Portraits and inner landscapes of women in songs by contemporary Lithuanian composers

Renata Dubinskaitė (mezzo-soprano)
Jonė Punytė-Svigarienė (piano)

The majority of the program “Canticle of the Bird” consists of songs by contemporary Lithuanian women composers, conveying emotionally powerful and spiritually profound stories and themes. The program’s title was inspired by a Lithuanian coastal region legend about a woman-bird with a tragic fate and a theater performance based on this story, featuring Raminta Šerkšnytė’s song cycle “Songs of Saula”. Where does the woman-bird long to fly? What does she call out to the sun and sky? And what holds a mother’s heart to the earth, amidst the eternal struggles of human life? Her lament for her children and the world is painful yet luminous, filled with hope.

This cry echoes also in Dalia Raudonikytė’s composition, set to the words of Saint Augustine. What does she long for—divine light, mercy, or love? Alongside these dramatic and expressive pieces, the songs of Zita Bružaitė and Loreta Narvilaitė immerse the listener in contemplative states, painting poetic winter landscapes in the hues of snow. However, in both composers’ portrayals, winter is also filled with deep longing—where nostalgia, melancholy, and anticipation intertwine, waiting for emotions to be reborn with nature.

In addition to these women’s creative expressions, the program also includes works by male composers, depicting vivid portraits of women and conveying their emotions through their own texts. Inspired by Old Testament texts of “Song of Songs”, Anatolijus Šenderovas crafts the portrait of Shulammite—a mysterious Eastern beauty, the Beloved and the Bride, whose image sanctifies both spiritual and physical love. She passionately calls out to her beloved, using the most beautiful names.

In contrast to this idealized woman, Algirdas Martinaitis’ composition, using elements of caricature and grotesque, portrays the storm of emotions in a young girl’s heart, where self-created ideals clash with rising, yet unfamiliar, desires.

By focusing on the inner world of women’s experiences and their creative expression, “Canticle of the Bird” reflects various facets of love, motherhood, longing, and the fragility of existence. These themes unfold through music in relation to mythology, folklore, religion, and Lithuanian poetry.

Dedicated to the anniversaries of composers in 2025: Anatolijus Šenderovas (80 years), Loreta Narvilaitė (60 years) and Raminta Šerkšnytė (50 years)

Programme

Raminta Šerkšnytė (1975)
„Songs of Saula“ (2004), text by Albina Žiupsnytė
I Lullaby of Saula
II Fairy-tale
III Lullaby
IV Prayer
V Recitative
VI Cry
VII Lament

Loreta Narvilaitė (1965)
„Snow“ (2000), text by Henrikas Radauskas
„Winter’s Woman“ (2025), text by Leonardas Gutauskas
„Autumn in Palanga“ (2022), text by Sigitas Geda

Anatolijus Šenderovas (1945-2019)
„Songs of Shulammite“ (1992), text of „Song of Songs“ in Hebrew language
I Song
II Song

Zita Bružaitė (1966)
Sonnet VII „Winter’s Fairy-Tale“ (2007), text by Henrikas Radauskas

Dalia Raudonikytė-With (1970-2018)
„You Enlightened Me“ (2016), text by St. Augustin

Algirdas Martinaitis (1950)
„Elixir of Love” (2025), text by Marcelijus Martinaitis

Tickets can be purchased here.

More information about the event is available here.