Ensemble "Lietuva" and "Prabudimo Orchestra" present the premiere - dance and music performance "Dance Symphony from Northern Jerusalem". The play is specially created to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liquidation of the Vilnius ghetto and will be presented on September 23-24. In the State Youth Theater, in the former territory of the Vilnius ghetto. The new project is being developed based on Jievar Jasinski's work "Symphony from North Jerusalem", which has received a lot of public attention. The work of the composer of the young generation inspired a new, larger-scale creative idea, which will be realized by the director and choreographer Aušra Krasauskaitė with an evocative narrative of movement, with the music of several orchestras playing live.
"Almost a year ago St. I heard "Symphony from North Jerusalem" by Jievar Jasinskis in St. Catherine's Church. Then there were very strong emotions - while listening to the Israeli national anthem, tears flowed down my cheeks. I experienced catharsis while sitting among the audience, the feelings I experienced "led" to thoughts about the dance performance. I thought how wonderful it would be to make a dance to this music.
The unexpected offer I received from Edita, the head of the Lietuva ensemble, to create a dance performance seemed to confirm the saying that my desire went "straight to God's ear", recalls A. Krasauskaitė, head of the Lietuva ensemble. ballerina
The first presentation of J. Jasinskis concert took place in 2021. on September 23, the day of the Genocide of the Jews of Lithuania, and became a significant artistic highlight of the 80th anniversary of the Holocaust. Exactly two years later, this project will take on an even more impressive form - with a dance movement and a new arrangement of the work, which will be complemented by a richer sound of national instruments.
"It has never happened to me that someone decided to put on a dance performance after hearing my music. A completely new experience, like the tour of the project in Israel, where my work was generally heard abroad for the first time. Personally, this is the first programmatic and stage production that has been so publicly noticed. I'm curious to see what the final result will look like in the fall, but knowing that the team has a ton of experience puts me at ease. And we already tried out the "Lietuvos" ensemble orchestra in a concert format in May. During the staging of the performance, we will see how all the available versions of the music work, how the dance itself will dictate the characters, maybe we will have to create additional ones. I think the finale will be very colorful for both the eye and the ear. I am happy, excited and waiting", shares composer J. Jasinskis.
In the premiere, the experiences of the heroes of the plays will be revealed, important historical events will be reflected in battle mass scenes, which will be brought to life by dance, and the audience will be reminded of the common experience of Jews and Lithuania.
"In my vision as a director, the emotional background will be further enhanced by dance movements, body plasticity and other engaging choreographic solutions. I am looking forward to the creative process with endless excitement, and it has already started - my trip to Jerusalem in May brought strong experiences, realizations and shocks - I will put all this experience into a performance that I am passionate about", says A. Krasauskaitė.
"Dance Symphony from Northern Jerusalem" is a joint project of the State Ensemble "Lietuva" and VšĮ "Prabudimo Orkestas", the previous version of which was produced and scripted by Tadas Daujotas. In the new performance, the dancers of "Lietuvos" will dance, and two live orchestras will join forces - Vilnius. municipality of St. The chamber orchestra of Kristoforos and the "Lietuva" ensemble, which brings an authentic sound to the musical journey, will be joined by guest jazz and classical musicians. The conductors of both orchestras - Egidijus Kaveckas and Modestas Barkauskas - will play the role of destiny on stage.
Classical music will intertwine with exotic Middle Eastern melodies, klezmer motifs and jazz elements. This is a modern, but at the same time, archaic undertones world music genre project, in which ancient Hebrew shofar horns will sound majestically, and the sounds of kankles and birbyne will subtly blend into the sound of the orchestra. Today's relevance will be revealed not only in the live sound, but also in the dance, costumes or in the unconventional scenography created on several floors.
The story of the dance, which began 4000 years ago, will continue to this day. It is symbolic that in 2023, celebrating the 700th anniversary of the city of Vilnius, we remember the letters of Gediminas - the official invitation that widened the way for Jews to our country, where they created prosperity for centuries, and their history was closely intertwined with the historical experience of our nation. It is symbolic that as North Jerusalem celebrates a special anniversary, we will commemorate the painful anniversary of the liquidation of the Vilnius ghetto.
In the Vilnius ghetto, spiritual resistance and a vibrant cultural life helped to survive, unite and not lose hope, which seems almost unbelievable in such a context. In the face of suffering and death, the inhabitants of the ghetto tried to cling to life and engage in self-expression: a theater, professional choirs, a symphony and jazz orchestra were created here, exhibitions, concerts and competitions were held. Through theater, culture, art and education, people saved themselves from self-destruction - even in the most tragic moments they strengthened community, did not forget the humane and values of their nation, tried to find positive emotions and believe that one day they will be freed. The ghetto was liquidated in 1943. on September 23-24, therefore, the premiere of the dance performance in Vilnius is scheduled for the same dates at the State Youth Theater located on the territory of the former ghetto.
J. Jasinskis is not only the composer of this performance, but also the leader and trombonist of the orchestra representing the capital "Vilnius Jjazz Ensemble", one of the composers of the film concert "Vilnius Pokeris". Director and choreographer A. Krasauskaitė is a laureate of the Golden Cross of the Stage and the Mask of Thanks, who has staged more than eight dance performances in various Lithuanian theaters. The scenography artist is Gintaras Makarevičius, who has been awarded the Golden Stage Cross several times. Costume designer - Julija Skuratova, lighting designer - Darius Malinauskas.
September 23 the program will be presented to the Jewish community, and on the 24th to everyone who wants to. After the premiere in Vilnius, "Dance Symphony from North Jerusalem" will continue to be shown on September 27. in the National Drama Theater of Kaunas, and on October 7 will take place in the Palanga concert hall.
The State Ensemble "Lietuva" continues the long-term campaign "Let's grow the muscle of unity" that was started, aimed at uniting people of different nations and religions, who historically create the common history of Lithuania. The campaign reminds us that the main muscle of a person is the heart, and unity helps to unite those hearts - to unite through the living and shared history of all of us.
Vienytis invites: the Chancellery of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, the Lithuanian Culture Council, Vilnius City Municipality, Go Vilnius and the Department of National Minorities under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, information partner LRT, who are partially financing the project. The event is part of the Vilnius 700th anniversary program 700vilnius.lt.
