9 December 2021, 7pm
Duration: 2 hours
Price: €9,00 - €24,00
Venue: Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall (Aušros Vartų Str. 5, Vilnius)
Soprano Lauryna Bendžiūnaitė
Orchestra Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra
Conductor Gintaras Rinkevičius

CONCERT PROGRAMME:

B. Britten. “Four French Songs” for soprano and orchestra
W. Lutosławski. “Silesian Triptych” for soprano and orchestra
A. Bruckner. Symphony No. 6 in A Major

***

Tonight, one of the brightest stars of Lithuanian opera, Lauryna Bendžiūnaitė, will shine on the stage together with the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by its artistic director and chief conductor Gintaras Rinkevičius. L. Bendžiūnaitė graduated from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (prof. Regina Maciūtė's singing class) and the Royal Academy of Music in London (prof. Joy Mammen’s singing class). She also completed an internship at the Cardiff Voice Academy with prof. Dennis O’Neill and Dame Kiri te Kanawa. In 2013 the soloist won first prize in the international competition "Art of the 21st Century" in Kiev, and in 2010 was awarded the main award in the “Pavarotti Prize”. After going to Germany five years ago to work at the Stuttgart Opera House, L. Bendžiūnaitė soon took root here. As often happens with talents who have left Lithuania, more about the soloist is heard abroad than in Lithuania. Recently, L. Bendžiūnaitė has been collaborating with opera houses in Potsdam, Hamburg, Strasbourg, Rome and many others.

"Singing is my psychotherapy, the embodiment of all my fantasies and the legal realization of all emotions and actions, for which I’m also getting paid," – says L. Bendžiūnaitė. “When I sing, I'm a better person. Better, more beautiful and more interesting, able to radiate a brighter kind of life to everyone around.”

During the concert, L. Bendžiūnaitė will perform "Four French Songs" by the British composer Benjamin Britten (1913–1976) – an impressive opus created as a gift for the wedding anniversary of the composer's parents. “Silesian Triptych” by the Polish composer Witold Lutosławski (1913–1994), which uses motifs from Polish folklore texts and music, will also be performed.

In the second part of the concert, the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra conducted by maestro Gintaras Rinkevičius, will continue the cycle “All Symphonies of A. Bruckner and D. Shostakovich” with Anton Bruckner's (1824–1896) Symphony No. 6 in A Major. The composer composed this piece while in an uplifting mood, when he finally experienced the fullness of life during a two-month trip to Switzerland. The music of Symphony No. 6 is surprisingly fresh and lively. Indeed, this symphony is perceived as a glorification of the beauty and grandeur of the world order. Of all Bruckner's symphonies, it is the brightest. The music bursts with joy, reckless intoxication and the fullness of being. Lyrical themes are enriched with previously unheard emotional power and the warmth of feelings.