The music of Anatolijus Šenderovas, one of the most prominent contemporary Lithuanian composers, stands out for its distinctive creative style. The composer’s very sincere music has been able to reach into the hearts of every listener.

Composed in 2005, “the cycle of seven songs in Hebrew Iš užmirštos knygos (From the Forgotten Book) for voice and chamber orchestra is one of the most striking works in which Šenderovas uses elements of Klezmer music. For this work, the composer has chosen seven melodies from Abraham Bernstein’s collection Muzikalisher Pinkos (Music Chronicle) published in 1927: six Sabbath songs and one Hasidic melody without words, and arranged them according to the principle of contrasting moods and characters. By employing long-lost hymns in this cycle, the composer expanded their semantic field and created a dramaturgically integrated, theatrical and colourful cycle”, wrote Kamilė Rupeikaitė, musicologist and researcher of Šenderovas’ output.

Šenderovas’ expressive opus is performed by tenor Rafailas Karpis, soloist of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, and the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Modestas Pitrėnas.