Guests | Concert: The Tale of Magelone for Adults

The love story of beautiful Magelone and Count Peter of Provence

Performers:
GIEDRIUS PRUNSKUS (baritone)
JONĖ PUNYTĖ-SVIGARIENĖ (piano)
VYTAUTAS RUMŠAS the Elder (narrator)

Puppet-theatre animation by BARBARA STEINITZ (Germany)

This concert is an original presentation of one of the most mature and distinctive vocal cycles in the history of the Lied genre. In it, the songs intertwine with a tale that recounts the love story of Count Peter of Provence and the beautiful Princess Magelone of Naples.

Listeners will hear Johannes Brahms’s rarely performed in Lithuania, fifteen-song vocal cycle “Magelone,” Op. 33, based on poems by the eighteenth-century German writer Ludwig Tieck. Tieck’s tale, in turn, is an adaptation of a fifteenth-century chivalric romance by an unknown French author.

During the concert, the text of the medieval chivalric tale is read aloud, naturally explaining the cycle’s progression and creating a romantic atmosphere filled with symbols characteristic of the period. As the lyrical protagonist reaches particular emotional states, the reading gives way to J. Brahms’s songs, further highlighting the rapidly changing range of feelings throughout the cycle.

The tale tells of the love between Count Peter of Provence and the beautiful Princess Magelone of Naples: the birth and blossoming of love, the pain of separation, moments of going astray, lost hopes, and a reunion that illuminates everything.

The tale is read in Lithuanian, and the songs are performed in German. Slides displayed during the songs provide illustrated Lithuanian translations of the lyrics in synchrony with the music. The tale is accompanied by filmed paper-puppet-theatre animation created by German artist Barbara Steinitz.

The performers of this vocal cycle are well-known Lithuanian musicians. They both studied the subtleties of the Lied genre in its homeland, Germany. Pianist and Doctor of Arts Jonė Punytė-Svigarienė studied the art song in Stuttgart, while baritone and Master of Arts Giedrius Prunskus studied in Leipzig. Their nearly two-decade artistic partnership has been marked by notable Lied projects, including “Woman, Music and Nietzsche” and “Under the Star of David.”

The tale is narrated by actor Vytautas Rumšas the Elder, widely known to the Lithuanian public. His roles in theatre, film and television series speak for themselves. His exceptionally expressive, theatrical voice is immediately recognisable.

Berlin-based illustrator B. Steinitz studied communication design and illustration in Saarbrücken and Barcelona. Inspired by puppet theatre, she creates short pieces with live music in collaboration with various performers; these have received international recognition. Her illustrated books, published by well-known publishing houses, have won numerous awards.

The paper-puppet-theatre scenes for the vocal cycle “Magelone,” featuring tenor Ralph Peter and pianist Thomas Layes, were first presented at the 2019 Saarbrücker Sommermusik festival. In Lithuania, the project was presented at Paliesius Manor in September 2025 and at the Birštonas Kurhaus in June 2026. This time, it will reach audiences in Panevėžys.