To mark the Year of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, the Pažaislis Music Festival, in collaboration with Kaunas Dance Theatre “Aura”, will present the revived dance performance “The Sea”. Nature in M.K. Čiurlionis’s music reflects a deeply personal and symbolic connection between humans and the environment. His symphonic poem The Sea (1903–1906) is notable for its philosophical depth, vivid natural imagery, and emotional nuance. As Professor Vytautas Landsbergis once wrote: “The image of the sea—long a source of fascination for the composer—emerges as a symbol of life purified and exalted by struggle; a force that crashes tragically but rises again in grandeur, calling forth the dignity of the human spirit and the will to rise above the ills of the age.”

Choreographer Birutė Letukaitė uses M.K. Čiurlionis’s The Sea as a metaphor to explore the modern relationship between humanity and nature—raising urgent themes such as the environmental degradation of the Baltic Sea and a society burdened by fear, egoism, and apathy. The breakdown in harmony between nature and people leads to irreversible consequences on both sides.
The Baltic Sea’s pollution is largely tied to military activity:
– After World War I, and especially at the end of World War II, thousands of tons of chemical weapons and explosives were dumped into the sea—
3,000–5,000 tons of chemical munitions
270,000 tons of explosives with chemical payloads
35,000 tons of missiles and aerial bombs
These figures expose a tragic reality. According to scientific studies and news agency ELTA:
“The Baltic Sea is the most chemically polluted sea in the world. Its fish are not safe for consumption, and the sea ranks as the most radioactive body of water globally.”

More than 100 years ago, M.K. Čiurlionis asked: “Why do you complain, O sea?” —A question that now echoes with prophetic clarity.