Download Vilniaus festivalis: nuo senosios muzikos iki džiazo

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 23 April 2008
Vilnius Festival 2008: from the early music to jazz, or
towards the intercultural dialogue
The Vilnius Festival kindles the cultural life of the country’s Capital
heading towards summer holidays, by promising symphonic nebulosity,
whirlwind of concerts, chamber precipitation and jazz heat in the forecasts
of its musical programmes. Still, this year’s festival – that is to take place
for the 12th time from June 4th to July 2nd – is not concerned with the
natural phenomena, but rather focuses on the European Year of Intercultural
Dialogue, which celebrates communication between people of different
cultural traditions, styles, backgrounds and mindsets. The Vilnius Festival
is not restricted to the European musical environment and keeps an eye on
other continents as well, inviting the American jazz-rock group Return to Forever, the
Mexican early music ensemble Cappella Cervantina and the Chinese piano player Yundi Li.
The patron of the festival is Lithuania’s largest commercial bank SEB, which has been
supporting the Vilnius Festival from its very inception.
Each year, the Vilnius Festival follows an ambitious programming strategy and presents a
recital by a prominent Lithuanian performer, hosts the composer’s portrait concert,
organises the early music concert, invites the cult jazz group or soloist and introduces the
prestigious international orchestra. Along with the said objectives, the Vilnius Festival 2008
pays considerable attention to the orchestras; therefore, this year’s festival programme will
involve five orchestral performances, including the appearances of the Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra (UK), Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra (Germany), Jazz Orchestra of the
Concertgebouw (The Netherlands), Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra and
Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra. Such large collectives and massive orchestral music
formats, along with the attractive finale of the festival, point to the unfading intentions of the
Vilnius Festival to retain the undeniably leading position among culture and art events in the
Baltic region.
The eight concerts of the Vilnius Festival (seven of which are to take place at the National
Philharmonic Hall) will showcase the magic sound art, ranging from the 16th–18th century
Mexican and Spanish music to American and Dutch jazz, and will incorporate large-scale
symphonies (by Johannes Brahms, Piotr Tchaikovsky and Onutė Narbutaitė), concertos (by
Maurice Ravel and Antonin Dvořák) and cycles (by Franz Liszt, Antonio Vivaldi and Astor
Piazzolla).
The official opening of the 12th Vilnius Festival on June 4th will bring together the
musicians with different cultural backgrounds: Italian conductor Daniele Gatti, Chinese
piano player Yundi Li (“This man is also a player with personality, much like superstars of
yore like Vladimir Horowitz and Arthur Rubinstein,” claims the Toronto Star), and the
British Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (“The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra...plays like a
dream, with characterful wind soloists and much silvery, aristocratic string tone,” reports
The Times, London). The final event of the Festival on July 2nd at the Utena Arena will
feature the comeback of the legendary ‘electrified’ jazz-rock group Return to Forever. Chick
Corea (keyboards), Al Di Meola (guitar), Stanley Clarke (bass guitar) and Lenny White
(drums) have reunited after more than 25 years and now they are going on a 50-date North
American and European tour. The concert in Vilnius will be the first appearance of the
group on its European tour.
June 11th promises a refined piano recital with Mūza Rubackytė and Franz Liszt: “Liszt’s
music runs through my biography like a golden thread,” – in one of her interviews says the
aristocratic piano player, who is going to perform the shortened version of the Années de
Pélerinage. The Festival is going to present yet another aristocrat of the Lithuanian music,
composer Onutė Narbutaitė, by hosting her portrait concert and featuring her cycle of three
symphonies, Tres Dei Matris Symphoniae. In 2004, this large-scale symphonic work,
dedicated to her personal reflections on Mary’s life, was premiered in Frankfurt am Oder
and evoked a wide resonance within the international musical community. Then the
conductor Robertas Šervenikas and Aidija Chamber Choir made their contribution to the
performance of the three symphonies. They are going to perform it again on June 14th,
together with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra and Kaunas State Choir.
The appearances of groups performing music from the distant past are an attractive element
of the Vilnius Festival. This year’s event seems to be encouraging to restore one’s
knowledge of the ancient Aztec and Maya cultures and of the Spanish folklore rugged with
historical changes but always fresh as a spring-water. The appearance of the Mexican
ensemble Cappella Cervantina on June 18th is intriguing enough, since it is a vocal
ensemble and a baroque orchestra at the same time.
The concert on June 21st should be attractive to the audience as well. Subtitled The Same
and Different Four Seasons, the performance will include the Lithuanian Chamber
Orchestra and violinist Julian Rachlin (Austria). Together they have delivered numerous
sensational appearances on their Lithuanian and international tours. The programme of the
concert collates works of similar theme written 250 apart by Antonio Vivaldi and Astor
Piazzolla.
On June 26th, Jazz at the Philharmonic concert will present the Jazz Orchestra of the
Concertgebouw, the Amsterdam’s famous concert hall. The orchestra has mustered
Holland’s best jazz musicians. Aside from being talented and proficient musicians, members
of the orchestra are also active as composers and arrangers; therefore, the big band’s
programme will present the most prominent pieces from the orchestras ‘jazz book.’
And finally, a concert dedicated to the 90th birth anniversary of Leonard Bernstein will take
place on June 27th. On this occasion, the top class collective of young performers with the
Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra (Germany) will appear for the first time in Vilnius.
This orchestra was founded at the initiative of Leonard Bernstein and his Symphonic Dances
from the popular musical Westside Story will be performed at the Vilnius Festival. The
orchestra under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach will be joined by German cellist Daniel
Müller-Schott (“The world now has a new great cellist,” acknowledged Politiken,
Denmark).
VF inf.
www.vilniusfestival.lt