Art is an immortal and comprehensive concept. National Opera of Lithuania - cultural heritage of the country since 1920.
Birth story
The premiere performance, Verdi's La Traviata, took place on December 31, and it was the best New Year's gift from the Lithuanian Art Society. The repertoire was dominated by works by Italian composers. High vocal and talent of the soloists from the first days captivated the viewer. Every year the National Opera toured to Paris, Milan, Rome, Prague and other European capitals. The theater exported its best performances, such as Giselle, Coppelia, Swan Lake. It was the Lithuanian artists who first introduced Europe to the choreographer Petipa in the Raymond ballet.
The best theater of Vilnius, the national opera of Lithuania, suffered brutally during the military operations of Germany during the Nazi occupation. He lost more than half of the troupe - ballet and opera, directors, stage designers, leading performers and composers were destroyed by the Germans on a national basis of imperfection. Only after 1947 the theater resumed its activities. In almost one decade, it again became the best opera house in the USSR. The country's leadership provided an opportunity to get the latest equipment for the stage and dance rehearsal rooms. Thanks to this, the directors reached a new, high level of productions and had the opportunity to expand their repertoire.
Success today
The National Opera Theater has in its repertoire such productions as Don Carlos, Carmen, Nabucco, Macbeth, Caligula, Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer Night's Dream and others. Since 1933, the performances of Lithuanian composers were staged: Grazhina, Three Talismans, Egle - the Queen of Snakes. The first ballet performance was released in 1925. Performances since 1933 - “Matchmaking”, “In a whirlwind of dance”, “Jurate and Kastitis”.
Such singers as A. Sodeika, Kuchingis' unique voice, the famous Chudakova, the well-known Mazheika, and the singer Stashkevichyute gave their time and talent to the theater in different years. And the soloists of the national ballet Baravikas, Sventitskaite, Banis, Kelbauskas, Jovaysaitė, Zebrauskas, Sabalyauskaite, Kunavicius. Famous conductors B. Kelbauskas, J. Pakalnis, M. Buksha, V. Mariyoshus. Choreographer P. Petrov, as well as J. Tallat-Kelpsha.
Theater building and architecture
Since 1974, the National Opera of Lithuania has been located in a new building designed by E. Buchute. Feature - the elevation of the site on which the theater stands. This is the largest building in Vilnius with cultural significance, with more than 1000 places, together with a gallery and balconies.
The northern facade, overlooking the Neris River, is decorated with sculptures. These are ten statues that depict the main characters of classic performances. The authors of the unique ornament in 1989 were A. Zhukauskas and J. Noras-Narushevichyus.
The viewer's love
Lithuanians love their national opera and ballet theater . This is the property of the whole country and each resident individually. After visiting the performance, a joyful feeling of purity and freshness remains. Excellent acoustics allows you to hear every word of the artists. And the places in the amphitheater are arranged in such a way that the whole stage is visible from any chair.
The design is different from the classical opera, rather, it looks like a drama theater. This circumstance is due to the fact that at one time the drama and opera in Vilnius were combined, but then they were divided into different buildings. However, this dramatic similarity gives the viewer a number of advantages to enjoy the performance.
Viewers note the convenience of decoration constructions for perception, lighting and musical design of modern performances. The theater management also takes care of such needs as a quality buffet, clean latrines and soft seats for visitors to the temple of art.