20 February 2020, 7pm
Duration: 2 hours
Price: €14,00 - €39,00
Venue: Vilnius Congress Hall (Vilniaus Str. 6-1, Vilnius)
Tenor Corby Welch
Soprano Lauryna Bendžiūnaitė
Mezzo-soprano Ieva Prudnikovaitė
Bass Tadas Girininkas
Tenor Edgaras Davidovičius
Actor / Actors Vladas Bagdonas
Choir Kaunas State Choir (dir. Petras Bingelis)
Choir Choir of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre (dir. Česlovas Radžiūnas)
Choir “Vilnius“ Choir (dir. Artūras Dambrauskas)
Orchestra Liepāja Symphony Orchestra
Orchestra Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra
Conductor Gintaras Rinkevičius

CONCERT PROGRAMME

A. Schoenberg. “Gurre-Lieder“ for soloists, choirs and symphony orchestra

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Maestro Gintaras Rinkevičius, one of the most prominent Lithuanian artists who has already secured his name in the history of music, is today celebrating his anniversary. On this occasion, the Maestro is presenting the magnificent “Gurre-Lieder” by Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951), based on a poem by Danish novelist Jens Peter Jacobsen, translated into English as "Songs of the Gurre". Gurre is a medieval castle in Denmark, where, according to national Danish legend, one of the greatest tragedies of love in the Middle Ages took place: when King Valdemar IV Atterdag (1320-1375) fell deeply in love with the beautiful Tove, the latter was killed by the envious Queen.

The spectacular masterpiece shall be performed at the Vilnius Congress Hall by a historical team of performers - spectators will see soloists Corby Welch, Lauryna Bendžiūnaitė, Ieva Prudnikovaitė, Tadas Girininkas, Edgar Davidovičius, reader Vladas Bagdonas, more than 150 choir members from Kaunas State Choir, Choir of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, “Vilnius” Choir, and a giant symphony orchestra, comprised of Lithuanian State and Liepāja Symphony Orchestras joined together. Nearly three hundred artists on stage will be conducted by maestro Gintaras Rinkevičius.

Maestro Gintaras Rinkevičius began his ascension towards artistic heights in 1983, when he won the Fifth Confederate Conductors' Competition in Moscow – this gave him opportunities to participate in prestigious international conducting competitions. In 1985, his career received an immense impetus after his victory at the prestigious Herbert von Karajan Conducting Competition and, a year later, at the international competition In memoriam János Ferencsik in Budapest. G. Rinkevičius is the only conductor in Lithuania to become a winner of these competitions. After these impressive conquests, barely 28-years-old, in 1988 G. Rinkevičius was invited to establish the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra and has been its artistic director for over thirty years. At the same time, he has been engaged in work abroad: from 1996 to 2003 he was the artistic director and chief conductor of the Latvian National Opera, and from 2007 to 2009 he was the principal guest conductor at the same theatre. From 2002 to 2005, G. Rinkevičius was the chief conductor of the Malmo Opera (Sweden). In 2008-2017 G. Rinkevičius served as chief conductor and artistic director of the Novosibirsk Academic Symphony Orchestra, since 2017 he has been leading the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra. In 1983-2018 G. Rinkevičius was teaching at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, and in 2008 was granted the title of a professor. In 2013 he became conductor and member of the board of the World Peace Orchestra. Maestro G. Rinkevičius has been granted several Lithuanian State Awards of highest order and was twice awarder for his contributions to Latvian music culture with the highest Latvian music award, the Grand Music Prize. He has also been awarded with Orders of Norway and Portugal.