16 August 2022, 7pm
Duration: 1 hour
Price: €14,00 - €39,00
Venue: Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall (Aušros Vartų Str. 5, Vilnius)
Soprano ASMIK GRIGORIAN
Baritone KOSTAS SMORIGINAS
Orchestra LITHUANIAN STATE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Conductor GINTARAS RINKEVIČIUS

CONCERT PROGRAMME

A. Bruckner. Symphony No. 3 in D minor
D. Shostakovich. Symphony No. 14, op. 135

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Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by its artistic director and chief  conductor Gintaras Rinkevičius, continues presenting symphonies of Anton Bruckner (1824–1896) and Dmitry Shostakovich (1906–1975). "In fact, it is much more than a simple educational mission; it is a landmark of musical culture in Lithuania and for Lithuania, that has no analogues," – musicologist Viktoras Gerulaitis wrote about the symphony cycles.

A. Bruckner's Symphony No. 3, which will be performed in the first part of the concert, was dedicated to Richard Wagner by the author himself and is therefore sometimes referred to as "Wagnerian". Critics usually perceive this work as A. Bruckner's "artistic breakthrough."  According to Rudolf Kloiber, it begins a cycle of the composer's masterpieces, in which A. Bruckner's creativity intertwines with the great ability to construct a symphony.

In the second part of the concert, D. Shostakovich's Symphony No. 14 will be performed. It is a symphony for soprano, bass, string orchestra and percussion, consisting of eleven related parts, each containing text in Russian written by different authors (Federico García Lorca, Guillaume Apollinaire, Wilhelm Küchelbecker, Rainer Maria Rilke), mostly on the theme of death. This symphony is the composer's creative response to Modest Mussorgsky's vocal cycle "Songs and Dances of Death". The symphony will be decorated tonight by the best of the best: in 2019 soprano Asmik Grigorian was recognized as the best soloist of the year at the International Opera Awards, and Kostas Smoriginas is widely regarded as one of the most outstanding baritones of today.

On this evening, the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by its founder, artistic director and chief conductor, National Prize winner Gintaras Rinkevičius.