Closer to Music

MUSICAL JOURNEYS AROUND THE WORLD WITH EIRIMAS VELIČKA | Jewish music: from liturgical tradition to klezmer and minimalism

2026-04-19,  Sunday — 16:00
  • The last afternoon of the "Musical journeys around the world" cycle is dedicated to Jewish music. The diverse and rich Jewish musical tradition encompasses liturgical and secular music and reflects the enormous historical and cultural diversity of the places where Jews live. A distinction is made between Ashkenazi, Sephardic, and Yemenite musical traditions.

    During the afternoon, we will have the opportunity to hear unique recordings of Yemenite Jewish liturgical music. The remote Yemenite Jewish community has been known since the time of King Solomon. These exotic liturgical songs are still little known to Lithuanian listeners. The evening will continue with the virtuoso clarinet sounds of Gioros Feidman. This is klezmer – a vibrant Ashkenazi secular music tradition that has absorbed the most beautiful melodies of the peoples of Central and Eastern Europe – Slavs, Romanians, Ottoman Turks. It is said that the Jewish clarinet both laughs and cries – Gioros Feidman's clarinet certainly can.

    At the end, we will listen to minimalist composer Steve Reich's work Tehilim (Psalms), in which he masterfully combines the poetic rhythm of David's psalms with the musical expression of postmodern minimalism. The afternoon will not be limited to passive listening to music: anyone who wants to can learn to sing a couple of simple Hasidic melodies!

    The event is hosted by Eirimas Velička.

    ***

    CLOSER TO MUSIC events are not concerts, but rather evenings of encounters with music, led by interesting “companions” – musicologists, musicians, music lovers – who are fans of a particular genre, composer, instrument, performer, or country’s musical culture. They talk about the peculiarities of this music, demonstrate it and select characteristic records for listening. The records are reproduced in high quality from vinyl records or high-resolution digital files, allowing listeners to feel the specific emotional content, appreciate the nuances of the performance, and reveal the depths of this music.

  • Event duration: 120 min.

    Eirimas Velička is a Lithuanian ethnomusicologist, music teacher, and musician. He is a member of the folk rock band Atalyja. He taught a course on Asian music at the Oriental Studies Center of Vilnius University (2003–2014). He has participated in international conferences, authored numerous music textbooks, and published scientific articles on music pedagogy and Indian music. He is a member of the collective of authors of the Music Encyclopedia.

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