Through Lithuanian Radio “Klasika” we are joining the 2023 Euroradio Quiet Week concert series. The concert will take place in an unconventional but very special place in Vilnius, namely in the former premises of Lukiški prison.

More recently, the prison premises began to be used as a venue for various art projects. Tonight’s special LRT “Klasika” live concert on Palm Sunday is broadcast to listeners and viewers in Europe from the Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, which is located on the grounds of a former prison and is also an excellent music venue, with a special program of sacred music. It is dedicated to this day of reflection on the meaning of life, performed by a vocal ensemble Duodeco.

“From darkness to light: this is a human journey to the promised land through the desert,” describes the idea of ​​the program Duodeco artistic director Povils Vanžodis.

This new vocal ensemble started performing in 2019 and has already proven to be an ambitious, flexible and modern line-up of musicians, playing both ancient and modern pieces of music. Since its inception Duodeco has tried to realize its goal – to popularize the genre of ensemble singing in Lithuania, offering the public various types of exciting projects.

It sets the mood for Palm Sunday Duodeco music with the compositions of the well-known contemporary Lithuanian composers Vaclav Augustin, Mikolas Natalevich and Monika Sokaite, as well as the compositions of the Scottish sacred music composer James McMillan, the American opera and choral music composer Stephen Paulus. Finally, the program will be crowned by Norwegian composer Ulas Jeilo Captivated by a unicorn.

The venue has a unique aura of history: it once housed people who had committed particularly serious crimes; this prison was closed and handed over to artists in 2019. Surprisingly, it is located in the very center of Vilnius.

In recent years, it has become a major event center, not only because of its history, but also because of the many original projects, from exhibitions to all kinds of music concerts. Therefore, it is only symbolic that it is in this place that the listeners of LRT “Klasika” can enjoy the music dedicated to Palm Sunday by the new, ambitious ensemble Duodeco in performance.

In the program:

Vaclav Augustin (1959) – Arise Jerusalem; The soul of Christ

James McMillan (1959) – Miserere; A Child’s Prayer

Mikolas Natalevich (1985) – O Crux Ave

Monika Sokaite (1990) – Divine Comedy. Paradise Canto XXXIII

Stephen Paulus (1949–2014) – Hymn to the Eternal Flame

Üla Jeilu (1978) – Captivated by a unicorn