ECHOES OF ČIURLIONIS. DAWN IS BREAKING

NATIONAL M. K. ČIURLIONIS ART SCHOOL CHOIR
Director JAUNIUS ŠAKALYS
Choir master GITANA TRIMIRKAITĖ
Organist JURGITA KAZAKEVIČIŪTĖ

As soon as one hears “Oi giria, giria” (Oh, Forest, Forest), “Anoj pusėj Nemuno” (On the other side of the Nemunas) or “Beauštanti aušrelė” (Dawn is Breaking), images of forests, fields, rivers and houses precious to every Lithuanian’s heart emerge before one’s eyes. That which is encoded in our memory seems to speak forth in melodies. Čiurlionis made sure to embellish these folk melodies with subtle, unexpected harmonies, interweaving the voices to transform these songs into miniature musical pictures.

They will unfold in all their beauty in the voices of the National M. K. Čiurlionis Art School Choir. Wherever it happens to perform, this collective wins the warmest sympathies of its audiences, charming them most of all for its combination of a rare youthful flair and musical maturity. Persistent work becomes a pure, clear and harmonious sound where every one of Čiurlionis’ subtle harmonic turns can be heard.

Let yourself be carried away across the Nemunas by these young voices, to where dawn breaks just above the deep, green forest…