On Sunday evening in Vilnius – a powerful concert of awakened bells | Culture

The world bell ringer from Spain Llorenç Barberis will create a musical composition of one hour of bells. Symbolically and sensitively, with the powerful sounds of bells and an even more powerful message, “Gera muzika gvivai” closes the festival “Pasaulis skamba”, which delighted listeners since May and invited to more than 30 concerts, 13 collectives from 5 continents took the stage. “It was so organic that the festival was opened by a group from Ukraine, and the cult “DakhaBrakha” appeared last in the program to commemorate the Independence Day of Ukraine. However, this bell concert is special, neither we nor the city have heard anything like it. And it’s more than a concert, it’s a resounding manifestation for peace all over the world, inviting you to feel inner peace in the community.” – convinced manager of “Good Music Live” Žilvinas Švarplys.

The church bell is a symbol of the connection between the earth and the sky, and its sound marks the sacred time, directing thoughts from everyday life to eternity. This is how L.Barber’s city bell concerts connect heaven and earth, they are like a bridge between everyday life and spirituality. The impact and importance of this concert is difficult to describe in words, because it is, first of all, a general feeling, a synthesis of the city and its people, when the vibrations of the bells create new spaces in the city and in everyone’s heart.

The symbolism of bells, which is widespread in folklore, is widely used not only in the path of the rebirth of the Lithuanian nation, but also in the struggle for the freedom of Lithuania. “If I’m not mistaken, all the bells of Vilnius rang together for the last time almost 30 years ago. as the Red Army left the city, but to my knowledge they have never played together in a musical composition. This concert is a touch of the sacred tranquility that transcends all religions, allowing you to feel the communion that rises above everyday life”, says Ž. Švarplys about the bell concert.

Maestro L.Barberis devoted most of his life to bells and their music, he organized more than 300 bell concerts on five continents, two of which are included in the Guinness Book of Records. We can only imagine a concert with 20,000 musicians or a fleet of ships! And you had to listen to a concert that lasts from dawn to dawn? L. Barber’s concerts are more impressive than each other, but the secret of all of them is the same – it lies in the Maestro’s glowing eyes and heart, which he gives all to the city, its bells and people.

Viliaus bells concert – 15 churches and more than 60 bells

Preparations for the concert began at the beginning of summer, when the belfries of more than 25 churches in the Old Town of Vilnius and the surroundings of the center were inspected: some of them did not have bells, but there were also those whose bells could not be accessed due to the emergency state of the interior of the belfries. Available bells were measured, photographed and sent to L.Barberi in Spain for initial analysis.

The final list of churches participating in the concert was approved by the Maestro on August 25. after arriving in Vilnius and within a few days, despite his 74-year-old century, easily climbing all the bell towers, inspecting each bell, hearing its ringing, and also assessing the layout of the churches. Fifteen houses of prayer, most of them Catholic churches, as well as four Orthodox churches and the only evangelical Lutheran church in the city, opened their bell towers for the Vilnius Bells Concert.

L.Barberis emphasized the clear difference between Catholic and Orthodox attitudes towards bells. The latter have preserved the old tradition of bell-ringing and a unique way of playing, have their own bell-ringers and their school. Unfortunately, it happened historically that the Catholics, who also had bell ringers, started the automation of bells after Lithuania regained its independence, and the old bell ringers left without passing on their knowledge to the new generation, although you can still meet old bell ringers ringing by hand in the periphery of the country.

More than sixty bells will ring at the Vilnius Bells Concert, the largest of which hangs in the Cathedral bell tower – its diameter reaches as much as 160 cm., and it weighs 2595 kg.! The one with the most bells is St. Church of Constantine and Michael, there are even ten of them, among which the smallest one is only 20 cm long. It is important to note that the bells will be rung by swinging the bell core by hand or by a rope tied to it so that it hits the cone, so they are disconnected from automatic control. Bells telling the time will also take part in the concert – they will be rung by hitting the sides of the cone with pneumatic hammers, as these bells do not have a core.

More than 50 volunteer bell ringers will ring the bells

“I was surprised by the long and rich history of Vilnius, which is told by the city’s streets, it is clearly felt in the city’s architecture,” Montserrat Palacios, music director of the bell concert, who has accompanied L.Barber since 1999, begins the story. The concert of 100 church bells held in Rome, organized at the invitation of Pope John Paul II. Together with the Maestro, she leads theoretical lectures and practical rehearsals in the belfries, explains the musical composition specially created for the city and teaches the volunteers bell ringing techniques.

Ms. Palacios is an ethnomusicologist and academician, PhD, founder and director of “El Cant Del Cantó” – a center for sound research, education, creativity and experimentation. In addition to her educational activities, she is also a singer in the Mexican National Choir, having mastered various vocal techniques, she actively performs not only in art galleries, concert halls, but also in mountains, monasteries and streets.

L.Barberis always involves the local community in the performance of the city bells concert, and Vilnius is no exception. A large group of more than 50 volunteers gathered: professional and amateur musicians, music students or people who just love music, including not only Lithuanians, but also foreigners living in Vilnius. Most of them will remember their first touch of the bells, like this concert, for the rest of their lives, because it is a priceless experience. It should be noted that Orthodox bell ringers will ring the bells in the churches.

After the theoretical introduction, these volunteers were distributed among the belfries and started rehearsals. Each belfry, even if it has only one bell, has ringers and a director of belfry music, who as a conductor follows the score with a chronometer in his hands, so that the bells from the different church towers ring together as accurately as possible in a musical composition.

“Frankly speaking, I was surprised not only by Vilnius, but also by the conscientiousness of these volunteers: how responsibly they look at ringing the bells, how sincerely and with great motivation they learn, and how easily they understood not only the composition, but also the idea of ​​the bell concert – this is in my practice it doesn’t happen often”, L. Palacios was happy, who will lead the largest, even twelve, team of volunteer bell ringers of the Cathedral bell tower. The maestro chose to ring the belfry of All Saints Church.

L. Barber’s mission in Vilnius is to revive forgotten bells

“Vilnius is full of differences, contains contradictions that are seemingly incompatible – a very atypical city, an exceptionally baroque city, a very special city characterized by the desire to live life, and where there is life, there is always death nearby. And this opposition was clearly revealed in the baroque churches, whose bells are forgotten and abandoned”, shares the Maestro, when asked what makes Vilnius a unique city.

L.Barberis says that this uniqueness of Vilnius initially turned out to be a big challenge: how to create harmony from such differences, how to combine religions with different approaches to ringing bells? In the first days it seemed to be quite a problem, because the forgotten Catholic bells are not ready to ring, it is very difficult to play them, and in some cases it is impossible… But the Maestro is smiling, his eyes are shining.

And after a minute of silence, he adds: “Montserrat and I are just two people who pass on our knowledge, you, the people of Vilnius, will perform the whole concert.” After the concert we will go back to Spain and you will stay in your city with knowledge and experience. This is the essence – we teach you to get to know your bells, not only to revive them, forgotten, for one concert, but to change your attitude towards this musical instrument and its sound.”

Tips on how to get the most out of a bell concert

A concert of city bells requires inner concentration so that the listener can not only hear, but also experience the sound. It is important to break away from the daily routine, to take a walk with sound in order to experience a listening experience that has never been heard before, to remember the history of our city and rediscover it – it is not by chance that L.Barber creates his compositions for a specific city and its people, because he understands sound as a powerful tool for social transformation.

In each city, due to its landscape, architecture, arrangement of churches and other nuances, the sound of the bells reaches the listener differently, so L.Barberis and M.Palacios advise how to best experience this concert:

WALK through the streets of the old town where you will be captivated by the unique sound emanating from each bell tower;

DO NOT STOP too close to churches, because you will no longer hear how the multitude of bells from different belfries merge into one musical composition;

LOOK for open spaces, stop at intersections where the sound from different belfries merges, but don’t stop in one place – catch the sounds;

DO NOT expect to hear familiar melodies or rhythms, but pay attention to the sound and create an inner space of peace.

The organizer of the event is “Gera muzika gvivai”, the only one in the Baltic States that regularly organizes world music concerts, having organized more than 450 events in various cities of the country during its 16 years of operation. More information is available here.

“GM Gyvai” thanks Vilnius Archdiocese, Lithuanian Orthodox Archdiocese and Evangelical Lutheran Parish in Vilnius, volunteer musicians and a large group of friends who contributed to the preparation of this exceptional bell concert for their cooperation.

The concert is part of the Vilnius 700th anniversary program. Learn more here.

The concert is partially financed by the LRV Office The concert is financed by the Lithuanian Cultural Council Information partner “LRT Plus” | Patron “EIKA” | Sponsor “UPS”