Lithuania's vibrant musical life provides the classical world with outstanding artists - and above all female artists. Giedrė Šlekytė and Raminta Šerkšnytė not only share the same country of origin, whose eventful history and archaic nature are impressively reflected in Šerkšnytė's music, both are considered musical ambassadors of Lithuania in their respective fields and attract international attention. Inspired by the "rich and sweet soprano" of his wife Pauline, Richard Strauss developed a preference for the song, both in the intimate form with piano accompaniment and for the sonically enlarged orchestral song. Franz Schreker dispensed with such genre designations when he simply called his last two songs "Vom ewigen Leben". The two songs based on texts by Walt Whitman mark a high point in Schreker's rich vocal work with their ingenious interweaving of voice and accompaniment. The Israeli soprano Chen Reiss is not only an admired Strauss interpreter but also a committed pioneer in bringing Schreker's works back to the concert stage. Scotland, with its legendary landscape and history, was popular among the artists of the Romantic era. Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy found inspiration in Scotland for his Symphony No. 3, in which "Scottish moods" can actually be heard, from fog, storm and rain to a clarinet that performs like a bagpipe.

Schreker Šerkšnytė Strauss Mendelssohn Bartholdy

Gasteig HP8

Journey to the depths of the soul, to eternal light, to the New World.
Be moved, be surprised, and be uplifted by this programme of musical journeys. Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla returns to conduct compatriot Šerkšnytė’s meditative Midsummer Song. This hymn to the summer solstice is a promise of ‘eternal light and … inner peace of mind.’ Shostakovich’s second Cello Concerto portrays an interior world; thoughtful and sometimes anguished. (Yet it can still surprise: the middle movement is based on a song about a pretzel), Cellist Maximilian Hornung brings his characteristic emotional intelligence to this intensely-felt work. Dvořák’s most famous Symphony rounds off the programme: a joyful exploration of melody, and a riveting dialogue between ‘old’ and ‘new’ worlds.

Raminta Serksnytė

Events

Upcoming events

Mar 10, 2027

New World Symphony · City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

Mar 10, 2027

New World Symphony · City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

Past events

17 - 18 May, 2025

Schreker Šerkšnytė Strauss Mendelssohn Bartholdy · Munich Philharmonic

About

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