"Meditations for the Virgin Mary" is a concert of Gregorian chants, in which the oldest liturgical chanting of the Catholic Church is extended and complemented by the delicate sound of kankles. Gregorian chant is more than a thousand years old. And this concert will feature songs from local Lithuanians from the 14th–15th centuries. manuscripts stored in the Vrublevskii Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. These manuscript books are attributed to Bernardine monks - one of the largest monasteries of old Vilnius and the most important of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In their heyday, the Bernardines of Vilnius had an extremely rich library and a scriptorium (a place where books were transcribed). The basis of the concert program is the hymns dedicated to the Virgin Mary, because the cult of the Virgin Mary was extremely important for the Bernardine spirituality. Hymns dedicated to the Mother of God are characterized by elaborate melodies, and their writing is characterized by wonderful illuminations. The concert "Meditations for the Virgin Mary" features works selected from the liturgical holidays dedicated to Mary, recorded in two hymns from Vilnius.
Many hymns in the concert are played for the first time after a break of many centuries. Musicologist Beata Baublinskienė, who studies the Gregorian legacy of the Bernardines, took the initiative to revive the works written in the manuscripts. She has initiated several Gregorian chant concerts in Lithuania. As a researcher and performer of Gregorian chant - a cantor - she perfected her skills in studies in Krakow, and performed in various ensembles in Lithuania, Poland, Italy, and France.
The works are performed by the Gregorian ensemble "Schola Cantorum Assumptionis": its nucleus has been singing at the Vilnius Franciscan Church for more than ten years. In the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Here, in the sanctuary, which has been under the patronage of the Franciscan brothers for centuries, the Gregorian chants seem to bring back time - to the time when the 14th-15th centuries. Western Christianity was just making its way in Lithuania.
The mood of the hymns will be extended by the improvisations of kankles performed by Aistė Bružaitė and several works. She is one of the most famous performers of her instrument in Lithuania. As a concert musician, she has been actively participating in the musical life of Lithuania and abroad for the second decade. He prepared and released four CDs in various ensembles. Expanding the possibilities of kanklii music, she participates in joint projects with performers of classical musical instruments and orchestras, plays in various ensembles, collaborates with contemporary composers, and does not shy away from challenges and innovations. Aistė Bružaitė considers the new program with the Gregorian ensemble as an opportunity to reveal another side of her creative personality.
The program "Meditations for the Virgin Mary" sounded for the first time quite recently - on June 16. Vilnius St. in the Church of the Cross in the "Night of Culture" program. The concert attracted special interest - that time, everyone who wanted to listen to the wonderful songs could not fit into the sanctuary.
"Meditations to the Virgin Mary" gives listeners the opportunity to move away from the everyday hustle and bustle and immerse themselves in a unique sounding silence created by Gregorian chants and dirge music.
