For composer Feliksas Bajoras, the music itself, its poetic origin, is more important than the stories created about it. In his opinion, the meaning of a piece of music is attained only by a free, nonpredetermined interpretation, which allows both the performer and the listener to feel the music here and now, each time perceiving it in its own, unique way. “Music is not a set of sounds, not beautiful gestures, it is thoughts that the performer has to present as his own,” is how Bajoras, who celebrated his 90th birthday, describes music.

The oratorio Po šituo stogu (Under This Dome; 2005) is the composer’s dedication to his dear childhood town Anykščiai. The opus features various poems and thoughts by Antanas Baranauskas about nature, the spirit of man, God, the Holy Spirit and the Lithuania that has been there for centuries. The composer pays particular attention to the melody and pronunciation of the text. The text of the oratorio is written in the dialect of the people of Anykščiai – as the composer himself says, “it is as if the poet himself is coming down and speaking to the common people. He spoke clearly, simply and naively, so that common people would understand.”

Performers: the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Vilnius Choir, conductor Modestas Pitrėnas.