{"id":4227,"date":"2016-09-02T18:38:02","date_gmt":"2016-09-03T00:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/?p=4227"},"modified":"2016-09-02T18:46:25","modified_gmt":"2016-09-03T00:46:25","slug":"baltic-song-around-the-globe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/baltic-song-around-the-globe\/","title":{"rendered":"Baltic Song Around the Globe"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Vida Kuprys.<\/p>\n

27 years ago, Lithuanians Latvians and Estonian joined hands in the Baltic Way. This August they joined voices.<\/p>\n

August 23rd is Black Ribbon Day. On this infamous date in 1939, Hitler\u2019s and Stalin\u2019s henchmen Ribbentrop and Molotov signed a non-aggression treaty that ultimately sent all of Europe into the the throes of World War II resulting in 60 million lives lost.<\/p>\n

Among the casualties were nations that continued to suffer for more than 50 years after the end of the War. The secret protocols of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact divided Europe in two and ultimately left the Baltic countries occupied by the Soviet Union. It was an occupation that lasted over half a century, and whose aftershocks still reverberate today.<\/p>\n

The purpose of Black Ribbon Day is never to forget the ravages of communism. In 1989, Lithuanians Latvians and Estonians, still under the Communist yoke, formed the Baltic Way \u2014they waged a non-violent protest by joining hands to form a human chain from Vilnius to Tallinn. This year, Lithuanian music producer Gediminas Zujus organized an initiative that better suits the 21st century \u2014 he united Lithuanians from different points on the globe to sing a sutartin\u0117 in real time.<\/p>\n

Los Angeles-based musician and project collaborator K\u0119stutis Daugirdas explained the significance of this ancient Lithuanian musical form. \u201cThe sutartin\u0117 is a traditional folk melody in which the singers are \u201cin agreement\u201d (\u201csutaria\u201d). Typically, two or three singers start in succession, one after another, together creating a distinctive, layered texture.\u201d Those who hear a sutartin\u0117 for the first time are often startled by its dissonance, but upon better acquaintance become transfixed by the complexity of the sound.<\/p>\n

Gediminas Zujus\u2019s project, called \u201cBaltic Song Around the Globe,\u201d was as complex as the sutartin\u0117 itself. The central mixing area was located in a studio of the Vilnius Technological and Design College. Here, singers and musicians Veronika Povilionien\u0117, Petras Vy\u0161niauskas, Dominykas Vy\u0161niauskas, Gediminas Laurinavi\u010dius and K\u0119stutis Lu\u0161as gathered to perform. They were joined by Latvian singer Baiba Skurstene-Serdiuke and Estonian Sofia Rubin. Computer monitors showed musicians preparing in other parts of the world. K\u0119stutis Daugirdas led his quintet Tolimi aidai in Los Angeles. Young singing sensation Agn\u0117 Giedraityt\u0117 plugged in from the Lithuanian Consul General\u2019s office in Chicago. Australian Lithuanian folk group Pamesta klump\u0117 (The Lost Clog) joined in from Melbourne. Their voices mixed with the traditional twang of the kankl\u0117s, modern sounds of electrified trumpets and primal beats of bongos \u2014 all joining together in real time at the Vilnius studio.<\/p>\n

\"Well-wishers
Well-wishers chimed in: Californian Angela Nelsas at the Vilnius studio, Congressman John Shimkus in Washington, DC and Lithuanian Consul General in Chicago Marijus Gudynas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The musicians were joined by well-wishers Congressman John Shimkus in Washington, DC, Ambassador \u017dygimantas Pavilionis and Californian Lithuanian activist Angela Nelsas both at the Vilnius studio, Lithuanian Consul General in Chicago Marijus Gudynas and Consul General in Los Angeles Darius Gaidys, as well as others.<\/p>\n

The greatest challenge was to synchronize the participants. Australia\u2019s slow internet connection caused the most problems, but keeping track of all five locations also proved difficult. Zujus enlisted the assitance of computer programmer K\u0119stutis Dapkevi\u010dius who wrote a bespoke application synchonizing the tempo of the song with the international atomic clock. Zujus admitted that there were problems, but the final result exceeded his expectations.<\/p>\n

Zujus was especially gratified to bring Australians into the mix. \u201cI wanted to bring in Australian and South American Lithuanians. They are so far away that they feel abandoned by Lithuania. I\u2019ve noticed that these unique collaborative projects \u201chook\u201d Lithuanians together. They begin to search for their roots, attempt to learn the Lithuanian language, and revive long forgotten traditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Estonian
Estonian Sofia Rubin (l.) and Latvian Baiba Skurstene-Seriuke listen as Veronika Povilionien\u0117 sings her part of the global sutartin\u0117.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After the successful first attempt of \u201cBaltic Song Around the Globe,\u201d Gediminas Zujus is now considering more ambitious projects to be staged in 1918 when Lithuania celebrates 100 years since the declaration of its independence. Perhaps a grand realtime concert involving symphony orchestras and choirs? Or maybe an opera? It is still too soon to say, but the dress rehearsal on the eve of Black Ribbon Day foretells something interesting in Lithuania\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

You can watch a recording of the real-time session online at<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch? v=l67doKQh3ea<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Vida Kuprys. 27 years ago, Lithuanians Latvians and Estonian joined hands in the Baltic Way. This August they joined voices. August 23rd is Black Ribbon Day. On this infamous date in 1939, Hitler\u2019s and Stalin\u2019s henchmen Ribbentrop and Molotov signed a non-aggression treaty that ultimately sent all of Europe into the the throes of …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4228,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[122,70,67],"tags":[114],"class_list":["post-4227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-diaspora","category-history-1900","category-music","tag-kuprys-v"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4227"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4235,"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4227\/revisions\/4235"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}