Exactly three decades have passed since 1989. January 30 The first sounds of the then Youth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by maestro Gintaras Rinkevičius, sounded in the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theater. The packed hall listened with bated breath - it was the beginning of a new cultural phenomenon, an entire musical era. "Just like at the Sajudis rally, there was real euphoria in our orchestra." -remembers the first days of the orchestra's existence Founder, artistic director and chief of the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra. conductor G. Rinkevičius. And although today no one doubts the importance of the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra to Lithuanian musical culture, the group led by maestro G. Rinkevičius still has to fight for a concert hall adapted to symphonic music and to prove the importance of professional music.
Maestro, let's remember a little history. in 1985 After you won the prestigious Herbert von Karajan conducting competition, you were offered to form your own orchestra. Tell us how it started?
It was a special period. Maybe it wasn't just because I won the H. von Karajan competition that I was offered to found a symphony orchestra. Of course, I hope that there are still music lovers out there who know who von Karajan was and what the significance of the international von Karajan Foundation Conducting Competition was. I saw H. von Karajan himself, he worked with me as a finalist in the competition - I am a lucky person to have seen his eyes.
And if anyone remembers the story, they know that after the competition I received an offer to become the chief conductor of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra. Perhaps this also became a kind of impetus. In Lithuania, the establishment of a new symphony orchestra has been thought about for a long time, and a very favorable situation just happened: the desire to establish a symphony orchestra, the achievements of a young conductor and his invitation to conduct abroad, and perhaps the government's reluctance to lose the love of that conductor and three ministers for music. The then Minister of Higher and Special Secondary Education Henrikas Zabulis, who founded the Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Minister of Culture Jonas Bielinis and the Minister of Finance Romualdas Sikorskis were really fans of symphonic music. Of course, another important moment is the national liberation movement. At that time, our aspirations for freedom were inseparable from our cultural aspirations, national and cultural revival went together. I think it was the happiest and most hopeful period. In my opinion, the fact that politics and culture are now on different sides of the barricade is completely wrong. I am convinced that without the development and dissemination of culture, without cultural education, economic and political matters are much more difficult.
The orchestra led by you gathered for the first rehearsal in 1988. December. What was the atmosphere like at the time?
in 1988 November 14-15 a competition for the then Youth Symphony Orchestra took place, and on December 5. – the first rehearsal of the orchestra. The first rehearsal lasted 25 minutes, we played fragments of L. van Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. The musicians were so excited, everyone seemed to be in some kind of euphoria. As in the Sąjūdis rally In Vingo Park, cultural euphoria was in our symphony orchestra. I didn't even do a long rehearsal - everyone took the drums, everyone played very well, everyone's eyes were burning. As if everyone wants to say to each other: you are my colleague, you are my friend, I love you and together we will do a very good job, create a real cultural event. It was truly euphoric - it was clear that we were participating in the beginning of a new cultural musical event.
The orchestra at that time consisted mostly of young musicians. You yourself were 28 at the time. It seems that they lacked neither courage nor ambition - musicologist Jūratė Katinaitė wrote that "the programs prepared by the orchestra were like a repertoire explosion in the capital's musical life". What vision of the orchestra's activities did you have at that time? What was your path, your approach to music?
We didn't go in any very different direction. We were just young. You know, youth symphony orchestras are different from academic symphony orchestras. He differs in his drive and his emotions, which sometimes hinder the academic quality of the performance, but he enchants and captures the audience, because he has a great love for music. I think we've been trying to keep it going for 30 years - I don't know if we've always succeeded.
You know, they used to think like this: a new symphony orchestra is being created - a second symphony orchestra, which may be a competitor. And how will the audience be here - after all, they didn't go to symphonic music concerts back then. One orchestra was too many for Lithuania, and when a second one appeared, two orchestras became really too few. Because this is competition in the best sense - there is a variety of programs and performers. I can say without a special exaggerated modesty: the birth of our orchestra really raised the whole musical culture to another level, because indeed the Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra also started to make better, more interesting programs, to think more about it. Because why think when you are alone? Just as there is competition between basketball teams, there must be not one and not two symphony orchestras in Lithuania. Here, everyone understands basketball, but very few understand symphonic music. And there are really many similarities: they have training, we have rehearsals; they have matches, we have concerts. We represent Lithuania's professional musical culture and we must be considered the same prestigious profession as doctors and surgeons. I'm not just saying this to myself - I think the time is really coming when neither the bureaucrats nor a large part of the public understand why professional music is needed. Time to understand.
At the beginning of its activity, the orchestra toured a lot. What encouraged you to travel at that time? What do you remember most from those times?
On the one hand, we were young, so it was very interesting to go to other countries. On the other hand, it was a way to survive, to make money. The economic situation in Lithuania at that time was very bad - sometimes the three-day per diem that musicians received during tours constituted their monthly salary. There were difficult, interesting, simple, creatively important, and terribly tiring tours. For example, sometimes it was necessary to play a concert Northern Italy, and then the next day to be in Sicily.
One of the first and most memorable tours took place in 1991. in August. At that time there was a putsch in Moscow, it was not clear what would happen with Lithuania, and we were on tour in Greece at that time. In Kalambaka, where the famous monasteries on the rocks are located, together with the "Oak" choir, we took part in a huge project - in a place of fantastic beauty, we played "Requiem" by WA Mozart, illuminated by huge anti-aircraft searchlights. I don't know where it is possible to watch now, but it was a grandiose project - it was filmed by Greek, French, Italian television.
What was the most difficult thing during all the years of the orchestra's activity?
I think that the most difficult thing is to make sure that the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra has musicians of the highest level playing. There are many good musicians in Lithuania, but we really want the best to play here. And the best sometimes go abroad. There is always a process of recruiting groups so that the first voices are of a very high professional level, which is probably the most difficult thing.
In addition, there is always a struggle for existence. Not so easy when there is one huge conglomerate, the National Philharmonic, Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre ir The Ministry of Culture, which was once run by the same people. We were a separate entity, not part of the conglomerate and in a sense competing with them. The competition was not so simple and not always only creative. There were all kinds of periods, even overbuying of musicians - again like in basketball. He even openly said: if it is possible in basketball, it is also possible here. Of course, if offered higher salaries, musicians think about it - they need to support their families.
There are differences not only in salaries, but also in funding and title. We are no different from a national institution, but from the point of view of bureaucrats there is somehow a very big difference between a state and a national symphony orchestra. Although basically all the same soloists, touring conductors play with us, we represent Lithuania at prestigious festivals, abroad and so on. It is very difficult when the evaluation of a symphony orchestra is determined by non-professional musical criteria. A symphony orchestra must play well. Does anyone understand what "play well" means? Are those criteria set somewhere? I think not really.
You have been raising the issue of the reconstruction of the Vilnius Congress Palace for many years. It seems that it has finally been announced that the long-awaited reconstruction will take place?
Yes, we now have a huge historical chance to make a good concert hall in the Vilnius Congress Palace for very little money. Of course, I hope that the National Concert Hall will also be built - I am by no means saying that the Vilnius Chamber of Congresses can replace the National Concert Hall. In any case, the reconstruction of the Vilnius Congress Palace will not cost 100 million euros - we think that for less than 5 million euros, which we already have, we can make such a hall to which the audience, musicians and foreign soloists will not be ashamed to come. It will not only be a beautiful interior - it will be very nice to listen to beautiful symphonic music, because that music will sound meaningful and rich acoustically. It will be a completely different impression on human feelings, heart, ears, eyes as well. Therefore, we must do it.
And after three decades have passed since the foundation of the orchestra, what pleases you the most?
The people for whom we play and for whom we live are the most gratifying - the audience. We have our audience, our fans, who come not only to the hall of the Vilnius Congress Palace with the best acoustics, but also to a hall that has not been repaired or reconstructed since its construction. But people come to listen to music, so we are needed. I am also very pleased with the musicians of our orchestra, who do their work honestly and responsibly, despite the fact that the remuneration for that work is completely different from what it should be in a normal European country. Lithuania has achieved a lot in the almost three decades of independence, but of course we would like everything to happen much faster in terms of economic, political and public understanding. We must understand - if we do not pay attention to culture, our economic situation will not change.
Let's get back to creativity. You are considered a Lithuanian "painter" - with the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra you not only performed, but also recorded all the symphonies of the Austrian composer Gustav Mahler. What are your creative dreams that you haven't been able to realize yet?
Now there are two composers in my creative dreams - Anton Bruckner and Dmitri Shostakovich. Maybe we will be able to perform all their symphonies - only time will tell. You know, when I used to learn one symphony or any symphonic piece at a time, it's the piece you work on that you know well that becomes the most beloved. I think for the audience as well. Knowing music is like this - the better you know music, the better you know a particular symphony, the more beautiful and interesting it becomes. I have conducted quite a few works by A. Bruckner and D. Shostakovich, and I think they are brilliant composers who really deserve more attention. And I, as a conductor, would do an educational job by introducing the audience to the music of these composers together with the orchestra.
How do you see the orchestra of the future?
I think that Lithuania needs different prestigious music groups. The location of the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra is next to the National Symphony Orchestra and the National Opera and Ballet Theater, as well as other chamber and symphony orchestras, which I hope will be in the bigger cities of Lithuania. I also hope that in the future, symphonic music performers will be considered a prestigious profession in Lithuania - as Western European countries understand it. Because the musicians of the Berlin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra will never be compared to all cultural workers in terms of the prestige of their profession. This is not a mass profession. Let's see where the musicians of the symphony orchestras of Berlin, Copenhagen or Stockholm are in terms of prestige compared to other professions, and then there will be no such questions of survival as they are now. It may seem that I am very defensive of high professional music, but I think that this music is a kind of healing for the spirit, which should be equal in importance to the highest level of surgeons treating the body.
Author: Ieva Bačiulytė
