CONCERT PROGRAMME
F. Mendelssohn. Symphony No. 2 “Hymn of Praise” (in German
“Lobgesang”) for soloists, choir and orchestra, Op. 52
The Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra invites you to hear the monumental masterpiece of the 19th-century German Romantic composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847), “Hymn of Praise”. This is the second symphony in the world (after Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony) to include a choir. “Hymn of Praise” was composed in 1840 by commission of the city of Leipzig to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press. The premiere took place on June 25, 1840, at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, where Johann Sebastian Bach had served for many years as music director. “Hymn of Praise” was deliberately set to Biblical texts – J. Gutenberg’s printed Latin Bible from 1455 had become the first printed book in Europe.
Mendelssohn’s “Hymn of Praise” was conceived as a symphonic cantata, and it received the title Second Symphony only after the composer’s death. The work consists of eleven movements: the first (itself divided into three sections) is purely orchestral, while the remaining ten are written for soloists, choir, and orchestra.
At the LVSO Concert Hall, one of Mendelssohn’s most celebrated works will be performed by the finest Lithuanian opera soloists: soprano Lauryna Bendžiūnaitė, mezzo-soprano Skirmantė Vaičiūtė, tenor Edgaras Montvidas, the Kaunas State Choir (artistic director Robertas Šervenikas), and the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra. The performance will be conducted by the orchestra’s Artistic Director and Chief Conductor, Maestro Gintaras Rinkevičius.