The Unknown Klova

Concert dedicated to the composer's 100th birth anniversary

From the legendary "Pilėnai" to undiscovered pages of creativity

What do we really know about Vytautas Klova? The legendary opera "Pilėnai" is the first association for many. However, behind the composer's legacy and one of the most famous works of Lithuanian opera lies much more: nearly 400 musical works, including other operas, decades of pedagogical work, and even another, less familiar side of the creator – fine arts.

It is precisely this different Klova that the ensemble "Lietuva" invites you to discover. Commemorating the 100th anniversary of V. Klova's birth, the concert "Unknown Klova" will take place on October 15 at 7:00 PM at St. Catherine's Church. The program prepared by the "Lietuva" choir, soloists, and the national instrument orchestra will become not only a concert but also a cozy educational evening, inviting you to rediscover one of the most prominent Lithuanian composers of the 20th century – his work, personality, and lesser-known life stories.

"It seems to me that Vytautas Klova will most likely remain in the nation's memory as the composer of 'Pilėnai'. And that is not some kind of curse, because being the Oginskis 'Polonaise' is not bad at all. But V. Klova has also written other wonderful works, which, I believe, will still find their way into the hearts of performers," musicologist Jūratė Katinaitė has said about the composer's legacy.

"Vytautas Klova is one of those giants of Lithuanian culture whose work, we believe, is worth not only preserving but also reviving. Having started to delve into his legacy, we realize how much of Klova we have not yet heard and how little we know the man himself. It is important for the ensemble 'Lietuva' to bring such creators and their works back to the stage, not just for the sake of historical memory – we want to show how much we have to be proud of. This is one of the ideas of our new season's campaign 'Let's Awaken the Giants'. By the way, you can already see the first hint of the unknown Klova on the concert poster: it is little known that before choosing music, V. Klova studied at the Kaunas Institute of Applied and Decorative Arts – he drew, painted, and created sets for plays. The painting used on the concert poster was painted by Vytautas himself," says Egidijus Kaveckas, chief conductor of the ensemble "Lietuva", about the initiative. The concert program was presented back in June in the Tirkšliai pine forest, the composer's native land.

Listeners will embark on a musical journey through different stages of the composer's work and genres – from sensitive interpretations of folk songs to "Pilėnai". The program will not lack opuses recognizable to the wider public, but it promises special discoveries for fans of Lithuanian music and classics, as well as gourmets who appreciate melodiousness, epic lyricism and drama, subtle yet expressive vocal and choral textures, masterfully revealed colors of national instruments, or works rarely performed on stage. The ensemble's archives will also be opened: works that were once created or adapted specifically for "Lietuva" performers, but have not been heard for a long time, will return to the stage. Although written for a national instrument orchestra, the sound feels like the scale and symphonic nature of a very large orchestra.