The 30th Pažaislis Music Festival ends its remarkable season with an equally special work – Giacomo Puccini opera “Tosca”, which is in the top five of the most frequently staged operas in the world. During this gala evening, the audience will have the opportunity to listen to a concert performance of the opera.
“La Tosca” by the famous French playwright Victorien Sardou was dedicated to Sara Bernhardt, an actress who was captivating audiences on stage at the time. After seeing the great artist in this role, Puccini was very impressed by her acting and, after a little tussle between Giovanni Ricordi, the publisher, and another composer who wanted to take on this material, Puccini’s “Tosca” brought a profound enrichment to the legacy of musical theatre. The composer was impressed not only by the play’s scenic quality, but also by the fact that it is set in his native Italy and reflects the patriots’ struggle against Austrian despotism.

In the final concert, the audience will be able to enjoy the powerful and rich sound of the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, the harmonious and dynamic voices of the Kaunas State Choir, and the main roles, requiring great skill, will be sung by exceptional Lithuanian soloists: Aušrinė Stundytė (soprano), commanding the stages of European theatres, Edgaras Montvidas (tenor), the artistic director of the Pažaislis Music Festival, who is celebrating his jubilee, and Kostas Smoriginas (bass-baritone), who has conquered the world’s opera stages. With the vivacious swings of the baton, conductor Gintaras Rinkevičius will conduct at the gala.

One of the world’s most frequently performed masterpieces, the stars of the world’s opera houses, and the unique harmony of architecture and music in the Pažaislis Monastery – that’s how the 30th Pažaislis Music Festival invites you to say goodbye to a musical summer celebration.