Famous soloist of Lithuanian opera, Justina Gringytė, famous on world stages as the impressive Carmen, will perform in autumn at a symphonic music concert at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic. Together with the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, she will perform the world premiere of a new piece written especially for this concert by one of the most prominent Lithuanian composers of today, Žibuoklė Martinaitytė. This year, the Lithuanian National Culture and Art Prize was awarded to Ž. Martinaitytė creates a cycle of seven songs for mezzo-soprano and symphony orchestra based on the texts of Enheduana, who is considered the first poetess in the history of mankind. This concert, organized by Vilnius Festivals, will take place on October 29. at the National Philharmonic.
The Guardian's critics compare the strength of Justina Gringytė's voice to "steel armor", and her acting flexibility helps reveal the most unexpected colors of the role she plays. The mastery of the recognized soloist will undoubtedly provide special inspiration for the new work of Žibuoklė Martinaitytė for mezzo-soprano and symphony orchestra, which is currently being created.
Performing the key mezzo-soprano repertoire in the most famous opera scenes, Justina Gringytė has also paid attention to contemporary music since the beginning of her professional career. Her professor at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater was a famous interpreter of Lithuanian music, singer Regina Maciūtė - the first performer of many significant Lithuanian musical works. in 2010 J. Gringytė went to study at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Theater in Cardiff, which opened the door to an international career for the young singer. By the way, today J. Gringytė is an honorary member of this college. In parallel, in 2010-2011 she trained at the National Opera Studio in London, then interned at Jette's Parker Young Performers Program at Covent Garden Opera House.
One of the most important roles in J. Gringytė's career was Carmen in Georges Bizet's opera of the same name. International fame brought the Lithuanian mezzo-soprano to the most famous opera stages of the United Kingdom. Soloist Carmen has sung in the productions of the English National Opera, the Royal Covent Garden Opera in London, the Scottish Opera in Glasgow, as well as in Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu, Madrid's Teatro Real, and the Korean National Opera. The audience of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theater also saw J. Gringytė's memorable interpretation, and the soloist participated in Dalia Ibelhauptaitė's "e-Carmen" production at the Vilnius City Opera.
In addition to the opera repertoire (Amneris, Madalena, Fenena in Giuseppe's Verdi operas "Aida", "Rigolet", "Nabuccus", etc.), Justina Gringytė is happy to take on impressive concert canvases, such as Gustav Mahler's "The Song of the Earth" or the song cycle "One Sweet Morning" by Paulo Corigliano. The versatility of the soloist's personality is also evidenced by her 2016. A charity and support fund was established in Vilnius to educate musically gifted children.
Justina Gringytė's new work by Žibuoklė Martinaitytė will undoubtedly become one of the highlights of October 29. highlights of the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra concert. The composer, who was awarded the National Culture and Art Prize this year, was inspired by Enheduana, a poet and priestess of Sumerian royal origin, who lived in 2300 BC. BC in the territory of present-day Iraq. According to Z. Martinaitytė, more than the words of the poet, she was inspired by the very fact of her life and especially her work. "She symbolizes many other female artists who were completely erased from the history of art and are only now regaining their rightful place." Enheduana's text "Hymn to Inana" was chosen for the work, the themes of which are still relevant today: "from the threat of war to natural disasters, the forced exile of people from their homeland and the ambivalence of gender identity," says the composer.
Opera celebrity Justina Gringytė's performance at the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra concert - October 29. at the National Philharmonic. The concert is organized by Vilnius Festivals.
