“This time it felt like we were flying together with the audience. The pianist is greatly helped by that electrified silence, and the stormy applause acts like vitamins – restoring the energy given on stage,” says P. Geniušas.
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The final concert program covered a wide field of contemporary music – it featured works by Gediminas Gelgotas, Max Richter, Philip Glass, Carlo Vino, Vidmantas Bartulis, Mikołaj Górecki, and Ludovico Einaudi. Different musical worlds were united not by a single style, but by the search for expression and emotional intensity.
“We all agreed that the axis of the program would be Górecki’s Piano Concerto. To me, it seems very worthy of attention – it is a complex, highly rhythmic score. As we continued creating the program, everything unfolded quite intuitively, we just stuck to one idea: the music must have a lot of expressiveness. Whether it is lyrical or rhythmic, active – what matters is how strong the emotions are in it,” says G. Gelgotas.
The last time performing this program on stage, there was already more freedom. “We were very musically in sync. There were few worries and much joy,” adds the conductor.
At one moment, that musical synchronization had to be tested practically. While playing Górecki’s concerto, several pages of the score unexpectedly flipped forward. “There was an ‘ice slick effect’ – the whole huge machine, loaded with sheet music, almost tumbled off the cliff. But we miraculously managed to steer it, and finished with double enthusiasm,” recalls P. Geniušas.
An idea grown without institutional backing
“Era of Expression” is a two-year cycle of contemporary music concerts that traveled through Vilnius, Kaunas, and the seaside. Its programs brought together creators, performers, and musical directions of different generations, and the finale in the LVSO hall closed this stage where the whole journey began – in Vilnius.
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The cycle was initiated and implemented by the contemporary music and production company “bymodern.” Such an independent path is not unfamiliar to G. Gelgotas – the ensemble NIKO, which he leads, also created most of its history without constant state funding.
“Private initiatives in culture are still quite rare, but they can be very strong. Such projects are driven forward by the motivation of creators, performers, and organizers, belief in the idea itself, and the desire to take responsibility for its implementation. I think what the organizers have achieved is impressive – ambitious, brave, and, as this cycle has shown, successful,” says G. Gelgotas.
Over two years, the ambitions of “bymodern” themselves also grew. “It was a journey that nurtured not only the concert cycle but also our own creative direction. We want to take on increasingly ambitious projects and carry them beyond Lithuania’s borders,” say the organizers.
And the musicians started talking about a new program that very evening. “The first words we said after stepping off the stage were about the program ending, but it’s obvious – a new one needs to be created. There is mutual desire from us, we feel the audience’s desire too, so there will definitely be a continuation,” says G. Gelgotas.
