2018-08-23
Today the banks of the river Main in Frankfurt will echo Lithuanian melodies brought to an audience of 12 thousand by Lithuanian musicians and singers. The concert opens the European Cultural Days that the European Central Bank (ECB) has been organising since 2003. This year, the event showcases some of Lithuania’s outstanding cultural achievements. The programme has been compiled by the Bank of Lithuania and the ECB.
“The European Cultural Days is the perfect way to mark an important milestone in our history – the centenary of the restoration of Lithuania’s independence. I sincerely thank the Lithuanian musicians and artists who have agreed to participate in this event and present our rich musical heritage to the world. We are also glad that the opening concert will be broadcast by our national broadcaster LRT,” said Vitas Vasiliauskas, Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania.
On 23 August the European Cultural Days of the ECB will open with a “Europa Open Air” concert given by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony – Hessischer Rundfunk, the Lithuanian choir Jauna Muzika and Lithuanian soloists (Martynas Levickis, Merūnas Vitulskis, Justina Gringytė, Kostas Smoriginas, etc.). The evening will kick off with a performance by Frankfurt Radio Big Band and Lithuanian singer Viktorija Gečytė.
The second part to the programme – a charity event – will be held on 25 September at the Paulskirche, where the audience will experience a unique performance by the acclaimed accordion player Jonas Vozbutas and the vocal group “Jazz Island” (Artūras Novikas Jazz School).
The European Cultural Days will end on 16 October at the Alte Oper. The stars of the event will be the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra (Artistic Director Sergej Krylov, conductor Martynas Stakionis), soloists Džeraldas Bidva (violin), Lina Dambrauskaitė (soprano), Giovanni da Silva (tenor) and Andrius Žlabys (piano).
Traditionally, each year a Member State in the spotlight is handed over the symbol of the event – a statuette. This year, it is exhibited at the Money Museum of the Bank of Lithuania. Engraved on the statuette are the names of the countries that had organised the previous Cultural Days events. Soon it will also feature the name of our country – Lithuania.
Last year, the European Cultural Days were dedicated to Spain, while in 2020 the event will celebrate Poland. This annual highlight has previously acknowledged Portugal, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Greece, Romania, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Latvia, Bulgaria, Malta, and Germany.
The European Cultural Days of the ECB provide an opportunity for Member States to showcase their cultural gems, while the residents and visitors of Frankfurt am Main are able to learn more about the varied array of cultures and celebrate this “unity in diversity”.
The opening concert will be broadcast live at 20:00 CET on 23 August (online or on LRT Klasika).
The scheduled broadcast will start from 21:00 CET on LRT Kultūra.