On Saturday, the Birštonas Kurhauzas hall was filled with music, memories, and humor. To honor A. Leman, who celebrated his 85th birthday, the most romantic Lithuanian performer Igoris Jarmolenka, the unique Radžis, Asta Pilypaitė, Aušrinė Gerikienė (“The Real Mischief Maker”), Lithuania’s estrade prima donna Nijolė Tallat-Kelpšaitė, Rūta Morozovaitė, Svetlana Bagdonaitė, Vladas Daugytis, Rolandas Petrikis, Antanas Pociūnas, and Arvydas Vilčinskas came to pay tribute. The jubilarian was also congratulated by the mayor of Birštonas municipality, Nijolė Dirginčienė.
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More than six decades on stage
A. Leman’s stage career began back in 1964. In 1970, he became a laureate of the “Vilnius Towers” competition and later received the Antanas Šabaniauskas award. Throughout his career, the performer sang in various ensembles, released several solo albums, and his songs became part of the lives of several generations of Lithuanian listeners.
Over more than six decades, A. Leman has accumulated a repertoire of over a thousand songs. It includes Lithuanian estrade classics, romances, schlager songs, and foreign pieces. Songs were composed for him and lyrics written by Nijolė Tallat-Kelpšaitė, Stasys Žlibinas, Petras Gaulė, and other authors.
Among A. Leman’s well-known works are “By the Abandoned House,” “Fairy’s Ribbon,” “Echo of Love,” “Youth,” “Seagull,” “Forgotten Homes,” “Queen of Dance,” and other songs.
Igoris Jarmolenka: “A Meter of Lithuanian Estrade”
Igoris Jarmolenka, who congratulated A. Leman, emphasized not only the jubilarian’s age but also his place in the history of Lithuanian popular music. “Aleksas Lemanas is a meter of Lithuanian estrade. He is a man whose songs are known and sung together by several generations of Lithuanians. I wish Aleksas to keep the energy he has shared with people from the stage all his life for a long time,” said I. Jarmolenka. A. Leman himself has said before that a good voice alone is not enough for a performer – 90 percent of his success formula consists of work and sweat.
Radžis: “Thank you for inviting me – it is a great honor”
One of the funniest moments of the evening happened when Radžis came to congratulate the jubilarian. “Thank you for inviting me to your jubilee. It is a great honor,” Radžis addressed A. Leman. “Don’t be mad that I’m sitting – my joints,” the jubilarian replied. Radžis did not miss the chance to joke.
“Maybe I’m mad. Just kidding! But I want to say that you look even better sitting than standing. And lying down is probably even better. I didn’t bring you sweets or money, but I give you a song from my big gypsy heart,” Radžis laughed.
These two performers are also connected by an interesting musical story. A. Leman recently said that the song “Queen of Dance,” now associated with Radžis, was previously in his repertoire, but he emphasized that both performers get along very well.
After the jokes, Radžis spoke more tenderly about the jubilarian: “On stage, we like to tease each other, but behind those jokes is great respect. Aleksas belongs to the generation of performers from whom we, the younger ones, learned. People remember his songs after several decades – there is probably no greater recognition for a performer. I wish him to be with us for a long time because as long as a person is awaited on stage, as long as his songs are sung and people come to hug him – he is needed,” Radžis said.
Aušrinė Gerikienė: “You can’t confuse such a voice with anyone else”
Aušrinė Gerikienė (“The Real Mischief Maker”), who congratulated the jubilarian, also highlighted A. Leman’s voice.
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“Aleksas has a voice that you recognize from the first sounds. You can’t confuse such a voice with anyone else. It has warmth, romance, and a unique tone only Aleksas has. Times change, new generations of performers come, but true legends are recognized from the first notes. I find it incredible that at 85, Aleksas still sings live and his voice still has that color for which people loved him many years ago. It is a gift from God that Aleksas has shared with people all his life,” said A. Gerikienė.
The voice indeed became A. Leman’s calling card in his career. The singer himself has said that in school, music teachers selected him as a choir soloist, and colleagues still offer him their songs because they suit his voice.
Instead of a ticket – one flower petal
A. Leman turned his jubilee into a gift for the people of Birštonas. No ticket was needed for his free concert – the symbolic entrance fee was one flower petal.
And the 85-year-old jubilarian chose a true musical marathon.
“I feel completely fine, only my vocal cords are tired. Yesterday, I gave a free concert to the people of Birštonas; the entrance cost only one flower petal. I sang for two days, over 200 songs, and only live,” A. Leman said.
A. Leman has said before that the stage is not just a memory of the past for him. A few years ago, having more than a thousand songs in his repertoire, he said he did not intend to end his concert career. When his colleague Vytautas Šiškauskas wished him to sing until he was one hundred, A. Leman replied that he thought it would be so.
“The younger generation remembered me”
However, when talking about his 85th birthday, the singer first mentioned not records, awards, or career. The most important were the people.
“The mood is cheerful, many friends came to congratulate me. The younger generation noticed me and remembered. It is very pleasant. It is more important in life to have many friends and not be lonely,” said A. Leman.
Perhaps this is one of the most beautiful recognitions of a career spanning more than six decades. Music fashions, stages, and generations of listeners have changed, but Aleksas Lemanas met his 85th birthday not alone – on stage, with songs and a crowd of people who came to say “thank you” to him.
