Carp(e) Diem

December 6, 2008

From Lithuanian Heritage May/June 2007

I was excited about being invited to a backyard barbeque in Užupis, the neighborhood near the Old Town known as the “Montmartre of Vilnius” because of the many galleries and artists who live there. It’s a funny collection of the new and the old; modern apartments of Scandinavian design sit side by side with quaint wooden houses. Dark archways lead into sunny courtyards laced with clotheslines blowing in the warm spring breeze. The host of the barbeque was the manager of one of Vilnius’ many new gourmet wine shops and he had set out a selection of new wines in the overgrown yard behind his house. My hopes for spicy chicken wings and juicy meat (my idea of a barbeque) were dashed when our host announced he was preparing carp. I was already making a mental list of nearby cafes when he began to slather the bottom-feeder fish with an entire jar of mayonnaise. I resolved to try anything once (except ox tongue and smoked pig’s ears) and stood patiently while the fish began to sizzle over the open fire. Foil pouches of vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes marinated in olive oil, were cooked in the fire, drippings from the fish sneaking in through tiny openings in the pouches, subtly seasoning the vegetables. Though the smell from the grill was growing suspiciously tempting, I still had my doubts. The guests were getting hungry and it seems the fish was taken off the heat just in time as the group of journalists, musicians and young entrepreneurs voraciously attacked the serving platter in an attempt to seize a small piece of the carp. I had to admit, the fish was surprisingly good.

I finally made my first trip to the opera this spring. It was a concert at Kongresų Rūmai (Congress Hall) to celebrate the birthday of one of Lithuania’s greatest opera singers, Irena Milkevičiūtė. The concert was divided in to parts: the first consisting of excerpts from the twelve best Lithuanian operas, the second featuring solos from the operas of Verdi and Puccini. I had never been to the opera before in Lithuania, so I had no idea what to expect of Lithuanian opera. As we took our seats, I noticed several non-traditional instruments waiting near the orchestra chairs. If this concert was an accurate example, I must conclude that Lithuanian opera is very much influenced by the New-Age music one often hears playing in the background in a Discovery Channel store: lots of rain stick, various South American flutes, bells and the occasional crash of a cymbal. It was a long hour and a half. After the intermission, we were pleased to see that the rain sticks had been removed and the harp had been brought center-stage. It was impressive to see that Miss. Miklevičiutė sang nearly all of the selections from Verdi and Puccini without her glasses, suggesting she knew them by heart. It was a lovely performance and the applause of the crowd drew three encores. She is currently singing several roles at the National Opera Theatre; I look forward to hearing her in La Traviata soon.

A mild winter gave way to a cold spring, and snow on Easter Sunday has made for good television weather. The show that everyone is talking about is „Iššūkis žvaigždėms: Lietuvos dainų dešimtukas.“ It features duets by 10 couples, each couple consisting of one famous singer and one amateur. Lidija Rasutis, a Lithuanian-American from Chicago, and Jurgis Bruzga, a rising twenty-something popstar, are attracting the most attention. As opposed to their competitors, their focus has not been on matching outfits and complicated staging, but on choosing songs they will enjoy singing. Lidija told me she wasn’t participating to win, she entered the competition to have fun, and that has been clear every time they sing. There is no cumulative score, but they have been in the top 3 nearly every night for the last nine weeks. Even though sitting through the rest of the show is right on par with having your teeth pulled, it’s worth it just to see Lidija and Jurgis sing. So, it’s been a spring of firsts: first carp barbeque, first trip to the Lithuanian opera, and first time there’s a Lithuanian television show worth watching.

Filed under: Daily Life,Lithuania

Tags: clips, Lithuanian Heritage, spring, Vilnius