27th VILNIUS FESTIVAL

The musical odyssey of the 27th Vilnius festival is the unique stories of musicians who regularly return to Vilnius and who visit our city for the first time. It is about the events that shook the world and all of us in recent years, the persistence of artists staying on their musical path chosen in childhood and loyalty to the listeners. "It is admiration, nostalgia and sincere love for one of the most beautiful and mysterious cities in Europe - Vilnius, which is celebrating its 700th birthday" Rūta Prusevičienė, its director, presents the festival. At the opening concert of this year's festival (June 2) "My heart will open to your voice", the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Victorien Vanoosten will have a dialogue with French-Belgian cellist Camille Thomas. Camille Thomas says that "music gives hope to the beauty and greatness of the human soul. The dialogues of the opening concert will open the rich further program of the Vilnius festival, and it will include impressing performances by foreign guests. We will see the Paganini Ensemble from Vienna performing the masterpieces of Niccolò Paganini (4 June), the Estonian Glasperlenspiel Sinfonietta with conductor Andres Kaljuste and the coloratura soprano Elina Nechayeva (9 June), an intimate dispute with Johann Sebastian Bach's "Goldberg Variations" by renowned Ukrainian pianist Alexey Botvinov, Artistic Director of "Odessa classics" festival (12 June). South Korean pianist Yeol Eum Son will perform with the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra and its Music Director Sergey Krylov (June 17), and the 18th century compositions will be a special highlight of their program. The Polish Cello Quartet will play solo and together with the Lithuanian cellist ensemble "Cello Club" (19 June) while Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra will appear with the pianists Lucas and Arthur Jussens, who fell in love with Vilnius city while Vilnius audience fell in love with the brothers. Maestro from Poland Andrzej Boreyko will discover the stories of composers who had personal and creative relations with Vilnius, Ukrainian Valentyn Silvestrov and Polish Mieczyslaw Karlowicz (22 June). Pianist Mūza Rubackytė's recital will offer the audience a symbolic journey home with Ferenc Liszt's "Years of Wanderings" (4 June), choir "Jauna muzika" conducted by Vaclovas Augustinas and "Duettissimo" by Gleb Pyšniak's (cello) and Dalia Dėdinskaitė's (violin) will perform program "Baltic prayer", to commemorate the day of Mourning and Hope (on 14 June). 27th Vilnius festival program will be crowned by the dedication of the composer Onutė Narbutaitė - oratorio "Centones meae urbi" dedicated to the multi-ethnic Vilnius city."This oratory is unique not because of any "importance", but because of its Vilnius' aspect. For me it was more than writing music, and it is more than making music. Something more universal, which I had to do from deep inner motivations" says the composer about the oratorio "Centones meae urbi" ("Quilt for my city"). On 29 June, in the Franciscan Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the oratorio will be performed by Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Kaunas State Choir, soloists Gunta Gelgotė (soprano) and Nerijus Masevičius (bass-baritone), conducted by Robertas Šervenikas.