With a growing abundance of festivals and events, is it still possible to surprise and draw attention of anyone? Yes, affirms Vilnius Festival 2024. Mission Possible is the motto of this year’s, already 28th, Vilnius Festival, inviting to experience the refreshing, inspiring and empowering power of art. One of the most important and most anticipated musical events in Lithuania, promulgating the name of Lithuania’s capital city around the world, will bring together musicians and audiences this year on 2-21 June. All concerts will take place at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Concert Hall. The festival programme has been available online since 21 February and will be thoroughly presented to the media on 7 May.

“The 28th Vilnius Festival Mission Possible aims to reflect historical musical culture and modern interpretations of it. Composers and performers have always been blessed with special insights and creative reactions to the challenges faced by individuals, society and the state, and have been able to capture and immortalise significant historical events with musical signs. The Vilnius Festival will reveal to its audience a number of historical and contemporary scores evincing the enslaved peoples’ struggle for civil and religious freedom and the aspiration of establishing democratic states (Krzysztof Penderecki’s Chaconne from Polish Requiem, Arvo Pärt’s Credo, Osvaldas Balakauskas’ Requiem in memoriam Stasys Lozoraitis), spiritual resurrection after personal dramas (Ludwig van Beethoven’s Hammerklavier piano sonata, Mieczysław Weinberg’s Concerto for cello and orchestra, Richard Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life), Antanas Rekašius’ Muzika styginiams (Music for Strings)) as well as the five-century history of the musical glorification of the kings of England (The King’s Singers’ programme, Long Live the King!)”, Rūta Prusevičienė, director of the festival, introduces the festival.

Already the opening concert of the festival will fill the air with the most relevant message of today – the contemplation of hope. All the works to be performed on 2 June will be linked by the leitmotif of faith and peace, which is symbolically embodied not only in the concert programme (Penderecki, Weinberg, Beethoven, Pärt), but also in the title of the concert, Credo in Pace – I believe in peace. The festival will be opened by the Kaunas State Choir, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, pianist Dmitri Levkovich and conductor Robertas Šervenikas with the LNSO as the festival’s faithful flagship.

On 5 June, the concert Mission Possible will offer a meeting with piano celebrity Marc-André Hamelin, who has been called “a performer of almost superhuman technical prowess” by The New York Times. The pianist will perform a programme of works by Beethoven, R. Schumann and Ravel. Another piano star will be introduced on 7 June, when Israeli pianist Yoav Levanon and the charming French conductor Victorien Vanoosten will perform the programme Three Heroes: Wagner, Liszt, Strauss with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra.

In the spirit of the ongoing fostering of congenial relations between Lithuania and Ukraine, the Vilnius String Quartet and the Ukrainian Soloists Quartet will share the stage at the concert Lithuania Meets Ukraine on 9 June. “The festival will be the platform for a significant partnership bringing together performers from different generations: the Vilnius String Quartet and the Ukrainian Soloists Quartet will present works by Osvaldas Balakauskas and his teacher, the Ukrainian composer Boris Lyatoshinsky,” says Prusevičienė.

The King’s Singers, a vocal sextet, will add a touch of royal dignity to the festival when they will take the stage on 11 June. Recognised as a leader in a cappella singing for more than five decades, the ensemble will perform its latest programme, Long Live the King!

In keeping with the festival’s tradition of commemorating 14th June, on the eve of the Day of Mourning and Hope, 13 June, Osvaldas Balakauskas’ Requiem in memoriam Stasys Lozoraitis will be performed by large Lithuanian performing forces.

Another tradition of the festival, presenting a programme of early music, will be pursued this year on 16 June by the Italian ensemble Il Giardino Armonico with soloists Giovanni Antonini and Giovanni Sollima. “For the first time, Vilnius will be a setting for a joint programme featuring the Italian Baroque Orchestra Il Giardino Armonico and Giovanni Sollima, one of the most famous contemporary Italian composers and cellists,” pointed out the director of the festival.

On 19 June, the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, led by violin virtuoso Sergej Krylov, and pianist Anna Geniušienė, will present a programme of music by Lithuanian and Austrian composers, A New Sound of the Masterpieces, specially devised for this occasion. The festival will round off on 21 June with the LNSO conducted by Modestas Pitrėnas and the returning distinguished US baritone Thomas Hampson. Having given a mesmerising Gustav Mahler programme with the LNSO at the Vilnius Festival 2022, this time Hampson is bringing a spectacular musical fiesta, as evidenced by the extraordinarily colourful programme – from W. A. Mozart to C. Porter.

“On 2-21 June, the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society will host world-renowned music masters: pianist Marc-André Hamelin, baritone Thomas Hampson, conductors Victorien Vanoosten, Modestas Pitrėnas, Robertas Šervenikas, violinist Sergej Krylov, flutist Giovanni Antonini, and a wealth of outstanding young talents: British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Ukrainian pianist Dmitri Levkovich, Lithuanian mezzo-soprano Gabrielė Kupšytė, rising Israeli piano star Yoav Levanon, and the vocal ensemble The King’s Singers. As a tradition, the festival will feature a large number of Lithuanian music ensembles.” Introducing the participants of the festival and addressing all those who will attend the concerts, Prusevičienė wishes: “May all the encounters and musical experiences of the festival enrich and strengthen – mission possible!”

The organisers of the festival – the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society, PI “Vilniaus Festivaliai” and Vilnius City Municipality – welcome you to the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Concert Hall on 2-21 June. All concerts of the 28th Vilnius Festival can be found on the website www.nationalphilharmonic.eu For more information about the festival, visit www.vilniusfestival.lt On 7-14 May, you can obtain tickets for Vilnius Festival concerts with 20% discount (except for the lowest rate tickets) – get your tickets at a better price!

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