“On 30th June 2023, my term as artistic director of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre will come to an end. In October 2016, when I was invited to Vilnius to conduct a Kristine Opolais Gala, I could never have imagined that the concert was to become the first act in a long personal and artistic love story with the LNOBT and, more in general, with Lithuania and its people.
I remember with pride the results achieved from a musical, artistic and educational point of view, with the extension of the theatre’s repertoire to include extremely heterogeneous works and very different languages and styles: Candide, Gambler, Der Rosenkavalier, Rigoletto, La Traviata, Anna Bolena, Zarzuela and the upcoming Die Schöpfung, Aida, Les Contes d’Hoffmann.
Then there’s the creation of the new summer festival OPEN, the Opera Track project, the establishment of a baroque ensemble within the theatre and the resulting creation of the Cappella Concertante Vilnense, the idea of commemorating 13th January (the January Killings) every year at our theatre, with our orchestra and chorus, and then all the lessons and presentations of new productions given to our audience.
The elevation, in musical terms, of the musicians, from the opera coaches to the orchestra which has reached international standing, came about thanks to a strong determination to bring about change and great musical discipline, which initially resulted in some criticism and was met with considerable resistance.
Today I feel very happy and proud because, over the last five years, many great Lithuanian artists have returned to the stage at the national theatre and many more have had the opportunity to make their debuts there and to receive widespread acclaim. They include, to mention just a few: Asmik Grigoryan, Edgaras Montvidas, Kostas Smoriginas, Tadas Girininkas, Ieva Prudnikovaitė, Modestas Pitrėnas, Justina Gringytė, Katerina Tetryakova, Ričardas Šumila, Giedrė Šlekytė, Martynas Stakionis, Lina Dambrauskaitė, Monika Pleškytė, Steponas Zonys, Kamilė Bontè and Gabrielė Kupšytė.
I am equally honoured that many exceptional international artists have accepted my invitations to perform in Vilnius for our Lithuanian audience, promoting their art and the names Vilnius and Lithuania around the world.
Now, however, an important, joyful change in my personal life and amazing new adventures coming one on top of another at a dizzying pace into my life as a conductor mean that I am forced to decline my availability for a possible second term as artistic director of the LNOBT. That is why I am following the institutional convention of communicating decisions promptly to the theatre and the personal convention of making a direct announcement to our audience.
I love and will always deeply love Lithuania, an incredible country that has given me so much from a professional, human and cultural perspective and to which I have devotedly and unsparingly given everything I have to offer. I take leave of many friends and colleagues, extraordinary artists and people who have taught me so much, and to each of whom I hope I have transmitted something positive. I’d like to say an enormous thank you to everyone, with best wishes for great artistic success in the years to come.
Goodbye for now, until next season when I’ll be back to conduct Aida and Les Contes d’Hoffmann, as a guest in the place that for five years I have called home. A piece of my heart will always be Lithuanian and I’ll always be delighted to come back to make music together whenever possible.”
Sesto Quatrini
