Cinematorija "Cali-Gari"

Cinematorija "Cali-Gari" is an experiment combining orchestral performance, cinema, academic and popular, acoustic and electroacoustic music. This format presents a musical score and stage performance for one of the most significant classics of German expressionist silent cinema – the film "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari," created over a century ago in 1920.

Considered a masterpiece of psychological horror, the film transports the viewer into the subconscious of a mentally unstable person, exploring themes of human manipulation and blind obedience. According to film critic Siegfried Kracauer, the character of Caligari symbolized unlimited power directed against human rights and values.

These themes are reinterpreted and updated in the partially fixed, partially improvised music by composer and National Prize laureate Algirdas Martinaitis and electronic music creator Leonas Somovas. The concert is enriched by a theatrical stage performance that blurs the lines between the film and reality.

This concert serves as a vibrant introduction to the international exhibition "Become Caligari! Virtual Cabinet," opening on October 29, 2026, at 5:00 PM at the Lithuanian Theatre, Music and Cinema Museum. The exhibition marks the collaboration between the Lithuanian Theatre, Music and Cinema Museum and the Berlin Film Museum (Deutsche Kinemathek – Museum für Film und Fernsehen).

The exhibition and its accompanying events will become a unique multi-platform experience: original exhibits from the Berlin Film Museum will be presented, the film will be screened, and visitors can look forward to virtual reality experiences, lectures, discussions, and educational programs for youth and teachers.

Today, more than a century later, the film is relevant in a new way: it has become not only cinema history but a living cultural commentary on contemporary reality. Getting to know it becomes a conversation about ourselves: what we see, what we believe in, whom we obey, and how we can recognize when someone is trying to "hypnotize" us.

The Cinematorija performances will take place on the 29th at 6:00 PM and 8:30 PM at the Muzeoteka.

PERFORMERS:

Composer – Algirdas Martinaitis

Lithuanian Symphonic Wind Orchestra

Conductor – Karolis Variakojis

Reader – Vaidotas Martinaitis