A triple bill of dance performances to the music by George Frideric Handel, Henry Purcell, Johann Sebastian Bach, Maksym Berezovskyi, Silvija Miliūnaitė, and Alessandro Scarlatti
“In times of crisis and hardship, women have a huge responsibility and burden to bear; to move forward they must have a very strong faith and a certain amount of idealism,” says Laima Vilimienė, General Manager of the KSMT. It was she who conceptually challenged the choreographers to create a female version of Miguel de Cervantes' legendary character Don Quixote—an ingenious hidalgo, who is generally considered the symbol of the struggle against evil and the ills of life, always and everywhere. Four choreographers with different backgrounds, representing different countries and cultures, responded to the bold invitation to embody Doña Quixote on stage as a modern fighter, an idealist, a virgin or a Madonna who sacrifices herself for the sake of others. Their artistic visions took the form of a dance performance in three parts. The plots of all the parts are interconnected, but do not necessarily form a coherent narrative, if any.
The miniatures of the first part, based on the music by Baroque composers, were choreographed by Daria Verovka and Yan Malaki, Ukrainian dancers and members of the KSMT Ballet Company, who have been trying their hand at choreography in the recent years. The characters they have created—a girl and a boy—do not allow themselves to be boxed in; they seek and share their inner light. The second part, created by choreographer Aušra Krasauskaitė, who has already finished her career as a dancer with the KSMT, was inspired by the icons of the Mother of God seen in the Orthodox churches and the sacred concerto Do Not Reject Me in My Old Age by 18th-century Ukrainian composer Maksym Berezovsky. It depicts “a woman as if hovering between heaven and earth, bearing the pain of all, existing in all of us, but at the same time remains inaccessible, able to accumulate in herself the energy that brings new life.” In the third part, Slovenian choreographer Gaj Žmavc, current Artistic Director of the KSMT Ballet Company, has chosen the music of Alessandro Scarlatti, rarely heard in dance performances, and has brought the sand dunes of the Baltic seaside to the stage. The modern-day dons and doñas encountered on these illusory sands are not trying to change the world, but rather to transform themselves.
AWARDS
Golden Stage Cross (26-03-2023, Vilnius) to Andrius Stasiulis for lighting design in the tripple bill Doña Quixote
PART I
Choreographer
Daria VEROVKA
Music
Georg Friedrich HÄNDEL (1685–1759)
Sinfonia from the Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline, HWV 264 (pre-recorded)
Henry PURCELL (1659–1695)
Excerpts from the opera Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626 (pre-recorded):
Dance Gittars Chacony from Act I;
Dido’s aria “Oft she visits this lov’d mountain” from Act II;
The Witches’ Dance from Act III;
Dido’s recitative “Thy hand, Belinda” and aria “When I am laid in Earth” from Act III
Georg Friedrich HÄNDEL (1685–1759)
Chorus “The ways of Zion do mourn” from the Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline, HWV 264 (pre-recorded)
Dancers
Doña Quixote – Anna CHEKMAROVA
Corps: Yuya AOKI, Oleksandra BORODINA, Elly BRUNO, Roman BUDKO, Anna CHEKMAROVA, Elena FILIPPI, Seojung YUN, Ksenija JERMAKOVA, Yuliia KOVALENKO, Yan MALAKI, Mykhailo MORDASOV, Aurora RUVOLETTO, Roman SEMENENKO, Iryna SUSLO, Maho TAKAMI, Illia TEMCHENKO, Mantas ŪSAS, Brayan Steven VALENCIA SARMIENTO
Choreographer
Yan MALAKI
Music
Johann Sebastian BACH (1685–1750)
Sarabande from the Cello Suite No. 2, BWV 1008
Allemande from the Cello Suite No. 5, BWV 1011
Dancers
A boy – Yan MALAKI
A girl – Oleksandra BORODINA (role debut)
Music performer
Aliaksandr SERDZIUKOU (cello)
PART II
Choreographer
Aušra KRASAUSKAITĖ
Music
Maksym BEREZOVSKYI (c. 1745–1777)
Sacred Concerto for a cappella choir Do Not Reject Me in My Old Age (Не отвержи мене во время старости)
Не отвержи мене во время старости: Do not reject me in my old age;
внегда оскудевати крепости моей Do not forsake me
не остави мене. when my strength fails.
Яко реша врази мои мне, For my enemies talk about me.
и стрегущии душу мою Those who watch for my soul
совещаша вкупе, глаголюще: conspire together, saying,
Бог оставил есть его, “God has forsaken him.
пожените и имите его, Pursue and take him,
яко несть избавляяй. for no one will rescue him.”
Боже мой, не удалися от мене: God, don’t be far from me.
Боже мой, в помощь мою вонми. My God, hurry to help me.
Да постыдятся и изчезнут Let my accusers be disappointed and consumed.
оклеветающии душу мою. Let them be covered with disgrace and scorn who want to harm me.
Text from Psalm 71: 9–13 (World English Bible)
Silvija MILIŪNAITĖ (b. 1993)
Introduction, backing tracks and postlude to Maksym Berezovskyi’s Sacred Concerto Do Not Reject Me in My Old Age for soprano, birbynė, mixed choir and electronics
Dancers
Oleksandra BORODINA, Anna CHEKMAROVA, Elena FILIPPI, Seojung YUN, Alina JAZDAUSKYTĖ, Ksenija JERMAKOVA, Yuliia KOVALENKO, Aurora RUVOLETTO, Nijolė SERIOŽNIKOVA, Iryna SUSLO, Maho, TAKAMI, Daria VEROVKA
Music performers
Arvydas JANKUS (birbynė,pre-recorded)
Emilia Janina KOZŁOWSKA (soprano, pre-recorded)
KLAIPĖDA STATE MUSIC THEATRE CHOIR (pre-recorded)
Chief Choirmaster and Conductor Vladimiras KONSTANTINOVAS
Part III
Choreographer
Gaj ŽMAVC (Slovenia)
Music
Alessandro SCARLATTI (1660–1725)
Excerpt from Sonata a quattro in D minor: I. Allegro (pre-recorded)
Adone’s aria “Se come dolce e vago te stessa” and Venere’s aria “Augelletti, sì, cantate” from serenata Il giardino d’amore, Venere e Adone (pre-recorded)
Aria “Nacque, col Gran Messia” from pastoral (Christmas) cantata Non so qual più m’ingombra (pre-recorded)
Stratonica’s aria “Esci omai, che più non v’hai loco” from the opera Mitridate Eupatore, Act III (pre-recorded)
Aria “Ombre opache” from the secular cantata Correa nel seno amato, H. 146 (pre-recorded)
Dancers
Soloists: Daria VEROVKA, Anna CHEKMAROVA
Duet: Roman BUDKO, Daria VEROVKA
Women: Hokoru AKIYAMA, Oleksandra BORODINA, Anna CHEKMAROVA, Seojung YUN, Ksenija JERMAKOVA, Yuliia KOVALENKO, Iryna SUSLO, Daria VEROVKA
Men: Roman BUDKO, Yan MALAKI, Mykhailo MORDASOV, Roman SEMENENKO, Brayan Steven VALENCIA SARMIENTO
