Artists:
ALEXANDER PALEY (piano)
VYTAUTAS RUMŠAS Sr. (actor)

Programme:
Richard Strauss
Melodrama Das Schloss am Meere (The Castle by the Sea), text by Ludwig Uhland
Melodrama Enoch Arden, op.38, text by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, German translation by Adolf Strodtmann
Translations into Lithuanian by Giedrius Prunskus

Sometimes it is surprising to realise how one or another commonly used word has changed its meaning over the centuries. For example, we now think of the word "melodrama" as a certain genre of film. But what did it used to mean, which comes from two Greek words: "melos", a song or melody, and "drama", action? In the eighteenth century, it was a very popular and distinctive genre of musical theatre, in which the recitation of text alternates with the music and is sometimes read to the music. The genre was born as an attempt by artists of the time to revive an aesthetic principle of the Renaissance: the relationship between the tensile development of dramatic thought and the natural expressiveness of music. Later on, the Romantic era turned to this unusual genre, among whom the expressive opera composer Richard Strauss was the brightest star. His melodramas are true musical spectacles, interweaving expressive story-telling with haunting and evocative music.

Joining forces, two remarkable artists - pianist A. Paley and actor V. Rumsas Senior - invite the audience to immerse themselves in the weave of romantic stories, accompanied by the most wonderful piano passages. Their stories will take the listener to the shores of distant seas, through exotic countries and tell of great love and indescribable sacrifice for the sake of this practical feeling. The audience will have a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the genre of romantic melodrama, listening to the lyrics of the Romantic poets translated into Lithuanian and the enchanting, elemental music of R. Strauss.