The new building of the Klaipėda State Musical Theater is a miracle born of infinite faith

The new building of the Klaipėda State Musical Theater is a miracle born of infinite faith

The new palace of the Klaipėda State Musical Theater opened to the world audience with an impressive gala concert. The gala concert brought together the Klaipėda State Musical Theater orchestra, choir, ballet troupe, soloists and guests – world and nationally known soloists and conductors. The first musical theater built in the country after the restoration of Lithuania’s Independence invites you to visit!

Laima Vilimienė, the head of the Klaipėda State Musical Theater, was happy with the meaningful numbers and dates that accompanied this event: 204 – that’s how many years the musical theater has existed in Klaipėda in various forms; 100 – so many years ago, on these days, the convention of joining Klaipėda region to Lithuania was signed in Paris; 34 – that’s how many years we’ve been living in Independent Lithuania.

“In Klaipėda, the only space dedicated to performing arts, the first created and built from the ground up in Independent Lithuania, is opening its doors to the public,” L. Vilimienė was happy. “We aim for the Klaipėda State Musical Theater, which represents the culture of Klaipėda, to become the gateway of the country’s culture to the world. The strength of the theater community, the support of all well-wishers, skilled and professional people, helped to overcome all the obstacles that in one way or another disturbed the smooth construction process and theater operations. The graceful Theater building, whose exterior and interior reflect the shapes and textures inspired by the nature of the Baltic Sea, will become not only the new home of the theater groups, but also a legacy for future generations.”

Sincere thanks to all those who created and built the Klaipėda State Musical Theater. These are the general contractor Infes, the technical project developers are the companies Inžinerinė mintis and Studio GA, the interior design was prepared by Mama architects, the acoustics were created by Akustika plus, the technical maintenance and management of the construction of the building is by Stabybų inženirės paslaugs. , stage technology suppliers PropointLT and Scene technical service. “I thank the warriors of this process, the managers of the contract work – Mantas Šalčis and Martyn Dargužus. My special thanks go to the manager of the modernization project of this building, my deputy Naglis Stanciks. Lithuania is a nation of brave and talented people. Thanks to their self-sacrificing work and endless faith in the nation’s bright future, miracles are born. Today is the moment when the rush of meaning and joy takes your breath away. One big journey ends, but a new one begins – breathing Klaipėda with its breath of infinity, creating value and meaning in the new home”, emphasized the manager of the musical theater L. Vilimienė.

Best wishes

Dr. Jolanta Karpavičienė, adviser to the president, conveyed the greetings of the President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėdas to the audience: “Today is a happy day and a great celebration for the whole city and Lithuania – after more than five years of wandering, the Klaipėda State Musical Theater is finally returning home, returning to the “Jūros” and “Marių” halls , where hundreds of listeners will soon feel the gathering power of various performances and concert programs. This is good news for every true music and theater fan who cannot imagine the evening tradition of theatrical culture without the Klaipėda Musical Theater. For more than two hundred years, this phenomenon has been shaping our cultural identity and enriching cultural life throughout Lithuania with its unique colors. From the very first productions of the theater to the “Flying Dutchman” still flying in our ears and eyes, every time we are convinced of the imagination, professionalism and originality of the creators of this theater. The news of this is spreading far beyond our country. And it seems not only beautiful and appropriate that the highest level of infrastructure is being developed not only in Vilnius. We need quality, diverse culture across the country. Let today’s applause be a sign of gratitude and pride from all of us!”

Minister of Culture Simonas Kairys thanked for the great contribution of the large team. “There were various challenges, but when the new theater palace opens, all of that is forgotten. Future generations will enjoy this building for hundreds of years and commemorate this memorable date. Cultural activity in the country is one of the most active during the entire period of independence, new cultural spaces are being opened one after another. I am happy with the maturity of the Lithuanian state and the attention paid to culture. Even with war nearby, it is simply necessary to participate in cultural events and experience art. I invite you not to give up and always remember that a new theater has opened its doors in Klaipėda, which needs you very much! I wish that this theater would become a center of attraction not only for the country, but also for the Baltic Sea region”, S. Kairys wished.

Congratulating the gathered, Klaipėda City Mayor Arvydas Vaitkus was happy not only with the modern new building, the solutions that give special powers to creativity, the impressive interior and exterior, but also with the people who work here. “I wish that this building will once again spill out into the boathouse and surprise the world with more than one impressive construction,” said the city’s mayor, A. Vaitkus.

The gala concert was attended by a group of distinguished guests from Lithuanian national and state theaters, concert organizations, cultural institutions, business, theater supporters. Guests from other European theaters were also welcomed in the port city.

Theater opening gala concert

The audience enjoyed the impressive opening gala concert of the theater, combining the historical past and modernity of KVMT, created by director Dalius Abaris, assistant director Karina Novikova, costume stylist Agnė Kuzmickaitė, make-up artist Aira Braždiene, lighting artist Andrius Stasiulis.

After the prologue created especially for this event by the composer Donatas Bielkauskas, in which the sounds of construction and the sounds of the orchestra’s instruments intertwine, the concert program began with fanfare from Richard Strauss’s symphonic poem “Thus spoke Zarathustra” by the KVMT orchestra conducted by the chief conductor Tomas Ambrozaitis.

The first to the “Sea” hall arrived The captain of Richard Wagner’s opera “The Flying Dutchman” is bassist Almas Švilpa from Klaipėda, who has been singing in the “Aalto” musical theater in Essen (Germany) for almost thirty years. It was the staging of the opera “Flying Dutchman” in the old boathouse that made the International Klaipeda Festival organized by the musical theater famous all over the world and brought all possible national awards.

Opera soloist Katerina Estrada Tretyakova, who sings on world stages, was happy to sing at the opening ceremony of the theater where her career began. K. Estrada Tretyakova performed Margarita’s aria from Charles Gounod’s opera “Faust”.

One of the most famous Lithuanian basses of all time, Vladimir Prudnikovas, once again became Mažvydas from Audronė Žigaitytė’s opera “Mažvydas”. V. Prudnikovas also performed this part at the premiere in 1988. on April 23, when the opera staged by music director and conductor Gintaras Rinkevičius became the first performance in the newly founded Klaipėda State Music Theater. It is a historic moment that Gintaras Rinkevičius conducted the KVMT orchestra this time as well!

Vytautas Juozapaitis, one of the best-known modern Lithuanian baritones, has repeatedly sung in the productions of the Klaipėda State Musical Theater, which has been in existence for more than thirty years. At the gala concert, he enjoyed his arias and duet with V. Prudnikov.

The concert featured an excerpt from the first national work staged in Klaipėda after the country regained its independence – Giedrius Kuprevičius’s opera “Prūsai”. Composer, chief choir master who has been working in the theater for more than thirty years – Vladimir Konstantinovs – stood at the conductor’s desk.

The audience of the gala concert was impressed by an excerpt from J. Bock’s musical “Fiddler on the Roof”. The audience has called this performance one of their most loved for more than twenty years and does not let it lose its position in the repertoire. Tevjė – the audience’s favorite soloist Mindaugas Rojus – took care of earthly and heavenly wealth. The KVMT orchestra was conducted by Stanislavas Domarkas, the first honorary conductor of the theater celebrating his 85th anniversary, thanks to whose initiative “Fiddler on the Roof” was born on the stage of Klaipėda.

The audience also saw an excerpt from Eduard Balsi’s ballet “Eglė žalčių karalienė”, which was loved by the audience and won many awards. The artists of the KVMT ballet troupe danced.

Prima donna Rita Petrauskaitė, who has been singing at KVMT for more than thirty years, is an important part of the theater’s history. It is thanks to her impressive voice that we get to know new heroines of performances every time and enter the mysterious world of theater art. At the gala concert, she performed Mermaid’s aria from Antonin Dvořák’s opera of the same name.

Young theater soloists – Beata Ignatavičiūtė and Giedrius Gečys – 2023 after singing in the premiere of the story opera “Klaipėda” in the summer, they met again on stage as the heroes of this play: Mēmel prefect Gabriel Žanas Petisnė and his wife, for whom Klaipėda is like a corner of the world.

The well-known choir “O Fortuna” also performed from the Carl Orff cantata “Carmina Burana” presented at the Klaipėda festival, which was performed by the Symphony Orchestra and Choir of the Musical Theater, conducted by the cantata’s music director and conductor Robert Šerveniks.

For the final production of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata, the theater soloists, choristers and all the theater staff appeared on stage at Libiamo ne’lieti calici (Brindisi) together with invited guests!

KVMT INF.

Photos of Martynas Aleksas and Dainius Kažukauskas