On November 6-10, 2019, The Fourteenth International Folklore Festival “Pokrovskye Kolokola” will take place in Vilnius. For many years, this festival presents the traditional culture of different countries in a diverse and interesting way, strengthens cultural cooperation, and facilitates communication between the participants. Named in honor of the Orthodox Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Pokrov Presviatoj Bogorodicy), the festival brings together those who cherish the faith without which traditional folk culture cannot exist and develop. These are our roots and heritage. This is something that must be carefully guarded and sometimes restored. This is something that we must educate children about and pass it on to our future generations. The “Pokrovskye Kolokola” festival creates an impenetrable atmosphere, raises profound questions, and under-develops concepts.
During its 14 years of existence, “Pokrovskye Kolokola” festival has become known in many countries around the world, featuring folklore and ethnographic ensembles from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, Netherlands, Georgia, Spain, Italy, Kazakhstan, China, Corsica, Latvia, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Russia and its republics (Adygea, Altai Krai, Kabardino-Balkaria, Mordovia, Udmurtia, Chechnya, Dagestan, Komi, Tuva, Mari, North Ossetia-Alanya, Yakutia, etc.), Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, France, Estonia and other countries.
This year, the festival will delight its audiences with collectives from 13 countries - Belarus, Estonia, Spain, Italy, Corsica, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, Norway, Russia, Georgia, Serbia, Ukraine. Russian culture will be presented by three higher creative schools - Tchaikovsky State Conservatory in Moscow, Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory in St. Petersburg, Petrozavodsk Glazunov State Conservatory, as well as collectives from Moscow, Belgorod and Novosibirsk counties.
The best folklore collectives of Lithuanian national communities, which give the festival a unique perspective while carefully guarding their national traditions,. Such collectives and their leaders deserve respect and attention. This year the festival will be attended by children and adults from Azerbaijani, Byelorussian, Polish, Tatar, Armenian, Ukrainian, Jewish, Russian folklore groups, as well as soloists who have won the Republic Competition “Inheritances of Traditions”. In addition, Lithuanian folk groups will also participate in the festival.
“Pokrovskye Kolokola” is the only festival in the Baltic States, which annually asks composers to write in the style of World music. Expanding the circle of folk traditions, bringing folklore closer and making it accessible and understandable to the younger generation, the organizers chose the idea of combining old spiritual values with the expressive language of modern music. This idea has been supported for many years by the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture, the Lithuanian Council of Culture and the Vilnius City Municipality. Listeners have already heard Andrey Doynikov’s “Ethnosphere – a New Breath of Traditions“, Gediminas Rimkus Rimkevičius’ “Folk Rhapsody ”, Jonas’ Jurkūnas “From This City”, “Old faith” and “The Female Song” by Linas Rimša, “The Saga of Life” by Algirdas Martinaitis, “Collages” by Zita Bružaite, “Dedication ” by Anatolijus Šenderov. This year, with the opening of the festival on November 6th, the premiere will be held at the Vilnius Congress Hall. Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra (artistic director Sergei Krylov) and Vilnius Russian folklore ensemble “Arinushka”, Julia Morozova (piano), “Hand voices” and other musicians will perform “The Mass of The Starling” by composer Laimis Vilkončius. The composition will feature poetry by Sigitas Geda (from the collection "Jotvingiai Mass") and authentic folk music. This composition is conceived as a montage of folklore, customs and original music, preserving the meanings and styles of the original folk music and the dimensions of modernism.
