April 12, Sunday, 7:00 PM
Šiauliai Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Gegužių Street 57)
CLOSING CONCERT
Kaunas State Choir
Artistic Director and Chief Conductor – Robertas Šervenikas
Kaunas Symphony Orchestra
Chief Conductor – Constantine Orbelian
Soloists:
Ieva Barbora Juozapaitytė-Varnienė – soprano
Gabrielė Kuzmickaitė – mezzo-soprano
Egidijus Bavikinas – tenor
Conductor – Robertas Šervenikas
The festival concludes with a monumental and symbolic masterpiece of the 19th-century Romantic repertoire: Felix Mendelssohn’s symphony-cantata “Lobgesang” (Hymn of Praise). Written in 1840 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press, the work premiered in the historic St. Thomas Church in Leipzig.
It became the second symphony in music history—after Beethoven’s Ninth—to combine orchestra with chorus and vocal soloists. The selected biblical texts symbolically recall the first printed book in Europe—the Bible—and invite listeners on an emotional journey from darkness to light.
This eleven-part composition masterfully combines symphonic architecture with the sacred depth of a cantata. Performed by a large ensemble of musicians, it will provide a hopeful and uplifting finale to the festival—celebrating faith, progress, and creativity.
Programme: Felix Mendelssohn – Lobgesang
Free admission