikinė medžiaga, kurios susietos buvo labai organiškai: lapų šlamėjimas, vandens raibuliavimas lydimi subtilaus instrumentų vibrato ar repetityvinis muzikinės medžiagos plėtojimas, iliustruojamas vis sugrįžtančiais vaizdais – prisiminimais, kuriamais čia ir dabar…”
“Totalinės organikos kompozitorė pasiekė ir įstabiai puikiai suderindama akustinių instrumentų ir elektronikos partijas – dažnai instrumentai tiesiog „ištirpdavo“, visiškai susiliedavo su elektroniniu garsovaizdžiu, ypač įspūdingai tada, kai pastarajame išnirdavo mistinis balsų choras, ištrindami vieni kitų ribas.
Galima sakyti, jog idėjai materializuoti kūrėja pasirinko ne tik garsą, vaizdą, bet ir... žodį. Itin bylūs, literatūriški buvo dalių – novelių – pavadinimai. „Mėlyna“, „Efemeriškumas“, „Nuolat nerimstantys ilgesiai“, „Atminties šešėliai“, „Apgyvendintos tylos“... Tokie iliustratyvūs, patys savaime kalbantys vardai taip pat programavo atitinkamą atmosferą.”
“Ši muzika nebuvo ekscentriška, impozantiška, „reikalaujanti“: tai buvo universalus paprastumas, kalbantis visiems ir kiekvienam atskirai.”
„Grožio beieškant“ – ne romantiškas, ne narciziškas (kaip Doriano Grėjaus), ne mūsiškas, šiek tiek blizgus šiandienos grožis. Jis rodėsi arčiau senovės graikų garbintos harmonijos, matuotinas balanso, išbaigto paprastumo, apgalvoto mosto, dėmesingumo detalėms matais. “
Rasa Murauskaitė “Į grožį aš tikiu, arba neprarasto grožio meditacijos”, Muzikos antena
“Žibuoklės Martinaitytės „Horizontai“ (atliko Lietuvos valstybinis simfoninis orkestras, dirigavo Martinas Ozolinis) jau nuo pirmųjų taktų mane sužavėjo pasirinktų tembrinių priemonių ir specifinių atlikimo technikų arsenalu, o kartu buvo išlaikytas grynas, neperkrautas simfonijos skambesys. Patiko, kaip kompozitorė valdo ir suvokia formą. Simfonijoje buvo eksponuojamos dvi skirtingos medžiagos, kurių kontrastus pasitelkusi autorė ir formavo kūrinį. Sužavėjo kompozitorės gebėjimas kontroliuoti laiko tėkmę. Pakerėjo orkestro tutti meistriškai paruoštas tylusis violončelių epizodas, kuris, mano manymu, tapo viso kūrinio kulminacija (prisiminiau Beethoveno mėgtas tyliąsias kulminacijas).”
Lukrecija Petkutė. “Lietuviška Gaida. Aktualumo paieškos”, 7 meno dienos
“Kulminacinės kūrinio vietos, finalinis tutti su varpais kėlė vos ne „Dies Irae“ aliuziją, o kulminacijų atoslūgiai efektingai kontrastavo styginių glissando ir flažoletais, tarsi perteikdami žmogaus psichologinio nuovargio ir susitaikymo būsenas. Ž. Martinaitytė ir savo naujausiu kūriniu patvirtino stovinti ne akinančių modernistinių technologijų pusėje, o akustinės muzikos lauke, ir kviečianti į būties kelionę nežinomo horizonto link. “
Laimutė Ligeikaitė “Tokia muzika neliks tik popieruje”, 7 meno dienos
"Ž. Martinaitytės kūrinyje galima atsekti įvairius Vilniaus istorijos
tarpsnius nuo žilos senovės iki XX a. tragedijų. Tai išreiškiama
nuolatinėmis nedidelių garsinių segmentų grandinėmis ir energingais
ritmiškai artikuliuotais ištisinio vyksmo epizodais. Intensyvus šių darinių judėjimas kuria savitą, sakytum, "atvirą" veikalo formą, kuriai
kontrastą sudaro statiška vidurinė kūrinio padala ("Dingęs miestas").
Kūrinio garsyne svarbią vietą užima sekundos intervalu grįstos struktūros, raiškiai artikuliuotos kraštinėse padalose. Jų semantika
nuolat kinta: viename kontekste - tai archajiškus laikus menančios sutartinės, kitame - grėsmingas, tragediją pranašaujantis signalas, dar
kitame - skausmo ir raudos raiška.
Kompozitorė sėkmingai naudoja orkestro tembrus, laisvai ir užtikrintai operuoja
grupių bei paskirų instrumentų specifine raiška. Ausis taip pat
užfiksavo ne vieną netikėtą, labai paveikų ir metaforiškai talpų instrumentų derinį."
(Živilė Ramoškaitė "Apie esamą ir dingusį miestą", 7 Meno dienos, Nr.35, 2009 spalio 2 d.)
Aušra Strazdaitė-Ziberkienė "Tūba paukščių čiulbesy", 7 Meno dienos N.614, 2004-05-14