The first concert of this year’s Vilnius Spring Festival has taken place in Vilnius — the festival opened with the specially created programme ArtDeCounterPoint, presented by brothers Motiejus, Mykolas, and Benediktas Bazaras together with the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra and conductor Modestas Barkauskas.

The opening concert not only marked the beginning of the festival, but once again confirmed its growing importance in Vilnius’ cultural life — the National Gallery of Art was filled with a large audience ready to experience music being born in the moment. “It is wonderful to see the festival growing for the third consecutive year, along with audiences increasingly gathering for high-quality music concerts. It even felt as though the weather itself was a good sign today — and indeed, many people came,” said the evening’s host, Gerūta Griniūtė.

What made the opening concert particularly distinctive was that the audience was introduced to a completely new programme created specifically for this evening. It combined precisely structured composition with improvisational freedom — a defining feature of the Bazaras brothers’ creative style. “We were thinking about what musical elements to use — and interesting experiments emerged both in rhythm and harmony,” explained Motiejus Bazaras.

The roots of this programme lie in the culture, architecture, and personalities of the interwar period, whose creative legacy continues to shape artistic thinking today. “We were inspired by the interwar era and by the people who created things that still remain with us today. It was a period when people thought centuries ahead — about how to create the very best,” said Mykolas Bazaras, referring to symbolic landmarks such as the Daina Cinema and the Kaukas Staircase.

These ideas were also reflected in the musical language itself — the creators sought to translate architectural forms and aesthetics into sound. “We were inspired by curved forms — we tried to imagine how a curved window might sound,” said Motiejus Bazaras.

ArtDeCounterPoint became a living dialogue between different periods, art forms, and creative principles — from structure to improvisation, from architecture to sound. The programme performed during the evening highlighted not only the unique artistic language of the Bazaras brothers, but also the wide expressive possibilities of the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra.

The festival continues throughout May — every Thursday at the National Gallery of Art, audiences will encounter new concerts presenting different musical directions and international performers. On May 14, the world-class Danish trio Dreamers’ Circus will perform in Lithuania for the first time, presenting a contemporary vision of Nordic music. On May 21, composer Laimis Vilkončius will present the concert If We Were to Return, bringing together Vilnius-based creators and performers. The festival will conclude on May 28 with the Swedish vocal quartet Ringmasters, celebrating the 20th anniversary of their artistic career and promising a special musical celebration.

Vilnius Spring Festival is organized by the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra.

More information: springfestival.lt