Giedri Kuprevičius – 80: “I fulfill my mission actually, as I perceive it” | Tradition

St. Marijampole the composer’s vocal, symphonic and stage works will likely be heard within the Archangel Michael Basilica, carried out by the Lithuanian Nationwide Symphony Orchestra, soloists Kristina Zmailaitė (soprano), Edmundas Seilius (tenor) and Žygymantas Galinis (baritone), performed by Modestas Barkauskas.

This live performance will likely be particular in that, subsequent to the “Songs of the Everlasting Traveler” and “Final White Dances” already acquainted to the viewers, fragments of G. Kuprevičius’s “Melancholic Tune” and the unstaged opera “Jobo teismas” will likely be performed on stage for the primary time, in line with the press launch.

Whereas ready for the live performance, we talked with the composer not solely concerning the sounding items, but in addition concerning the inside cry, the theater bacillus, the free inventive environment in his childhood dwelling, and sources of inspiration.

– The concord of custom and modernity is without doubt one of the important leitmotifs of your work: you took quite a bit out of your father Viktoras Kuprevičius and from Eduard Balsis, who taught you composition, MK Čiurlionis is at all times round in varied types. However apart from that, you had been the primary in Lithuania to attempt new applied sciences, varied types of avant-garde, experimental artwork. Combining outdated and new – is it a aware selection of yours or moderately a pure manner of expression?

– Apparently, it arises from human traits – from character, upbringing, surroundings. After I was rising up, our home was a gathering place of varied individuals, the place creators of varied stylistic instructions got here – each traditionalists and modernists. My father was in shut contact with Vladas Jakubėnas, a composer who belongs to the fashionable path of Lithuanian music. Each dad and mom had been open to the fashionable world: at dwelling I by no means heard any laughing or mocking of avant-garde, experimental issues. My mom studied on the Kaunas Faculty of Artwork, the place at the moment there was a very progressive environment, the prevailing perspective was very removed from stumbling over folks artwork or the romantic present. As well as, since childhood, I’ve participated in an organism that has been in a continuing spirit of experimentation – the drama theater. There was no query of what’s outdated, what’s new, good or unhealthy. Life was very energetic, carefully associated to the current. That is most likely how innovation was instilled in me. Though I do not assume that it was solely upbringing and surroundings that influenced me – most likely the necessity to attempt new issues is embedded in my character sort, it is some sort of second of inside cry.

– You studied composition throughout the Soviet period, when avant-garde and experiments in artwork had been undesirable, even forbidden. How did you uncover the improvements of the fashionable musical world circulating behind the Iron Curtain?

– Whereas finding out at J. Gruodis Greater Faculty of Music, I had very superior lecturers, for instance, Algimantas Daunor, who revealed a widely known cult concord textbook – Western, and deserted Russian and Soviet terminology. And additional on – the conservatory, now the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre: Adeodatas Tauragis, who launched “The Swingle Singers” and fashionable music from one other aircraft; Vytautas Venckus, who secretly collected avant-garde information. We used to take heed to each Pierre Boulez and Arnold Schoenberg in Vytautas Bičiūnas’ phonotheque – at the moment it was unimaginable. Lastly, Eduardas Balsys and Julius Juzeliūnas – the one ones who taught composition at the moment – had been additionally immersed within the avant-garde. Balsys rewrote “Vocek” by hand to get a greater really feel for Alban Berg’s music. There was a risk of great bother for this. My years of examine had been an period of malaise. And when there’s marasmus, you may see lilies in cacti and vice versa.

– Would you contemplate your self a radical developer?

– I’d not wish to classify myself as an excessive thinker, I’m most likely held again by the tutorial upbringing that was inevitably in every single place. As soon as, after an interview on Radio Free Europe, which I gave because the Deputy Minister of Tradition of Soviet Lithuania, I used to be referred to as a cautious radical. I discovered it very correct. I’d attempt, however with warning; I’d change it, however rigorously. Warning in creation is typical for me. Though I’ve executed the whole lot – each crumpled up newspapers and performed recordings of Kaunas’ public rest room tank in a efficiency. It simply wasn’t.

– An inseparable aspect of your work is theater and theatricality. That is evident even in symphonic work, for instance, throughout the premiere of the symphony “From the flat world” the orchestra needed to put on hats. What impressed you concerning the theater?

– The theater was an integral a part of my dad and mom’ life. Dad was the host of the musical half within the Kaunas Younger Spectator’s Theater, mom labored as a painter within the ornament workshop. My infancy and childhood had been spent within the theater. Lastly, the theater bacillus moved into the home – the carpenters made a field from which my private theater was created. Dramas, comedies, operas and ballets had been carried out. My sad aunt used to sit down for 3 or 4 hours whereas I created the theater. Characters 5 centimeters in measurement had been molded from plasticine, lighting was put in, decorations had been modified, which I drew myself, I wrote librettos. A few of these humorous issues have now gone to the Lithuanian literature and artwork archive. Later, my cousin additionally obtained contaminated with the theater – and he began a theater, we used to trade excursions: these packing containers traveled from one home to a different, we confirmed kids performs within the yard. Theatricality has transferred to my musical work. Lastly, I can boast that I’m a document holder: musicologist Jonas Bruveris counted the musical theater works of all Lithuanian composers – it seems that I’m in first place.

– Within the upcoming live performance devoted to your anniversary in Marijampolė, your works, which have by no means been carried out earlier than, will likely be performed. Why did you resolve that now’s the time for them to ring?

– That is the concept of ​​my anniversary live shows, which have no idea after they began and have no idea when they’ll finish. My buddies within the music neighborhood all of a sudden have the concept to carry out my unreleased items. He calls: there’s such an event on the property, we have now already chosen the songs, when can we come for the sheet music? The group of all these occasions is out of my arms, and albeit talking, I hardly take part within the creation of applications for these occasions. However anyway, I’ve at all times tried to have the performers select the works themselves from these a whole lot of my varied opus – what’s attention-grabbing to them in the intervening time. This time, Edmund Seilius selected “Job’s trial”. They wished to carry out the whole opera, however we determined that it could make extra sense to indicate the whole stage work for the primary time with a stage manufacturing, so a number of giant fragments of the opera will likely be carried out. “Melancholic songs” appeared throughout the choice of works for this system with Edmund Seilis, and “Songs of the Everlasting Traveler” was chosen by him for the live performance. I made a brand new model, I shortened it a bit. Though I don’t intervene within the preparation processes, I’m trying ahead to this live performance. I believe it will likely be attention-grabbing – I ponder how the performers will interpret it.

– Do you could have many unfinished works? Trendy composers, particularly the youthful technology, usually now not compose “in a drawer” – their artistic life is dictated by commissions.

– I believe that it’s doable to create each this manner and that manner. For those who dwell solely from creativity, and you’ll want to create solely in line with orders. Nonetheless, I am that naive one that creates solely by calling, so I do not get orders. I discover that there’s a hazard of complacency when creating to order – in any case, the work is already commissioned, no matter what the ultimate artistic outcome will likely be. You consider methods to write a well-liked piece – there isn’t a inside cry. Such conditions are treacherous. As well as, commissioned works are normally carried out solely as soon as. So that is my evaluation – perhaps it is fallacious, perhaps the whole lot may be turned differently. I solely had orders for music for drama theater, the place the artistic course of is totally totally different – you’re in a artistic group, you need to work with administrators, artists, actors. More often than not, the primary session is on how a lot music will likely be wanted and what it will likely be, however not at all times the whole lot goes in line with plan – the director might not settle for the music, or the music for a drama efficiency might develop right into a musical, as occurred with “Devynbėdžiai” and “Fireplace hunt with varovais”. However with pure music it is totally different – I believe if I get a fee for a symphony or a bit for a chamber orchestra, I would drop it or we would agree that it could solely be recognized to the accounting division.

– What evokes you to create? You organized improvisation evenings the place the visitors needed to carry their very own musical themes. Do non-musical subjects and inventive options discover you by yourself, you do not search for them?

– I’ve been improvising since childhood, it was utterly regular and pure for me. I may present a witch with a brush and and not using a broom, and Bali Dvarionas going dwelling after a cup, and smiling Antanas Račiūnas. We lived in a really open home, so our creativity was usually impressed by taking part in with music, after which by literature, artwork, the theater gave beginning to numerous concepts for musical works. For instance, the story of the origin of my newest piece “Keturi Baronos Munchausen Sapnai”, which will likely be carried out in December on the Lithuanian Nationwide Philharmonic, may be very unusual. Boris Lifshits, a violinist who studied in Vilnius, requested me to jot down a violin concerto and instructed the theme of Baron Munchausen. I actually appreciated this concept, however what to do with this improbable determine of Munchausen, however present his tales? I believed that we nonetheless do not know what Munchausen desires about. In my work, he desires at evening, within the morning, when there are quick desires with energetic plots earlier than waking up, throughout the day, after consuming lunch, whereas awake. 4 day desires are shaped. Such an thought was impressed by the well-known twentieth century Georges Méliès’ movie “A Journey to the Moon” was initially created.

– We’re speaking on the event of your stable anniversary, which prompts us to take a look at all of your work looking back. What motif, aspect would you single out as crucial, connecting the broad repertoire of your work when it comes to genres, types and types?

– This query may be very new to me, I’m not prepared for it, with out rehearsals. It’s troublesome to reply, however trying again, I see that the works that entice the general public’s consideration probably the most are people who have a really sturdy emotional cost, which are related to our being as a nation. For instance, the younger technology determined to stage the opera “Prūsai” within the Klaipėda Music Theater as soon as once more. It was sudden, sudden for me. Apparently, the subtitle of the opera rating “In reminiscence of the vanished, for the warning of the perishing”, some sort of unconscious anxiousness of theirs got here into play right here. Or maybe the refrain “On the hill” or the improbable interpretation of Virgilius Noreika’s character Herkaus, which has already turn out to be a legend. “Devynbėdžiai” lives a moderately energetic life, particularly Skalno’s music “Skriski, skriski Lietuvėlėn”. There may be an unwritten rule: if at the very least one aria from an opera is sung, the opera is alive, not lifeless.

Alternatively, my artistic exercise is strongly related with society. I’m not that pure composer – I’ve at all times actively communicated with the general public: there have been “Musical Tuesdays” within the Kaunas Public Library, “Kontrapunktas” on tv, the sequence of unique radio applications “Audiologai”. After I’m not round, perhaps my work will not be attention-grabbing to anybody, however that is pure. It’s troublesome to safe a monument for your self, particularly when the minister of tradition all of a sudden comes and tears it down. I consider that I’ll go away some sort of mark in Lithuanian musical tradition, however I can not direct how others will perceive or uncover it. To Dora, I perform my mission as I perceive it. That is it, interval.