2023 October 7 6:00 p.m. Palanga Concert Hall (Vytauto St. 43, Palanga)
Ensemble “Lietuva” and “Prabudimo Orchestra” present the premiere – dance and music performance “Dance Symphony from Northern Jerusalem.” The play is specially created to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liquidation of the Vilnius ghetto and will be presented on September 23-24. In the State Youth Theater, in the former territory of the Vilnius ghetto.
The new project is being developed based on Jievar Jasinski’s work “Symphony from North Jerusalem”, which has received much public attention. The composer’s work of the young generation inspired a new, larger-scale creative idea, which will be realized by the director and choreographer Aušra Krasauskaitė with an evocative movement narrative, with the music of several orchestras playing live.
“Almost a year ago, St. I heard “Symphony from North Jerusalem” by Jievar Jasinskis in St. Catherine’s Church. Then, there were very strong emotions – tears flowed down my cheeks while listening to the Israeli national anthem. I experienced catharsis while sitting among the audience; the feelings I experienced “led” to thoughts about the dance performance. I thought how wonderful it would be to make a dance to this music.
The unexpected offer I received from Edita, the head of the Lietuva ensemble, to create a dance performance confirmed the saying that my desire went “straight to God’s ear”, recalls A. Krasauskaitė, head of the Lietuva ensemble. ballerina
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The first presentation of J. Jasinskis’ concert took place in 2021. on September 23, the day of the Genocide of the Jews of Lithuania, and became a significant artistic highlight of the 80th anniversary of the Holocaust. Exactly two years later, this project will take on an even more impressive form – with a dance movement and a new arrangement of the work, which a richer sound of national instruments will complement.
“It has never happened to me that someone decided to put on a dance performance after hearing my music. It was a completely new experience, like the project tour in Israel, where my work was generally heard abroad for the first time. Personally, this is the first programmatic and stage production that has been so publicly noticed. I’m curious to see the final result in the fall, but knowing that the team has a ton of experience puts me at ease. And we already tried the “Lietuvos” ensemble orchestra in a concert format in May. During the performance staging, we will see how all the available versions of the music work, As dictated by the dance itself and the characters, we may have to create additional ones. I think the finale will be very colorful for both the eye and the ear. I am happy, excited, and waiting”, shares composer J. Jasinskis.
In the premiere, the experiences of the heroes of the performances will be revealed, important historical events will be reflected in battle mass scenes, which will be brought to life by dance, and the audience will be reminded of the common experience of Jews and Lithuania.
“In my vision as a director, dance movements, body plasticity, and other engaging choreographic solutions will further enhance the emotional background. I am looking forward to the creative process with endless excitement, and it has already started – my trip to Jerusalem in May brought strong experiences, realizations, and shocks – I will put all this experience into a performance I am passionate about”, says A. Krasauskaitė.
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“Dance Symphony from Northern Jerusalem” is a joint project of the State Ensemble “Lietuva” and VšĮ “Prabudimo Orkestas,” the previous version of which was produced and scripted by Tadas Daujotas. In the new performance, the dancers of “Lietuvos” will dance, and two live orchestras will join forces – Vilnius. Municipality of St., The chamber orchestra of Kristoforos and the “Lietuva” ensemble, which brings an authentic sound to the musical journey, will be joined by guest jazz and classical musicians.
Classical music will intertwine with exotic Middle Eastern melodies, klezmer motifs, and jazz elements. This is modern, but at the same time, archaic undertones world music genre project, in which ancient Hebrew shofar horns will sound majestically, and the sounds of kankles and birbyne will subtly blend into the sound of the orchestra. Today’s relevance will be revealed not only in the live sound but also in the dance, costumes, or scenography created in an unconventional way on several floors.
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It is symbolic that in 2023, celebrating the 700th anniversary of the city of Vilnius, we remember the letters of Gediminas – the official invitation that widened the way for Jews to our country, where they created prosperity for centuries, and their history was closely intertwined with the historical experience of our nation. It is symbolic that as North Jerusalem celebrates a special anniversary, we will commemorate the painful anniversary of the liquidation of the Vilnius ghetto.
In the Vilnius ghetto, spiritual resistance and a vibrant cultural life helped to survive, unite, and not lose hope, which seems almost unbelievable in such a context. In the face of suffering and death, the inhabitants of the ghetto tried to cling to life and engage in self-expression: a theater, professional choirs, a symphony, and a jazz orchestra were created here, and exhibitions, concerts, and competitions were held. Through theater, culture, art, and education, people saved themselves from self-destruction – even in the most tragic moments, they strengthened their community, did not forget their nation’s humane values, tried to find positive emotions, and believed they would be freed one day.
The ghetto was liquidated in 1943. On September 23-24, the dance performance’s premiere in Vilnius is scheduled for the exact dates at the State Youth Theater located on the territory of the former ghetto.
J. Jasinskis is not only the composer of this performance, but also the leader and trombonist of the orchestra representing the capital “Vilnius Jjazz Ensemble”, one of the composers of the film concert “Vilnius Pokeris.” Director and choreographer A. Krasauskaitė is a laureate of the Golden Cross of the Stage and the Mask of Thanks, who has staged more than eight dance performances in various Lithuanian theaters. The scenography artist is Gintaras Makarevičius, who has been awarded the Golden Stage Cross several times. Costume designer – Julija Skuratova, lighting designer – Darius Malinauskas.
On September 23, the program will be presented to the Jewish community, and on the 24th to everyone who wants to. After the premiere in Vilnius, “Dance Symphony from North Jerusalem” will continue to be shown on September 27. in the National Drama Theater of Kaunas, and on October 7 will take place in the Palanga concert hall.
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The State Ensemble “Liethuva” continues the long-term campaign “Let’s grow the muscle of unity,” aimed at uniting people of different nations and religions, who historically create the shared history of Lithuania. The campaign reminds us that the primary muscle of a person is the heart, and unity helps to unite those hearts – to unite through the living and shared history of all of us.
Vienytis invites the Chancellery of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, the Lithuanian Culture Council, Vilnius City Municipality, Go Vilnius Public Enterprise, the Department of National Minorities under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania and the German Embassy in Vilnius, information partner LRT, who are partially financing the project. The event is part of the Vilnius 700th anniversary program 700vilnius.lt.
CREATIVE TEAM:
Composer: Jievaras Jasinskis
Director and choreographer: Aušra Krasauskaitė
Scenographer: Gintaras Makarevičius
Head of the musical part: Ramūnas Marcinkus
Costume designer: Julija Skuratova
Light artist: Darius Malinauskas
Head of Public Company Prabudimo Orkestas: Tadas Daujotas
Head of the “Lietuva” ensemble: Edita Katauskienė
Performers:
Orchestra and dancers of the state ensemble “Lietuva” (chief conductor Egidijus Kaveckas)
Vilnius municipality of St. Kristoforos Chamber Orchestra (artistic director and chief conductor Modestas Barkauskas)
Guest classical, jazz, and folk musicians.
