This year the festival GAIDA invites you to explore the most personal musical instrument of all – the human voice. This instrument possesses a wide range of multi-layered meanings (musical, textual, bodily, individual etc); it unfolds in a variety of forms and becomes an everlasting source of creativity.
This time the festival presents impressive voices-personalities Fátima Miranda and David Moss, voices – characters and adventurers Neue Vokalsolisten Stuttgart, voices that are as close to God as musical instruments can be – the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, or voices that exude mystery and tragic mood – Medea, as well as voices that are trademarks of a composer’s works – Sarah Leonard and Michael Nyman Band. Actors, solo performers and vocal groups that read and sing, recite and comment in concerts, theater and multimedia projects – that is the theme and the entity of this years GAIDA festival. Enjoy!

October 19, Friday, Congress Concert Hall, 7pm.

LTHUANIAN STATE SYMPHONIC ORCHESTRA
Soloists:

• David Moss (reader)
• Aušrinė Šikšnytė (mezzo-soprano)
• Conductor B Tommy Andersson (Sweden)
• Ramūnas Motiekaitis. A new work (2007, premiere)
• Onutė Narbutaitė. Shore river symphony (Symphony Nr.4) (2007)
• Heiner Goebbels. From the cycle Surrogate Cities for mezzo-soprano, reader and symphony orchestra (1993/94):

1. D & C
2. Surrogate (lyrics by Hugo Hamilton)
3. The Horatian - Three Songs (lyrics by Heiner Müller)
4. Faust im Wappen
5. In the Country of Last Things (lyrics by Paul Auster)

Heiner Goebbels is undoubtedly a theater man; his post-avanguard works are abundant with theatricality as well as jazz and rock references and energy. The huge concert cycle Surrogate Cities is no exception; according to the composer it is inspired by “realistic, undoubtedly controversial but ultimately positive picture of a modern city”. Parts of Surrogate City feature cabaret-like, Eisler-isque straightforwardness (The Horatian - Three Songs) and high tension (Surrogate), as well as premonition of rotting and dissolving (In the Country of Last Things). The festival GAIDA gives you an opportunity to set out on a trip with no destination to a city with the wonderful actor David Moss. In the concert you will also hear a new symphony opus of the young composer Ramūnas Motiekaitis and a one-part composition written by Onute Narbutaite.

Ticket prices 20 Lt, 25 Lt, 30 Lt, 35 Lt, 70 Lt
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October 20, Saturday, Contemporary Art Center, 7pm.

STELLA HERMETICA

Project of the composers Martynas Bialobžeskis and Jonas Jurkūnas
Lyrics by Isaac Newton, Leonas Stepanauskas, Marto B.
(2007, premjere)
Performers:

• Asmik Grigorian (soprano)
• Gaida Ensemble
• Pieno lazeriai
• Conductor Modestas Pitrėnas

Stella Hermetica was created by the young composers especially for the festival GAIDA (remember The Four Elements); in this project they in their own way bring tradition close to modernity and mix various types of music – classics with alternative, contemporary academic and popular works; various video projections and means of theatrical expression also come in hand. Stella Hermetica in this case works as an allusion to the Western esoteric tradition, unlimited by any religion or viewpoint. It emphasizes the importance of a constant spiritual journey that is more important than any technologies, stylistic units or other means of expression.

Ticket price: 20 Lt

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October 21, Sunday, St. Catherine’s Church, 7pm.

ORATORIO

John Tavener. The Myrrh-Bearer (1993)
Morton Feldman. Rothko Chapel (1971)

Performers:

Arūnas Statkus (alto)Kaunas State Choir
Conductor Petras Bingelis

This programme consists of a close music of two distant authors: John Tavener, a celebrity of “the new spirituality” and Morton Feldman, a radical empiricist and experimenter. Kaunas State Choir headed by Petras Bingelis will perform their cathartic music.

Ticket prices: 20 Lt, 30 Lt, 40 Lt

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October 22, Monday, Contemporary Art Center, 7pm.

MELOS-ETHOS ENSEMBLE BRATISLAVA (Slovakia)

Silvia Adamikova (soprano)

Conductor Marian Lejava

Luciano Berio. O King (1968)
György Ligeti. Kammerkonzert (1969-70)
Jana Kmitova. Wound (2003)
Marian Lejava. Dickinson - Songs (2002-03)
Marius Baranauskas. A new work (2007, premiere)
Loreta Narvilaitė. In the World of Small Things the Detail is King (2007, premiere)

A couple of years ago young and gifted Slovakian musicians gathered into „Melos-Ethos Ensemble“, and from the very first day of its existence the group has set the goal to become an expert in the newest music of the 21st century as well as to initiate Slovakian creativity and spread the word about it. In this intercultural programme that brings together two generations you will hear little-known works of the young Slovakian authors, works of the innovative composers of the previous century Luciano Berio and György Ligeti and two new Lithuanian compositions: the expressive, refined and melancholic music of Loreta Narvilaite and the meticulous and exploring music of Marius Baranauskas.

Ticket price: 20 Lt

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October 23, Tuesday, Contemporary Art Center, 7pm.

NEUE VOKALSOLISTEN STUTTGART (Vokietija)

Ričardas Kabelis. Farce (2007, premiere)
Mischa Kaeser. from Praeludien 1. Buch (2005-06)
Egidija Medekšaitė. Sophismata (2007, premiere)
Georges Aperghis. Vittriool (2006)
Jennifer Walshe. he wants his cowboys to sound like how he thinks cowboys should sound (2003), text by Jennifer Walshe

Neue Vokalsolisten Stuttgart are adventurers, explorers and discoverers, idealists, particularly keen on new sounds, vocal techniques and ways of articulation. There are many elements of musical theater in the shows of the group, voice is in junction of electronics, video and other arts. Neue Vokalsolisten Stuttgart collaborate closely with composers, they perform around 20 new works every year, they will perform some of their favorite opuses in Vilnius as well. Two works of Ričardas Kabelis and Egidija Medekšaitė that have been composed especially for the festival will also be performed at the concert.

Ticket price: 20 Lt

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October 24, Wednesday, Contemporary Art Center, 7pm.

CHARLIE CHAPLIN PROJECT

Performers:

Žibuoklės Martinaitytė. Mosaic (to commemorate Charlie Chaplin) (2007, premiere)

The ensemble “Nepaklusnieji” (“The Disobedient”) don’t like routine and stiff concert forms, so for the festival GAIDA they are preparing a special project of cinema music as a tribute to the actor, director and composer Charlie Chaplin. The famous comedian strongly believed that act and pantomime and the music that follows make a far greater impact than words. The night with the disobedient ones will give you an opportunity to once again enjoy subtle bittersweet mise-en-scenes and music of Charlie Chaplin. The special highlight of the night – a new composition of Žibuoklė Martinaitytė Mozaika (Mosaic) is a dedicated to the famous comedian.

Ticket price: 20 Lt

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October 26, Friday, Domino Theater, 7pm.

FÁTIMA MIRANDA (Spain)

Project of The Voice Theater prESSENCES

Idea, music, performance, direction: Fátima Miranda
Direction: Fernando Renjifo
Light design: Andreas Greiner
Video: Eugeni Bonet and Mayte Ninou
Costumes: “En Escena” (Madrid)


Fátima Miranda is a voice, the wind and a percussion instrument in a human body. Her voice is a universal polyphonic (!) instrument of four octaves trained while studying Western and eastern traditions of singing and developing the techniques of performance and expression. The space of memories that she creates is subtle, deep and poetic. On the stage there is just Fátima Miranda, her voice and no technological manipulations.

Ticket prices: 30 Lt, 50 Lt, 80 Lt, 100 Lt

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October 27, Saturday, National Philharmonic, 7pm.

LITHUANIAN NATIONAL SYMPHONIC ORCHESTRA

Soloists:
Raminta Vaicekauskaitė (soprano)
Raimondas Sviackevičius (accordion)

The men’s group of "Vilnius" choir (director Povilas Gylys)

Conductor Robertas Šervenikas

Feliksas Bajoras. Promise for accordion and orchestra (2007, premiere)
Zita Bružaitė. Der feierliche March for voice, men’s choir and orchestra, Lyrics by Georgas Traklys (2007, premiere)
Bernhard Lang. Differenz / Wiederholung 11.2 (Orchestra Loops #2) for symphonic orchestra (2003)

Bernhard Lang is an Austrian composer and enthusiast of cyber music, he actively co-operates with choreographers, video artists and DJs. In 2006 his opera I Hate Mozart was performed in Vienna for the occasion of The Year of Mozart and it definitely stood out in a buzzing multitude of anniversary events. In the recent years the composer has been studying repetitive esthetics, the technique of video clips and unconventional sound objects. Moreover, he has been restlessly working on a series of works that are all called Differez/Wiederholung (Difference/Repetition), a part of which you will also hear in this programme.

Ticket prices: 20 Lt, 30 Lt, 50Lt

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October 29, Monday, National Drama Theater, 7pm.

MEDEA

Chamber opera (1990, stage production 2005)

Music: Pascal Dusapin
Libretto: Heiner Müller
Director: Antoine Gindt
Staging and lights: Klaus Gruenberg

Artists: Medea - Caroline Stein (colour soprano)
Chamber choir “Jauna muzika”
Lithuanian chamber orchestra

Conductor Franck Ollu

A new version of Pascal Dusapin’s opera Medea is presented in the festival seeking to reveal the mysteriousness and tragic essence of the leading character. Medea is opposed to the vocal quartet, mixed choir and the string orchestra; all of them follow the traditions of baroque opera and comment on the monologues of the main character. Despite the introvert environment and a certain meditative mood, the plot of the opera unfolds to its fullest. Medea here is lonely and terrifying, betrayed and vengeful, she strikes you with her colorful voice that melts in the highest registers. Is the singer simply telling us the story of Medea? Or is she preparing her shocking ritual?

Ticket prices: 20 Lt, 30 Lt, 50 Lt

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October 30, Tuesday, St. Catherine’s church, 7pm.

ESTONIAN PHILHARMONIC CHAMBER CHOIR
Conductor Paul Hillier

Arvo Pärt. Magnificat (1989)
Arvo Pärt. Dopo la vittoria (1997)
Arvo Pärt. Da pacem Domine (2004)
Justė Janulytė. Aquarelle (2007, premiere)
Arvo Pärt. 2 Slavonic psalms (1984)
Toivo Tulev. Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice (2006)
Arvo Pärt. Triodion (1998)
Arvo Pärt. Nunc dimittis (2001)

“The holy minimalist” Arvo Pärt has caused a global resonance with his puritan and sacral music. His music is full of deep religious symbolism and mystic medieval chanting that he reconstructs in an original way with his mind of a contemporary composer. It’s logical that the best interpreter of the music of this Estonian composer is the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, conducted by the famous British conductor and artist Paul Hillier. In the indivisible and congruous programme you will also hear music of Toivo Tulev, who thinks on the same wave length as Arvo and his music is also inspired by hagiography, Christian texts and metaphysic mysteries. You will also hear the new composition of Juste Janulyte that is very likely to be a bright sparkle with its visions inspired by mundane life.

Ticket prices: 20 Lt, 30 Lt, 40 Lt


GAIDA POST SCRIPTUM :

November 27, Tuesday, National Philharmonic, 7pm.

MICHAEL NYMAN BAND (United Kingdom)

Sarah Leonard (soprano)
Michael Nyman’s music from films:

Michael Nyman is the most famous contemporary British composer; he is the author of many librettos, a pianist and musicologist, and the first one who introduced the term minimalism in the music terminology. He got most famous thanks to the long-term co-operation with the film director Peter Greenaway, Michael Nyman composed soundtracks for eleven of his films.
The composer is an extremely pragmatic personality; he does not accept creative suffering, shutting away in an ebony tower or fights against abstract systems. He is an extrovert artist who chooses the right tone of humor and has a knack for raising interest to vast and different audiences. In the exclusive concert in Vilnius one of the best English sopranos – the extravagant singer Sarah Leonard will perform along with the group established by the composer himself.

Ticket prices: 60 Lt, 80 Lt, 100 Lt, 150 Lt

http://www.vilniusfestivals.lt/