Extensive Programme of Events to Accompany the M.K. Čiurlionis Exhibition in Tokyo
The “Čiurlionis in Japan” programme, set to run until mid-June, launched this past weekend with a remote lecture by pianist Rokas Zubovas entitled “Seven Strokes for a Creative Portrait of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis.”
The programme is implemented by the Cultural Attaché of the Republic of Lithuania in Japan, Gabija Čepulionytė, the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Tokyo, and the Lithuanian Culture Institute, in cooperation with Lithuanian and Japanese cultural institutions. The centerpiece of this programme is the retrospective exhibition “Čiurlionis: Inner Starlight” at the National Museum of Western Art, which will open on March 28 and run until June 14.
The opening event of the “Čiurlionis in Japan” programme will be a concert by the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra and its artistic director, Sergej Krylov, on March 26. This performance is part of the Tokyo Spring Festival, Japan’s largest classical music festival. The concert will take place at “Bunka Kaikan,” one of Tokyo’s premier concert halls, where the orchestra will perform works by M.K. Čiurlionis, Vidmantas Bartulis, Algirdas Martinaitis, and Žibuoklė Martinaitytė.
“Through the ‘Čiurlionis in Japan’ programme, we aim to open the multifaceted creative world and exceptional personality of M.K. Čiurlionis to the Japanese audience. The art exhibition will be accompanied by thirteen events in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Kanazawa over several months. Through concerts, lectures, tours, and discussions, we hope to broaden the horizons and understanding of Japanese viewers regarding M.K. Čiurlionis and Lithuania,” stated Gabija Čepulionytė, Cultural Attaché of Lithuania in Japan.
After a 34-year hiatus, Čiurlionis’ works return to Tokyo to be exhibited at the National Museum of Western Art—the only national museum in the Asian region dedicated to Western art. The retrospective will feature the Lithuanian artist’s paintings, drawings, sketches, and musical manuscripts.
“The fact that M.K. Čiurlionis’ works will be exhibited at the National Museum of Western Art, accompanied by such an exceptional programme of events, is the result of several years of consistent work by the Cultural Attaché, the M.K. Čiurlionis Museum, the Embassy in Tokyo, and the Lithuanian Culture Institute. It proves that purposeful efforts create long-term partnerships and meaningful cultural encounters, opening new spaces and audiences for Lithuanian art,” said Julija Reklaitė, Director of the Lithuanian Culture Institute.
“The connection with nature, the Lithuanian worldview, folklore, and songs revealed in Čiurlionis’ work should be very close and relatable to Japanese viewers. I am deeply convinced that the exhibition and its accompanying events will garner great interest and invite the Japanese people to discover or deepen their knowledge of our country,” stated the Lithuanian Ambassador to Japan, Dr. Aurelijus Zykas.
In April, the programme will continue with Joana Daunytė’s recital “Čiurlionis on Harp Strings,” featuring preludes, nocturnes, and harmonized folk songs arranged for the harp. This recital is also part of the Tokyo Spring Festival. The musician will also perform the concert “Čiurlionis and his French Contemporaries” in Kanazawa, home to the “Society for Connecting Kanazawa and Lithuania.” During this concert, Joana Daunytė and Tomoko Uchida will perform Loreta Narvilaitė’s piece “Song of the Sunset Sea” for two harps.
At Tokyo’s prestigious Suntory Blue Rose chamber hall, pianists Rokas Zubovas, Tadashi Suenaga, and Chisato Taniguchi will hold the concert “Čiurlionis: Light and Infinity.” The performance will include compositions by contemporary Japanese composers inspired by Čiurlionis, commissioned specifically for this occasion by the Japan Federation of Composers.
The closing concerts of the “Čiurlionis in Japan” programme will take place at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Tokyo and on the Noh theatre stage at Higashi Hongan-ji in Kyoto. The contemporary music ensemble Synaesthesis will perform Dominykas Digimas’ work “Čiurlionis: Slowed and Reverb.”
Text was translated by AI (edited by V. K. K.)