The 29th Vilnius Festival, which has filled the music sky with stars in the first month of summer, will shine brightly during the festival's final culmination. On June 20, on the Philharmonic stage with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Modestas Pitrėnas, we will see the star of the world's opera stages, Joseph Calleja. And the festival's impressive postlude, or post scriptum, will be on August 20. concert "Slava Ukraini!", in which we will hear the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra conducted by Keri-Lynn Wilson and one of today's most prominent soloists - soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen.
"It is rare these days to find an opera soloist with such a distinctive voice, recognizable from just a few notes. That is exactly what tenor Joseph Calleja, who hails from the tiny island of Malta, is like. His voice conveys the golden Mediterranean sun, and his vibrato is a particularly charming vibration reminiscent of silent films. Calleja (…) is undoubtedly one of the best lyric tenors," wrote Tom Huizenga, NPR.
Indeed, blessed with a magnificent vocal timbre comparable to that of such golden-age tenors as Jussi Björling, Beniamino Gigli or even Enrico Caruso, J. Calleja is one of the most recognized and sought-after soloists today.
J. Calleja will perform on the stage of the Lithuanian National Philharmonic with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by maestro Modestos Pitrėnas, and the program will feature arias from the repertoires of the most famous tenors, including one of the most impressive and emotional in the history of opera “E lucevan le stelle” (G. Puccini’s “Tosca”), Rudolf’s romantic monologue “Che gelida manina” (G. Puccini’s “Boheme”), the dramatic “Ah tout et bien fini” (J. Massenet’s “Sida”), the elegant melody “Ombra mai fu” (GF Handel’s “Xerxes”) and the tragic “Vidino divna” (A. Dvořák’s “Undine”). One of soloist J. Calleja’s own favorite works is also planned – “Il-Kebbies tal-fanali” by Maltese composer Joseph Vella. And the songs “Ideale” and “A vuchella” by composer Paolo Tosti, who captivated the hearts of listeners with the melodiousness of Italian melodies, will certainly not leave anyone indifferent.
Opera pearls will also be discovered at the festival's post scriptum concert on August 20. Its program includes the overture to Richard Wagner's opera "Tristan and Isolde" and the scene of Isolde's death ("Liebestod"), and Isolde will be sung by a soprano from JAV Rachel Willis-Sørensen, who appears at the Metropolitan, Covent Garden, Naples San Carlo, the Bavarian, Berlin, Vienna State Operas and other opera houses. One of the "most impressive voices in the world of opera", - this is how the publication "Le Monde" once called R. Willis-Sørensen. The singer is famous for the versatility of her repertoire - she can be heard performing works from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to Richard Wagner, the latter of which will be enjoyed by the Vilnius Festival audience.
The next operatic piece in the August 20 concert program is the Suite from the opera “The Mothers of Kherson” by one of the most prominent contemporary Ukrainian composers, Maxim Kolomiyets. This will be the premiere. As the composer himself says, the suite was written at the request of conductor K.-L. Wilson and will see the light of day before the opera itself. This suite is a living reflection of the tragic events narrated in the opera written by the composer. “The Mothers of Kherson” tells the story of the fate of three women from Kherson. They save their children, who were kidnapped by the Russians who occupied the city. This story is documentary, full of drama, hope and despair. “In the opera, I tried to recreate bright feelings and transfer them to the suite, turning into a coherent musical story. I wrote the work with faith in people, love for loved ones and hope for the future,” says composer M. Kolomiyets.
The culmination and apogee of the entire festival will be Ludwig van Beethoven's Fifth Symphony ("Fate") performed by the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra and its conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson. As music critic Michael Clive has written, Beethoven's "Fate" Symphony is an iconic work that we all seem to know from birth, and it contains "the most famous beginning in the history of classical music."
It remains to add that the wonderful Canadian conductor of Ukrainian origin, K.-L. Wilson, who has been seen on the stage of the National Philharmonic many times, will perform here for the first time with her founded Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, which has been touring the world's stages for three years.
The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra was formed by K.-L. Wilson in the spring of 2022 as a response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It consists of musicians from Ukraine, war refugees, and Ukrainians living abroad. The list of tours and performances of the collective is growing - these are the most famous stages, cathedrals, and festivals in the world.
"My greatest hope is that one day, not too long from now, the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra will be able to perform and in Ukraine – to your audience, and through that a concert "We will celebrate the victory of Ukraine and its brave people over the terrible disaster that the country was forced to endure," hopes conductor K.-L. Wilson.
