June 14 4 p.m. Vilnius St. Francis of Assisi (Bernardini) Church will play a program of sacred music enriched with bright sound, sensitive experiences and works recognized by professionals. The concert will be performed by the choir of the state ensemble "Lietuva" and the orchestra of national instruments together with the talented soloists Ilona Pliavgo (soprano) and Aiste Benkauskaite (mezzo-soprano).
"Stabat Mater (dolorosa)" translated into Lithuanian means "Standing mother (painful)". It is a late medieval sequence attributed to the Franciscan monk Jacopone da Todi. These liturgical words express the pain of the Mother, suffering together with her tormented son Christ. The concert of sacred music is dedicated to those who died in exile, resonating with the mentioned date, remembering the losses and symbolizing the hope and faith that such historical events will not return.
The program will feature works by three composers based on the texts of the Stabat Mater sequence. Two of them represent the generation of contemporary Lithuanian creators - "Stabat Mater" by Vytautas V. Barkauskas and "O quam tristis" by Giedrias Svilainis (lit. O what is sad). The concert will be crowned by the "Stabat Mater" (full text of the sequence) by the baroque composer G. B. Pergolesi, which the author wrote when he was very young, only 26 years old, unfortunately, at that time he was already suffering from a serious illness, which led to his death soon after.
The first works of Lithuanian composers are well known in the world of choral music not only in Lithuania, but also in foreign countries. They are often performed by various international choirs, and the scores of the works are published in sheet music collections by global publishers. The works of V. V. Barkauskas and G. Svilainis are heard in various choir competitions as mandatory competition works, and G. B. Pergolesi's work "Stabat Mater" is probably one of the most performed classical music works in the world. It was arranged for the Lietuva ensemble by composer Vladimiras Konstantinovas, who complemented the performance with his own musical quotes.
On June 14 - the Day of Mourning and Hope - the whole country will commemorate the 82nd anniversary of the beginning of the exile to Siberia. The event is free.
