This concert was dedicated to Vilna Gaon, the most famous Jewish sage of the 18th century, a religious authority who shaped the distinctiveness of the Jewish community in Lithuania. The concert featured three premieres of works commissioned by Trimitas specifically from Jewish composers of Lithuanian origin. The highlight of the concert was the opus for solo violin and wind orchestra In Search of Truth (2020) by Vyacheslav Ganelin, one of the most prominent Lithuanian composers of jazz, cinema and modern music. It was performed by the violin virtuoso and winner of numerous international competitions Rūta Lipinaitytė. According to Vyacheslav Ganelin, the title of both the work and the concert as a whole is ‘particularly relevant to this epoch, when the impression is that relativism is the “truth” that should determine people’s thoughts, decisions and behaviours’.
What I Learned from You (2020) by composer Jessica Krash aligns tradicional fragments of synagogue melodies with contemporary means of expression. Jessica Krash is an American pianist and composer based in Washington, DC. Her grandfather came from Butrimonys and trained as a rabbi in Kaunas (in Slobodka/Vilijampolė), to continue the scientific and religious traditions of Vilna Gaon.
Middle East Twist (2020) by Oleg Bogod is, according to the composer, inspired by the geography in which the State of Israel exists today, in the Middle East: ‘It is a colorful, complex and intense intersection of most diverse cultures and musical traditions, a never-ending dialogue between them.’ Oleg Bogod was born in Vilnius and emigrated to Israel in 1996.
The programme also featured Yiddish Dances by Adam Gorb, composed in 1997. According to the composer , this work should be performed as a festive piece, combining the sounds of symphonic winds and Klezmer – Yiddish folk music.
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