NIGHT IN BERLIN | From Classicism to 20th Century Modernism and Cabaret

NIGHT IN BERLIN | From Classicism to 20th Century Modernism and Cabaret

Giedrius Prunskus (baritone), Jonė Punytė-Svigarienė (piano)

"The Art of Song" – International Vocal Chamber Music Festival

A festive welcome glass for every guest. Doors open at 18:00.

In this programme, Berlin is treated less as a geographical location and more as a state of mind. It is a city that witnessed the shifting of eras and their distinct voices: the intellectual Age of Enlightenment, the romantic sensitivity of chamber culture, the psychologization of art, 20th-century modernism, irony, and popular art. Within the context of the programme, the nocturnal city becomes a mirror for internal states and self-reflection.

"Night in Berlin" invites the audience to follow the tradition of the German song (Lied) from Classicism to 20th-century modernism and cabaret. The programme was inspired by an authentic 1863 piano crafted by the Berlin master Theodor Stöcker, which will be used to perform part of the concert. The unique sound of this period instrument serves as a living witness to the past, inviting the listener to experience the breath of history and the atmosphere of 19th-century Berlin salon music. A Lithuanian accent is provided by Juozas Gruodis’s song "Spring Night in Berlin," which anchors the musical drama and shapes the concert's concept: a kaleidoscope of nocturnal experiences and urban imagery.

The creators of this programme are well-known Lithuanian musicians who both studied the subtleties of the Lied genre in its homeland, Germany. Dr. Jonė Punytė-Svigarienė studied the genre in Stuttgart, while baritone Giedrius Prunskus studied in Leipzig. Their creative partnership, spanning nearly two decades, is marked by significant Lied projects such as "Woman, Music and Nietzsche," "Under the Star of David," and "The Fair Magelone."

PROGRAMME

Juozas Gruodis (1884–1948) Spring Night in Berlin, lyrics by Kazys Binkis

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714–1788) Frühling (Spring), Wq 202/A, lyrics by Christoph Martin Wieland

Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752–1814) Erlkönig (The Elf King), lyrics by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Carl Friedrich Zelter (1758–1832) Rastlose Liebe (Restless Love), lyrics by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel (1805–1847) Nachtwanderer (Night Wanderer), Op. 7, No. 1, lyrics by Joseph von Eichendorff

Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847) Der Mond (The Moon), Op. 86, No. 5, lyrics by Emanuel Geibel

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) Wie rafft ich mich auf (How I Roused Myself), Op. 32, No. 1, lyrics by August von Platen-Hallermünde In der Gasse (In the Lane), Op. 58, No. 6, lyrics by Friedrich Hebbel

Engelbert Humperdinck (1854–1921) Geheimnis (Secret), from Junge Lieder, No. 6, lyrics by Moritz Leiffmann

Hugo Wolf (1860–1903) Die Nacht (The Night), lyrics by Joseph von Eichendorff

Paul Hindemith (1895–1963) Vor dir schein‘ ich aufgewacht (Before You I Seem to Have Awakened), Op. 18, No. 5, lyrics by Christian Morgenstern Trompeten (Trumpets), Op. 18, No. 8, lyrics by Georg Trakl

Hanns Eisler (1898–1962) From 7 Lieder über die Liebe (Seven Songs about Love): II Goethe Fragment IV Verfehlte Liebe (Unfulfilled Love), lyrics by Heinrich Heine

Kurt Weill (1900–1950) Berlin im Licht (Berlin in Light), lyrics by Kurt Weill

Irving Berlin (1888–1989) Blue Skies, lyrics by Irving Berlin

Kurt Weill (1900–1950) Alabama Song, from the opera Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, lyrics by Bertolt Brecht