CREATORS
Composer Laimis Vilkončius
Libretto by Sigitas Geda
CONCERT PROGRAMME
L. Vilkončius, S. Geda. Rock opera “Eglė” (concert performance)
Many nations around the world have their own epics, whose heroes they justifiably take pride in. In our nation, the most archaic and popular work that has survived is the Lithuanian folk tale “Eglė, the Queen of Serpents”, whose roots are believed to reach back to the Indo-European Stone Age. Everyone knows the plot of the tale – more than a hundred different variants have been preserved in folklore, and its content has inspired dozens of Lithuanian literary classics.
This large-scale work brought together three renowned artists many years ago – the idea’s originator Vytautas Kernagis, composer Laimis Vilkončius, and poet-dramatist Sigitas Geda. In 1976, S. Geda took on writing the libretto specifically for the rock opera “Eglė”. Rather than simply retelling the popular tale, he elevated its philosophical ideas to a cosmopolitan level, emphasizing the complexities of human relationships. In S. Geda’s libretto, the confrontation of the Heaven, Sea, and Earth elements highlights the question of the survival of Baltic peoples. The symbol of the serpent bridges the ages all the way to the wisdom god of ancient Egypt. The essence of the libretto is perhaps most clearly expressed in lines from the epilogue: “We are all – Indians, Lithuanians, we are all – Prussians, Aztecs, we are all – the people and nations of every race and faith, let us remember our fathers, our grandparents, let us remember our ancestors, the Milky Way, from which we have happily fallen onto this Earth, by this Sea!”. Although S. Geda wrote this libretto in 1976, its ideas resonate with the issues of the 21st century, as if written today.
Equally impressive is the music composed by L. Vilkončius. “L. Vilkončius created such strong and talented music that highlights the essence of the poetic text and gives it meaning. In this case, S. Geda’s lines and L. Vilkončius’ music do not compete – they correspond to and complement each other. In my opinion, “Eglė” is undoubtedly one of the best rock operas in the history of Lithuanian music,” – says Maestro G. Rinkevičius about the work.