2021

CONCERT FOR P. BINGELI: BOTH THE CHOIRISTS AND THE AUDIENCE CRIED
2021.06.07

The Kaunas State Choir, which was founded and led by P. Bingelis for 51 years, publicly took to the stage on Saturday after a seven-month break. The concert at the Kaunas State Philharmonic - a dedication to P. Bingel - was the first performance of the choir after the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, which took the life of the famous choirmaster in December, - writes journalist V. Milkova in "Kaunas diena".
"There is excitement before every concert, but today it is completely different. We are afraid of this concert. It is emotionally difficult - the performed works touch the deep corners of the heart. During the rehearsals, I couldn't hold back my tears, and I probably won't be able to during the concert, either," chorus singer Edita Karpičienė shared her fears before going on stage. During the concert, tears were shed not only by the audience, but also by some choristers. However, they insisted that the voices did not quiver because of it. "Our choristers' professionalism won. After all, how do you sing if you have a lump stuck in your throat? We all pulled together and did the best we could. What happened on stage was not exactly a concert - it was like a prayer for all of us. The maestro's spirit is still with us, that was the emotion - it was a concert for him and together with him," Mindaugas Radzevičius, leader of the choir's bass group, said without hiding his excitement after the concert.