E. Montvidas: we invite you to get to know the joyful and intriguing aspect of classical music Tradition

– On the opening of the XXIX Pazaislis Music Pageant, we can have the respect of internet hosting a world-class star, the mezzo-soprano girl Sarah Connolly. It isn’t simple to ask an opera soloist of this stage. How did you handle to do that and might or not it’s stated that this success is a form of credit score to the pageant group?

– There are all the time extra possibilities to ask one or one other well-known artist when you understand him personally. Sarah and I’ve recognized one another for a very long time, we sang collectively within the Northern Opera of England. Our correspondence concerning a potential efficiency in Lithuania went on for at the very least a few years. Actually, the woman’s live performance was imagined to be eventually yr’s pageant, however as a result of sickness, it needed to be canceled. You by no means understand how the scenario will flip and what’s going to occur even within the close to future. However as folks knowledge says, lightning by no means strikes the identical tree twice. So this yr, I actually hope that the live performance will happen and develop into a unprecedented occasion within the Lithuanian music scene.

Coming again to communication and cooperation with well-known artists, I need to admit that private acquaintances are a decisive issue. It’s my private invitation that has probably the most affect. Then again, for a lot of of them, Lithuania appears to be a relatively unique land, so the will to go to a brand new nation additionally weighs the scales in favor of the pageant. In fact, you can’t name our nation a musical backwater.

Observing the names of musicians coming to carry out, administrators or choreographers staging performances, we will discover that we’re fairly outstanding on the cultural map of the entire world. Actually, we’re an more and more well-liked nation of excessive tradition, and positively not one of the celebrities who haven’t visited right here must show that there aren’t any polar bears working on the streets of our cities.

All that is the results of a few years of labor of our tradition managers. It is like a sequence response, when inviting one or one other celeb to the pageant, you may check with the names of the greats who’ve carried out right here earlier than. I bear in mind the case with the “Huelgas” ensemble that carried out final yr. I did not have any private acquaintances with this group, however I wrote them an invite they usually have been very comfortable in regards to the alternative to go to the northern a part of Europe. In any case, each artist is characterised by curiosity, the seek for new experiences, the invention of a brand new viewers, familiarity with one other tradition.

The Pažaislis music pageant is dominated by classical, tutorial music, however turning to different genres {of professional} music solely enriches the listeners’ expertise.

By the best way, not too long ago I began receiving increasingly letters from numerous artists and businesses with live performance provides for the pageant. This reveals that our title is changing into extra extensively recognized. Much more, I can solely be comfortable that every one the vocal music live shows of this yr’s Pažaislis Music Pageant have been introduced by the well-known music portal OperaWire (operawire.com).

– What’s going to shock and enrich the cultural lifetime of Kaunas and the entire of Lithuania throughout the twenty-ninth summer season of the Pažaislis Music Pageant?

– I’m very involved that the pageant covers a variety of genres and musical tastes. I am glad that increasingly jazz or different non-traditional music tasks are taking place. We’re ready for a gathering with the extraordinary songwriter and performer Elina Duni, who has a really attention-grabbing biography – it’s troublesome to even perceive what her actual nationality is. After listening to her music, I could not resist the temptation to ask her to the Pažaislis Music Pageant. On the pageant, we are going to welcome visitors from Cuba – the vocal ensemble “Vocal Sampling”, the Grammy award winner Nicole Zuraitis will carry out with the Kaunas Bigband, and the joint group of artists will inform a musical fairy story for the entire household, “The Unicorn Riddle”.

In fact, the Pažaislis Music Pageant is dominated by classical, tutorial music, however turning to different genres {of professional} music solely enriches the listeners’ expertise. I’m glad that there are extra large live shows happening within the courtyard of the Pažaislis Monastery throughout the pageant. This yr there are even 4 of them. Along with opening the pageant with Dame S. Connolly and shutting with Laimios Vilkončius’s opera “The Creation of the World”, the monastery will even characteristic Jules Massenet’s opera “Teresė” carried out for the primary time in Lithuania and the efficiency of the already talked about N. Zuraitis.

This area is extraordinarily engaging to listeners, particularly because the very title of the pageant is related to this baroque gem. And the nuns themselves repeatedly requested me: “When are you going to deliver another music?” So the sound of jazz within the courtyard of the monastery is the long-awaited and long-awaited fruit of a artistic thought.

The pageant group places quite a lot of power and power into all live shows, so each efficiency of the artists is actually valuable to us. The efficiency of 4 Geniuses on one stage ought to develop into a really attention-grabbing musical phenomenon, this system ready by the “Palease” ensemble is intriguing, and the live performance devoted to the anniversary of the demise of Giacomo Puccini on the Raudondvaris Manor Arts Incubator guarantees surprises for the listeners. The pageant is consistently searching for new live performance areas, and this time it will likely be the foyer of the Financial institution of Lithuania constructing and the roof terrace of the BLC enterprise heart.

– This yr’s pageant is filled with works by Lithuanian composers. Is it a coincidence or is there some particular purpose behind such a choice?

– Nothing occurs by probability on this planet. And the truth that this system is filled with Lithuanian creativity has sure origins. In a separate live performance within the Zapyškis memorial church, we are going to rejoice the eightieth birthday of the composer Giedrias Kuprevičius, and to commemorate the seventieth birthday of Vidmantas Bartulis, the Kaunas Philharmonic will play considered one of his most monumental works – the oratorio “Unlucky Job”.

We would definitely not need our nation’s composers to really feel aggrieved or to suppose that the pageant is ignoring them. So Lithuanian music will not final right here. Along with the large anniversary live shows and the opera by L. Vilkončiaus, which is able to shut the pageant, a variety of chamber works by Lithuanian composers will even be carried out at different live shows.

Onutė Narbutaitė’s piece shall be carried out by the “Paleaseis” ensemble, G.Kuprevičius’ work shall be heard in this system of pianist Indrė Petrauskaitė and the Kaunas String Quartet, Vytautas Miškinis’ songs will contact the vibrating vaults of the Lithuanian Financial institution Palace by the “Duodeco” ensemble, the undertaking choir performed by the visitor of Germany, Christoph Hönerlage, will contact the work of Juoz Naujalis “Cantores Montis Pacis”, Karolis Dabulski’s opus, will delight the Kaunas flute trio. And I personally included the newly created vocal cycle of Žibuoklė Martinaitytė in this system of my recital with pianist Simon Lepper.

– Perhaps we may discuss extra about this recital. Certainly, I used to be slightly shocked to see that Robert Schumann’s cycle “The Poet’s Love” and British twentieth century music shall be performed there. music by Ivor Novello, the opening musical artist.

– I are likely to encourage creativity and I firmly imagine that it’s extra handy for a composer to put in writing a commissioned piece than to attend for inspiration to return from nowhere. Furthermore, in such a case, the truth that the work will definitely be executed encourages creation. One other gratifying facet is the world premiere that may happen throughout the framework of the pageant, selling the event of Lithuanian musical literature. Ž. Martinaitytė is making a vocal cycle for this recital with the textual content of “Gijas” by Elvina Baužaitė.

If I am not mistaken, the cycle will include 9 components. This composer would not do vocal music fairly often, so such a gathering in her work shall be actually intriguing. The beginning of the thought of ​​this piece is simply as intriguing – the thought was born after assembly the composer whereas receiving the Nationwide Tradition and Artwork Award. I provided her such a artistic collaboration and she or he fortunately agreed. We thought for a very long time in regards to the selection of the textual content, my want was that the textual content ought to be in Lithuanian. Subsequently, E. Baužaitė’s verses turned an actual discovery.

The Poet’s Love is an iconic vocal cycle that I believe each tenor goals of singing the best way each actor goals of enjoying Hamlet. I’ve been desirous about this piece for a very long time, and now I’ve an amazing alternative, as a result of subsequent yr I’ll sing R. Schumann’s well-known cycle in Berlin. I believe it can undoubtedly be my sincere and distinctive interpretation.

The work of I. Novello crowning the live performance is extraordinarily sympathetic, reflecting the true lifetime of the third twentieth century. British tradition of the last decade. He was a particularly versatile character: author, singer, actor, poet. And I got here throughout his songs utterly accidentally whereas watching the film “Gosford Park”. They appeared to me like chrestomatous twentieth century. examples of early British selection reveals.

I already knew then that I’d undoubtedly sing Samuel Barber’s songs on the recital. And every part got here collectively very properly. When making a program, you need integrity, stability, within the course of you all the time have in mind your style, needs, what you may finest convey along with your voice. Unusual as it might appear, I can’t be singing French music on this recital. I made a decision to exchange them with S. Barber’s songs. I bought to know this writer’s work whereas engaged on the manufacturing of his opera “Vanessa”.

Then somebody handed me a ebook along with his songs, I turned very fascinated by them and waited for the appropriate alternative to carry out them. That chance has lastly come. I used to be impressed by the expertly led vocal line and the profound lyrics. Particularly these whose authorship belongs to the legendary Irish author James Joyce.

– For a number of years now, the Pažaislis Music Pageant has chosen the motto “We’re creating love for music”. How is it going to be created and what could be executed to get the youthful era of listeners within the pageant live shows?

– I believe that the love for music has already been created, all that’s wanted is for the viewers to dedicate themselves to it. Love already exists. All you want is the will to dive into it and luxuriate in it. Settle for it. If you concentrate on it one other manner, you can say that the pageant doesn’t a lot create love for music because it creates a practice of loving music. We’re a cornerstone pageant that shall be held for the thirtieth time subsequent yr, and that in itself speaks for the standard and worth of the pageant.

Properly, we attempt to educate the youthful era with extra numerous tasks, appeal to them with unique concepts, inviting them to occasions for the entire household, thus step by step involving the rising listeners on this planet of educational music. We encourage you to not be afraid, to not be frightened by that stereotypically “severe” music, we invite you to interrupt stereotypes and get to know the joyful and intriguing aspect of the face of classical music, thus discovering new types of love for music.