Late Julius Juzeliūnas, a professor, Doctor of Humanities, one of the founders of Sąjūdis (the Reform Movement of Lithuania), was a prominent Lithuanian composer of the post-war period. In the 1960s, the composer immersed himself in the search for a modern musical style. According to Prof. Algirdas Ambrazas, a scholar of Juzeliūnas’ life and work, “Juzeliūnas’ main idea, his vision of Lithuanian music was consistently national, based on folk roots, and at the same time modern, using contemporary means of expression.”

Juzeliūnas’ early Symphony No 2 in B minor, composed during his postgraduate studies at the N. Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatoire in Leningrad, projects Lithuanian tenor. The composer wanted to reveal the tendencies of post-war Lithuanian music: emotionality and national spirit. The Symphony is a four-movement cycle, all of which are united by a leitmotif – a symbol of the struggle for freedom. The score contains quotations of original Lithuanian folk melodies, such as Ėsk, karvute (Eat, Cow) (Lento tranquillo) in the second movement, Čibi ribi ožys (Scherzo) in the third movement, as well as intonations characteristic of Lithuanian folk songs.

The Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Martynas Stakionis, a conductor of the younger generation rapidly advancing his career.