International Festival of Chamber Music and Ecology
It has become a tradition that every summer in the Curonian Spit ideas of disobedience resonate. International festival of chamber music and ecology “The Land of Disobedient” breaks routine of concert performances and invites listeners to music events that always guarantee surprises and unexpected twists to commonly perceived ideas.
Seven founding musicians of the festival in their programmes proclaim disobedience as an impulse for creativity. In addition to theme concerts, musical-theatrical events, the festival also holds ecological artistic plain airs for the youth, and encourages everyone to become aware of ecological situation.
Composition of Arvydas Malcys “The Land of Disobedient” served as impetus for the birth of the festival. The title of the work that echoed the ideas of the seven musicians led to the disobedient spirit of the festival, while several other aspects predetermined it’s location and artistic directions. The location for the festival was chosen while contemplating experience G.D.Kuvertas, who, in a monumental act of disobedience toward nature, started planting a pine forest on the dunes, and saved Nida from being buried under the sand, and Curonian Spit from becoming a desert.
Thus, the seven musicians of the festival decided that this land – Curonian spit – could be a very fruitful space for innovative ideas that challenge the routine of concert programming, stereotyping composers and styles, and compartmentalizing ideas of musical experience.
The notion of G.D. Kuvertas suggested ecological aspect to the festival: reminding people that ecology depends on actions and position of each and every one of us, and that every one is responsibe for making life around us cleaner, fresher and more beautiful. And music has always remained the best means for the ecology of the spirit.
The festival annually commissions new works from Lithuanian composers, the seven musicians constantly explore works of lesser known composers, venture into areas of jazz, free improvisation, theatre, invite guest artist to perform together, stage performances enhanced with pantomime and video, while always remaining aware of and enamoured with the great masterpieces of the past.
Disobedient musicians
Mia Cooper (violin, UK), Ieva Sipaitytė (violin, Lithuania)
Roger Arve Vigulf (clarinet, Norway), Julius Černius (clarinet, Lithuania)
Andrius Radziukynas (flute, Lithuania)
Robertas Bliškevičius (viola, Lithuania)
Mindaugas Bačkus (cello, Lithuania)
Sonata Deveikytė-Zubovienė (piano, Lithuania)
Rokas Zubovas (piano, Lithuania)
2019 festival program
Musical landscape of the Festival this year historically spans over four hundred years of music history, blending quite different stylistic worlds such as folk song and techno music, baroque and jazz. Seven very different musical stories will be related. Each of them ponders on modern identity, as if rising the existential question “who am I?” and looking at it from various aspects, thus challenging the listener to reflect on his or her personal level and place in a contemporary fleeting world, full of uncertainties, fizzy responsibilities and constantly changing values.
In 2020 International festival of chamber music and ecology “The Land of Disobedient” becomes International music festival “N žemė”. Starting this year, the festival program will be conducted by cellist, Master of Culture of Klaipėda, artistic director of the International Cello Festival in Klaipėda, Mindaugas Bačkus, and Agnija Šeiko, choreographer, laureate of the “Golden Stage Cross”, artistic director of the Šeikos Dance Theater.
Artistic director of the Festival
Rokas Zubovas (2004 – 2019)
Mindaugas Bačkus (2020 – now)
Festival today
„N žemė“ International music festival