Onutė Narbutaitė’s (b. 1956) oratorio Centones Meae Urbi (1997) is a key work in Lithunian contemporary music and a work that also earned the composer the Lithuanian National Laureate. This new 2024 recording of the work – which portrays the rich history of Lithuanian’s capital city Vilnius – with Robertas Šervenikas conducting the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, the Kaunas State Choir and with Lithuanian vocal soloists, Gunta Gelgotė and Nerijus Macevičius, is a major addition to Lithuanian recorded music.

The history of Lithuania’s capital city Vilnius, also known as the ‘Jerusalem of the North’, is a patchwork of cultures, music, and languages. This interwoven history is, in part, a result of its tumultuous history with centuries of changing hands and control from larger powers; but also, from the varieties of peoples who have come to call Vilnius home. This cultural melting pot was home to many prominent cultural figures including Adam Mickiewicz, Czesław Miłosz, and Elijah ben Solomon Zalman (Elijah of Vilna), to give a few notable examples. This rich tapestry receives a musical representation in the 70-minute multi-language oratorio Centones Maea Urbi, a work that can also be considered as the composer’s final breakthrough work.

For over 50 years, the Kaunas State Choir has been one of the most prestigious Lithuanian vocal ensembles. Since 2021, the artistic director and chief conductor of the Choir has been Professor Robertas Šervenikas. Kaunas State Choir stepped up its international performing activity in 1992, when it started working with legendary conductor Lord Yehudi Menuhin, cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich and composer Krzysztof Penderecki who referred to Kaunas State Choir as one of the most capable and professional ensembles they had worked with. The Choir takes pride in having been directed by more than 70 Lithuanian and foreign conductors and the discography of Kaunas State Choir includes more than 60 albums.

The Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO), one of Lithuania’s most important and advanced musical collectives, has been a part of Lithuania’s cultural life and has significantly enriched it since its inception in 1940. From 1964 to 2015 the Orchestra was led by Juozas Domarkas. The LNSO performs around 50 concerts in Lithuania and abroad every year. It has visited many European countries, Japan, South America and South Korea, and has given concerts in some of the most prominent concert venues of the world, such as Musikverein in Vienna, the philharmonic halls of Cologne and Berlin, and many others. The LNSO has also performed at prestigious music festivals, such as the Schleswig-Holstein, Musica Romantica in Switzerland, the Warsaw Autumn, the Prague Spring, and elsewhere. Alongside the most famous classical repertoire, the ambassador of Lithuanian music actively promotes the Lithuanian composers: the LNSO is a regular participant in the international festival of contemporary music Gaida, it premieres the works by Lithuanian composers, participates in recordings, and presents Lithuanian music in Euroradio live broadcasts.

Kaunas State Choir Artistic Director and Chief Conductor, Lithuanian National Culture and Art Prize Laureate, Professor Robertas Šervenikas is often praised for the intensive and diverse creative activities ranging from the first performances of large-scale symphonic compositions by Lithuanian composers to distinctive and mature interpretations of contemporary and classical repertoire. Šervenikas is the first performer of many works by Lithuanian composers, among which most memorable are a terrific production of Onute Narbutaite’s opera Cornet. He has recorded several dozen albums of contemporary music issued by various record companies. Šervenikas has led various orchestras in almost all European countries, Japan, South Korea, China, Thailand, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, Oman, Israel and Russia. He has graced the podium in such halls as Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Auditorium de Nationale in Madrid, Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Cadogan Hall in London, Konzerthaus in Berlin, Festival Hall and Symphony Hall in Osaka, Tokyo Suntory Hall, Metropolitan Art Space, as well as the philharmonic halls of Cologne and Hamburg.