While one hesitates to question the sincerity of the composer, there is an undeniable musical falseness in Fra Armando Pierucci's De Profundis: The Art of Dying, which springs from his slavish imitation of J.S. Bach's cantata style and his apparent disregard for affecting text setting. This faux-Baroque cantata is labored in its counterpoint and impenetrable in its expression, a pastiche that may impress through its energy, but fails to communicate the pathos of Regina Derieva's grief-laden poems. Pierucci copies Bach in the most superficial ways, and only occasionally shows some of his own personal quirks when his tangled parts lead into strange keys and odd harmonies. However, these should be regarded less as nods to modernism, à la
Stravinsky, but rather more as miscalculations that Pierucci could resolve in no smoother manner. Soprano Gintaré Skeryté and the Aidija Chamber Choir demonstrate enormous breath control and stamina, which are needed in their relentless parts, and the Vilnius String Quartet, flutist Giedrius Gelgotas, and bassist Gintautas Jocius acquit themselves well, under the direction of Romualdas Grazinis. But listeners may find their performances difficult to appreciate since the music itself is hard to tolerate for very long. The unbalanced ADD sound is quite loud, so watch the volume.