Music of light

LVSO Concert Hall, Vilnius

Sound vanishes the moment it is heard, yet the state it awakens remains.

The Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA) presents an exclusive audiovisual concert, "Music of Light." This evening will transcend the boundaries of a traditional symphony concert: the sound of the LMTA Symphony Orchestra will meet 3D video projections specially created by Tomas Stonys. Light will follow the dramaturgy of the music, changing the perspective of the concert hall and giving the sound a visible form.

At the heart of the evening, in the second part of the concert, is one of the most brilliant masterpieces of Romanticism, Hector Berlioz's "Symphonie fantastique." The music will unfold as a vast fresco of visions, full of dreams of love, reveries, intoxication, anxiety, and the grotesque. The colors of the orchestra will translate into visuals, and the concert hall will transform into a constantly changing fantastic world.

Projections will grow along with the music, breaking down the usual boundaries of the stage and leading from an intimate dream to a dazzling final vortex. Berlioz's orchestration will turn into an architecture of light, and "Symphonie fantastique" will shine in its full scale. This visual world of "Symphonie fantastique" will be created by video artist Tomas Stonys. The 3D projections, prepared specifically for the concert, will not merely illustrate the score but will become an equal space for it: they will follow the pulse of the orchestra, highlight the architecture of timbres, and change the perspective of the concert hall. T. Stonys' creative experience combines stage, music, movement, and contemporary media.

In the first part of the concert, the focus will turn to the musical dialogue between Lithuania and Japan. Ryuichi Sakamoto's "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" and Akira Ifukube's "Japanese Rhapsody" will be performed – two different perspectives on Japanese musical culture. In Sakamoto's work, Western harmony meets the restrained Japanese musical language, while in Ifukube's music, the rich, rhythmic sound of the orchestra stands out.

The Lithuanian line of the program will be continued by Zigmas Virkšas' work "To the Rising Bird." The composer felt a close affinity with Eastern culture, making this piece a meaningful bridge between Lithuania and Japan. The concert will feature a special arrangement by Rimantas Giedraitis for violin, oboe, and orchestra – a work originally composed for violin and piano will take on a new orchestral sound for this program.