MUSIC AS DIALOGUE

Lithuanian Symphonic Wind Orchestra
Conductor Karolis Variakojis

Conducted by Karolis Variakojis, the orchestra presents three world premieres in this festival programme, alongside two works being performed in Lithuania for the first time. The evening features music by Ramūnas Motiekaitis, Mykolas Natalevičius, Marius Salynas (Lithuania), Gatis Jānis Pujāts (Latvia), and Kristjan Kõrver (Estonia). Drawing inspiration from diverse sources – from Charles Ives’s collage-like aesthetic to spiritual themes rooted in Biblical quotations, from natural phenomena to stylised allusions to cinema – these works reflect the festival’s theme through a creative dialogue between such phenomena and the language of music.

Concert program

Ramūnas Motiekaitis

Seen & Unseen

(2022, Lithuanian premiere)

The piece is woven from different kinds of music sounding simultaneously, as if on a street where incompatible tunes cross paths: a lyrical melody, march rhythms, chorale motifs, and more. The work pays homage to the collage-like aesthetic of Charles Ives, to whom it is dedicated.
Ramūnas Motiekaitis

Mykolas Natalevičius

Nex

(2025, premjera)

In the oceans, there exists a mysterious and little-studied phenomenon – the rogue wave. Rare and unpredictable, these waves can be extremely dangerous to ships, oil platforms, lighthouses, and other structures. For a long time, their origin remained unknown, and scientists had no means of studying them. Only with the advancement of wave measurement technologies did research become possible. Rogue waves usually arise during storms and are characterized by reaching nearly twice the height of an average storm wave. The composition reflects the destructive power of a storm that grows gradually and relentlessly. “Nex”, in Latin, signifies a sudden and unexpected death brought about by an irresistible, destructive force. The piece unfolds in a steadily intensifying linear form, mirroring the slow build of a storm: the waves grow stronger, the tension rises and falls, until, after an unexpected calm, a single overwhelming wave emerges - followed by ringing silence.
Mykolas Natalevičius

Gaitis Jānis Pujāts

(Latvia)

The Lobes of Clouds

(2025, Lithuanian premiere)

„The Lobes of Clouds”. Three sketches – three soundscapes of various types of clouds. In these sketches of sound, there are no clouds themselves; instead, there are a variety of emotions that clouds evoke. The cycle is about the twists and turns of life – wherever life takes you, in contemplating clouds, each of us can remember our childhood, native home, and the scent of our fatherland.
Gaitis Jānis Pujāts

Kristjan Kõrver

(Estonia)

Ubi vult spirat

(2025, premiere)

The title of the piece, “Ubi vult spira”t, translated from Latin, means It blows where it chooses.

The wind blows to the south,
and goes around to the north;
round and round goes the wind,
and on its circuits the wind returns.
(Book of Ecclesiastes 1:6)

[Jesus said to Nicodemus:] “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
(John 3:8)

Marius Salynas

Cinema Cinema!

(2025, premiere)

The piece for symphonic wind orchestra “Cinema Cinema!” is a dedication to classical cinematography and its creators. Films made by people rather than artificial intelligence, where we hear a “live” orchestra instead of sound libraries, where the experiences of heroes take precedence over special effects - such films awaken a sense of nostalgia. The era of the Great Cinema is inexorably receding, leaving behind its unique cultural imprint and the brightest names of its creators.

Today, in the age of globalisation, information overload, and virtual reality, these reminiscences of the past gain special relevance.

“Cinema Cinema!” does not employ direct musical quotations - it is rather an impulsive musical stylisation, a sentiment. A recurring rhythmic ostinato draws us into an increasingly intense, pulsating orchestral fabric. Like a spinning film reel, it carries us through contrasting musical moods: from the mysterious, quiet introduction to the dramatic climax at the end.
Marius Salynas

Performers

LITHUANIAN SYMPHONIC WIND ORCHESTRA

The Lithuanian Symphonic Wind Orchestra is a versatile and open-minded ensemble that performs music across a wide range of genres and styles. In recent years, it has become a particularly active champion of contemporary Lithuanian music, commissioning and premiering more than fifteen new works by Lithuanian composers. Pieces written especially for the orchestra have been performed not only in Lithuania but also abroad – in Sweden, the Netherlands, the United States, and beyond. Renewed in spirit and membership, the orchestra is firmly committed to promoting Lithuanian music and fostering new repertoire for the symphonic wind orchestra.