From Classical to Jazz, music lovers have this year 9 outstanding concerts to choose from during the 23rd edition of the Vilnius Festival. It is a rich musical smorgasbord of music with many international stars contributing in various locations across the city.
This year the theme is Home Ludens, the playing man. The head of the Vilnius Festival, Rūta Prusevičienė cited the Dutch historian and philosopher, Johan Huizinga who suggested ‘that playing is a vital and necessary condition for culture to flourish, and an essential part in communication. Vilnius Mayor Remigijus Šimašius described it ‘as a good description of the essence of this year’s festival and the city itself.’
At the opening concert on Monday, the Dutch Jazz Orchestra from the prestigious Concertgebouw played music from Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder. But the programme will see also chamber music, Baroque music, and also on 21 June there will be a special performance ‘Waiting, Peer Gynt from Solveig’s Point of View’ to close the Festival to a festive note.
Norwegian touch
Waiting is a symphonic Passion to the music of Edvard Grieg. Norwegian novelist Karl Ove Knausgård has created a modern Solveig in a poetic novella, and this forms a backdrop for the performance. It will be performed with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra in a production by the Bergen Festival performed in the Russian Drama Theatre in Vilnius.
On 8 June the Il Pomo d’Oro Baroque Orchestra with artistic director, conductor and soloist Maxim Emelyanychev conducting from the harpsichord with play a selection of baroque music.
On 9 June, the Synaesthesis Ensemble with conductor Karolis Variakojis will perform modern classical music with works of Boulez to Schittke in Valdovų rūmai (The Palace of the Great Dukes).
On 11 June Violinst Sergej Krylov will conduct the Lithuanian Chamber Orcherstra.
On 14 june, Four Litanies of Ostra Brama by the Polish composer Stanislaw Moniuszko will performed by Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Antoni Wit.
On 17 June Illumina. Gregorian Chant and Improvisations for Percussion by the Latvian Schola Cantorum Riga with artistic director Guntars Prānis.
On 19 June, the Basel Chamber Orchestra, with Andrius Zlaby as piano soloist.
The full programme is available here