Klezmers in Pohulianka
Klezmer Orkestar & YAT (Yiddish Atmospheric Touch) Trio
Lithuanian and French klezmer music extravaganza for the International Theatre Day
Concert
27 March 2025, 6.30pm
Duration: 1 hour. 20 min.

Rakija Klezmer Orkestar (Lithuania):
Darius Bagdonavičius (accordion, vocals)
Haroldas Parulis (clarinet)
Skirmantas Rumševičius (trumpet)
Povilas Jurkša (trombone)
Simonas Kaupinis (tuba)
Oleksii Gmyria (drums)
Motiejus Mileris (percussion)

YAT (Yiddish Atmospheric Touch) trio (France):
Denis Cuniot (piano)
Bruno Girard (violin, vocals)
Rémy David Yulzari (double bass)

On the stage of the Vilnius Old Theatre, the Lithuanian and French klezmer ensembles Rakija Klezmer Orkestar and YAT (Yiddish Atmospheric Touch) trio come together to play the klezmer music of the country, who met in October 2024 on the stage of the famous Théâtre de la Ville in Paris in the context of the Lithuanian season in France. The klezmers then brought the packed theatre to its feet. The concert "Klezmers in Pohulianka" is a continuation of the creative friendship and an echo of the Parisian performance for the International Theatre Day.

The ensembles have different approaches to klezmer music. The audience will hear contrasting interpretations of klezmer music: the Parisian one, which is singing and delicate, and the Vilnius one, which is more frenzied, as is typical of the Eastern and Central European region. Finally, the Parisian and Viennese interpretations will merge in a joint performance. Klezmer music, which is so incendiary and evokes emotions, usually leaves no one indifferent.

Klezmer - wandering Jewish musicians who played at weddings, festivals and banquets, and who thrived in the 18th  late 18th -20th centuries. In the first half of the 20th - 20th century in Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Galicia, Bessarabia. Klezmer music was influenced by the musical folklore of German, Ukrainian, Polish, Romanian and other nations. The music that was on the verge of extinction in the 20th century and has no true homeland or specific place of origin, known as the music of the European Jewish diaspora, is a music that is familiar and recognisable to many.

In Vilna, in northern Jerusalem, Klezmer culture has long been an integral part of it. It is true that this genre reached Lithuania somewhat late.

As a multicultural, multilingual theatre, the Vilnius Old Theatre unites and fosters the different cultures of Vilnius, and in its 111th season, it is looking back at the theatre's history and its musical culture over the years, initiating concerts and exceptional musical programmes.

Rakija Klezmer Orkestar is a unique ensemble of professional klezmer musicians from Vilnius, who are committed to klezmer aesthetics and philosophy, and who carry on the tradition of Litvak klezmer. Their music is also inspired by the ethnic music of the Balkans, Roma and other Eastern European communities. The emotional range of the works is wide - from melancholy to unrestrained sultriness. As befits a touring musician, their music can be heard in clubs, bars, concert halls, synagogues, festivals, in town and country, in forests and lakes, at weddings and on the streets. "Rakija Klezmer Orkestar's performances are characterised by spontaneity, spontaneity and energy. Rakija Klezmer Orkestar (2018), A Chasene! (

YAT (Yiddish Atmospheric Touch) is a trio from France whose repertoire combines Yiddish songs, klezmer, Roma music.

Bruno Girard is a violinist, singer, co-founder of the music band Bratsch. When asked why he sings in Yiddish, he said that apart from French, Yiddish suits him better than English, that the lyrics and melodies are great and that he feels obliged to share this part of the European heritage with everyone. Bruno's voice is exceptional - low, vibrating, penetrating.

Denis Cuniot is a virtuoso pianist, composer and a pioneer of the revival of klezmer music in France. He gives a French sound to the klezmer movement, playing Jewish music in his own, unconventional way. He is not an accompanist, but a "dresser" - he observes every phrase that is sung, covers it, weaves it into the overall fabric. With his uninhibited aesthetics and persuasiveness, he creates an authentic Jewish sound.

Rémy David Yulzari is a composer, double bassist, performer at prestigious concert halls and festivals, founder of numerous ensembles playing music ranging from chamber music to Romani jazz, klezmer, and Latin music. He has studied composition and orchestral conducting, and was the first double bassist to receive the prestigious Juilliard School's Artist Diploma in Performance award.