Conductor Martynas Staškus: it is impossible to reveal all the secrets of the moon, just like “A la luna”. Culture

The Klaipėda State Musical Theater is preparing a concert on the shore of the lagoon, where the story will be told not only by wonderful music, lights, impressive costumes, but also by the moon joining the scenography. Famous Lithuanian soloists will sing in the performance: Rita Petrauskaitė, Beata Ignatavičiūtė and Merūnas Vitulskis. This huge and impressive show of music, lights and stories will be created by talented creators: director Rūta Bunikytė, conductor Martynas Staškus, costume designer Kotryna Daujotaitė, lighting artist Andrius Stasiulis, video projection artist Vesta Obolevičiūtė, choreographer Inga Briazkalovaitė. The KVMT symphony orchestra will play, conducted by maestro Martynas Staškaus, and dancers from the theater ballet troupe will participate.

Maestro M. Staškus talks regarding the concert program.

Personal album photo/Martynas Staškus

– How did this unexpected format of the event come regarding?

– This is a beautiful idea of ​​Laima Vilimienė, the director of the Klaipėda State Musical Theater, and all we have to do is organize an amazing spectacle in the boathouse and present all this to the audience as beautifully as possible.

A la luna is a show of music, lights and stories, combining songs from Sarah Brightman’s repertoire and popular classics. Here you will hear songs and arias that sing regarding her majesty the Moon, a romantic night and, of course, the experiences of the heroes at this time of day. When a person loves, longs, survives, has to say goodbye – many beautiful works of art are born from these feelings.

That evening, not only the moon will join the scenography of the concert, but also the sea, the fresh air of the evening, the sunset, and maybe even the rain… All natural elements will allow us to feel the meaning, power and beauty of the music text even more impressively.

The moon is an inseparable companion of romanticism. It’s not for nothing that the most famous artists created works, poets wrote poems, and strings vibrated to music… Even animals react to the moon. The moon causes different reactions, for example, plants grow differently during a new moon or a new moon. So this body of nature is very significant. I believe that the beauty of music will be revealed in a new and unexpected way under the moonlight.

By the way, the moon has two sides – the bright one that we can see, and the invisible – the dark one… We will reveal this during the concert’s heroes: some characters will be bright or good, others – dark or evil. Even their fight will develop. All this will be reflected in the works.

Photo by Martyn Aleksas/Klaipėda festival moments.

– Tell us regarding the dramaturgy of the music, lights and story show “A la luna”?

– The concert presents separate works, which will be united by a common dramaturgical line created by the director Rūta Bunikytė. This theatrical concert is like a mini-performance: well-known soloists – Rita Petrauskaitė, Beata Ignatavičiūtė and Merūnas Vitulskis – will sing, ballet artists will be revealed by choreographer Inga Briazkalovaitė’s ideas. The creative team also includes costume designer Kotryna Daujotaitė, lighting designer Andrius Stasiulis, video projection artist Vesta Obolevičiūtė. The music, light and story show “A la luna” will include the KVMT symphony orchestra and pianist Mindaugas Balčiūnas. A very colorful concert awaits. After all, the moon has many colors and shades. All this is what I want to present.

– Will you reveal all the secrets of the moon?

– It is impossible to reveal all the secrets of the moon. I also won’t give away everything that the audience will see in the theatrical concert. I think the audience will discover them and figure them out for themselves…

– Introduce us the soloists of the concert.

– I am very happy that at the concert the audience will enjoy the voices of such exceptional soloists as Rita Petrauskaitė and Beata Ignatavičiūtė, who are united by a common feature – the universality of their singing range. They are professional and charming in their acting and voices – both in operas, musicals and concerts. This time they will shine in the so-called pop genre by performing Sarah Brightman’s songs. As you know, Sarah Brightman is also a versatile singer – she sings from classical arias with an operatic voice to pop and rock music. Therefore, the concert “A la luna” is an excellent choice of the Klaipėda State Musical Theater and an opportunity to reveal the professional performers of this theater, who perfectly sing various types of music.

Soloist Merūnas Vitulskis is very popular and loved by the audience. Knowing his busy schedule, I consider it a great success that I was able to invite him. M. Vitulskis, among all the works, will also sing Giacomo Puccini’s Kalaf’s aria “Nessun dorma” (No one sleeps) from the opera “Turandot” in Klaipėda, which according to the plot is performed at night. The well-known soloist will also sing duets with R.Petrauskaite.

Photo by Martyn Aleksas/Klaipėda festival moments

By the way, the audience will have to guess which soloists got the roles of the dark and which of the light heroes. And even I can’t wait to find out what the finale of the story will be?… Well, we know that when the moon hides, a beautiful day dawns.

– By the way, what do you think is the secret of soloist Merūnas Vitulskis’ success? Maybe not only the voice, but also sincerity?

– Both components are voice and sincerity. The soloist sings not for himself, not for the sky… The audience quickly feels the people singing to them. The sincerity of M. Vitulskas, the spreading of the song to the audience, is truly a unique feature of this soloist. He doesn’t do it on purpose, he doesn’t do it on purpose. He himself experiences every song he sings and conveys that feeling to the listeners, which is why he is very popular and loved.

– Can KVMT soloists be compared to Sarah Brightman?

– No offense to Sarah Brightman, but Lithuanian singers sometimes surpass the originals when performing well-known works. And I don’t see anything wrong with that. Our aim is not to copy Sarah Brightman, but to reveal the beauty of the voices of the soloists who sing here. We want KVMT soloists to interpret the songs of a famous singer as they see fit… There will be an original interpretation based on Sarah Brightman’s songs.

All the songs played here are easily recognizable. I think the audience will be in a lyrical mood tonight, because this music will bring back all kinds of memories, bring back from oblivion the events that might have happened while these songs were playing…

– Are you, a conductor with a lot of experience, still worried regarding presenting a new concert to the public?

– Always a little restless. It is not known how much our music will penetrate and how it will reach the remotest corners of the audience’s hearts.

– During the concert, your back is turned to the audience, so it is difficult to feel the reactions?

– I can clearly see how the orchestra reacts to my moves and follow whether we manage to convey information to the audience.

Over the years, having accumulated a wealth of experience, I can feel the reactions of the audience with the back of my head (laughs). The fact that I can’t see with my eyes doesn’t bother me… Imagination perfectly conveys to me what is happening in the hall: I can feel if the audience is yawning or if the music is touching them.

Photo by Martyn Aleksas/Klaipėda festival moments.

Connecting with the audience in music is very important to me. If I ever stopped feeling people it would be a sign that something very wrong was going on. Then I would quickly start to solve what I and the orchestra are doing wrong, how to restore the connection with the audience.

All responsibility rests with the conductor, but I have great confidence in the orchestra, the soloists, the ballet artists and everyone who obeys the trampoline bridges.
Since 2015 I work at the Klaipėda State Music Theater as a guest conductor, so I can assure you that I really believe in the creators of this theater, who spread art to a large audience!

Klaipėda State Musical Theater photo/Martynas Staškus

– Can we say that the connection with the audience reaches its highest point in the finale of the concert program?

– When creating concert programs, we always try to arrange the works in such a way that the highest dramatic point is reached in the finale. During the course of the concert, the emotions of the audience listening to the music both rise and fall, but the general curve of the concert must always rise. If we do not achieve this, I say it is not the fault of the audience, that we have not found the right key to the hearts of the audience. On the other hand, the reaction of the audience can be expressed in more than a loud ovation. Sometimes, even if the audience shushes, does not applaud, you can feel that it is drowning in deep thought, because deep feelings have flooded in or you even want to cry silently.