Events

The contemporary Lithuanian music festival "Muzikos ruduo" continues with a new feature – an international program!

The string quartet Chordos and contemporary trombone virtuoso Mike Svoboda (USA/Germany) are embarking on a fun musical adventure ahead of the big holidays, appearing together on stage for the first time. Admit it, it's an unusual combination – a trombone and a string quartet!

Although Chordos is well known to the public, this will not be Mike Svoboda's first visit to Lithuania. Here, in Germany, and in other countries, he has performed works by several Lithuanian composers and even presented world premieres by our composers.

This concert will also feature a premiere: a work commissioned by composer Marius Baranauskas, the festival, and the Lithuanian Composers' Union. The program will also include a composition by Ramūnas Motiekaitis, known for the tranquility characteristic of Eastern cultures. Alongside works by Lithuanian composers, you will hear what could be described as contemporary music classics – works by British composer Benedict Mason and German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, one of the most influential 20th-century composers in European music.

Svoboda has close creative ties with the latter. Twelve years of playing the trombone with composer Karlheinz Stockhausen in the 1970s and 1980s were, as Svoboda himself says, a crucial period in the development of his musical career. Today, the performer is one of the world's leading promoters of K. Stockhausen's music and creative legacy. His experience allows him to interpret the composer's works in a particularly compelling and authentic way.

We invite you to meet in unusual sounds and welcome the upcoming holidays with music that is unusual but opens up new experiences, like a promise for the coming year – to always remain curious explorers of undiscovered worlds.

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PROGRAM

•  Ramūnas Motiekaitis. LIGHT ON LIGHT (2004; 2023 red.)
•  Benedict Mason. TROMBONAS IR STYGINIŲ KVARTETAS (2012)
•  Karlheinz Stockhausen. TIERKREIS (1974-75; M. Svobodos aranž., 2010)
•  Marius Baranauskas. Premjera

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Duration: ±1 hour.

Photographs will be taken during the event and published.

Tickets: https://bit.ly/chordos-svoboda-klaipeda

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Composer, trombonist, and conductor Mike Svoboda was born in 1960 on the Pacific island of Guam, grew up in Chicago, and, after completing his studies in music composition and conducting, arrived in Germany in 1982, where he still lives today. His collaboration with composer Karlheinz Stockhausen was instrumental in shaping the musician's creative path. Exchanging ideas with him, as well as with composers such as Peter Eötvös, Georg Friedrich Haas, Heinz Holliger, Adriana Hölszky, Helmut Lachenmann, Wolfgang Rihm, Martin Smolka, and Frank Zappa, M. Svoboda has premiered over 500 works both as a trombone player and as a conductor. In 2008, he received the prestigious Lower Saxony State Award for his "international contribution to the development of music and the art of performance with his ideas and concepts."

The string quartet Chordos was founded in 1997. From its very first concert programs, the ensemble's creative goal became clear: to disseminate and popularize the latest music by Lithuanian composers in Lithuania and around the world, and to introduce the latest and best music by foreign composers to audiences in our country. Having maintained this mission throughout its existence, Chordos has become an integral part of the contemporary Lithuanian scene and a source of inspiration not only for the public but also for younger generations of musicians.

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Contemporary Lithuanian Music Festival
MUZIKOS RUDUO '23
International Program

December 13–17,
2023 Zapyškis –– Klaipėda –– Vilnius

Organized by: Public Institution "Muzikos ruduo"

Funded by: Lithuanian Council for Culture, Vilnius City Municipality

Strategic partner: Lithuanian Composers' Union

Partners:
Old Zapyškis Church, National Art Gallery, Energy and Technology Museum, Lithuanian Music Information Center, Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater, cultural innovation agency Meno genas, Ideas Block, Vilnius Academy of Arts, Jonas Mekas Visual Arts Center

MORE: www.muzikosruduo.lt