Evaldas Vyčinas, an ethnomusicologist, instrumentalist and singer, has reconstructed and brought back to life a variety of early Lithuanian folk instruments, including the kanklės (a type of zither), the bagpipes, and the hurdy-gurdy.

Accompanying himself on a nine-string kanklės, he hasmade famous songs recorded by Antanas and Jonas Juška, the 19th-century folklore collectors, and his interpretations have become the standard.

Vyčinas’ singing is like a kind of meditation: he enchants his listeners, even if they do not understand Lithuanian. His arrangements for the kanklės also include songs recorded by other 19th-century collectors (Liudvikas Rėza, Christian Bartsch). Evaldas Vyčinas performs them solo, with his wife Daiva Vyčinienė and with his folk band VISI.

www.mxl.lt/vycinas