This year Algirdas Martinaitis, one of the most prominent and influential Lithuanian composers of the late 20th-21st centuries, recipient of the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Art, celebrates his 75th anniversary. The creative field of this exceptionally talented composer encompasses symphonic, chamber and vocal works of various genres, as well as music for theatre productions and films. His music is characterised by lyricism of melodies, meditative and theatrical element.

Martinaitis’ Nebaigtoji simfonija (Unfinished Symphony), composed in 1995, has enjoyed popularity for 30 years. “I am happy that my Nebaigtoji simfonija (Unfinished Symphony) has remained the same, unchanged and still like me after 30 years. It is just as ‘non-smart’, unpretentious, occasionally daring to appear in the concert halls of Vilnius, Tokyo, Nagoya, Vienna’s Musikverein, Berlin’s Konzerthaus, Bydgoszcz (Poland), Ljubljana (Slovenia), and somewhere else… and again in Vilnius”, says Martinaitis.

“Nebaigtoji simfonija (Unfinished Symphony) is akin to a dedication to Franz Schubert, loosely following the two movements of his Eighth (Unfinished) Symphony. Only Martinaitis’ score by is a completed work. “In Nebaigtoji simfonija (Unfinished Symphony), I seem to remember the beginning of the 1970s… It is another work of mine, written ‘from hand’, without preparation, without thematicism, without score, without home, without an orchestra… It was written with a ‘detached’ view of the world, with no point of purpose, without trust, but with love…”, the composer shared his thoughts on the work.

One of Martinaitis’ most successful compositions is performed by the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Robertas Šervenikas.