Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra

The Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra is a chamber orchestra based in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Established in 1960, the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra is a resident in Vilnius’s National Philharmonic Hall. The orchestra generally performs works of Lithuanian composers, and has premiered works by renowned composers such as Alfred Schnittke, Arvo Pärt and Peteris Vasks.

Early on in its life, the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra was the first Lithuanian orchestra to be allowed to tour outside the Soviet Union (of which Lithuania was then a part): in 1966, it gave two concerts in what was then the German Democratic Republic (known in the UK as East Germany). The ensemble made their first successful appearance outside Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe at the Echternach Festival in Luxembourg in 1976. Since then, it has given concerts and appeared at festivals and musical events around the world. Its current chief conductor and artistic director is the renowned violinist Sergei Krylov.

Among the many world celebrated conductors of the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, the legendary Sir Yehudi Menuhin stands out for his special affinity and generosity. From his first rehearsals with the orchestra in Spain in 1992 to his death in 1999, he conducted almost 60 concerts on the orchestra’s annual tours – from Bergen to Cairo.
During the five decades the LCO has not only performed countless programmes in close collaboration with various soloists, conductors and choirs, but also produced over a hundred recordings of diverse repertoire, with special attention to the music of Bach and Mozart. The German tours of 2000 and 2001 with the legendary British actor and reciter, Sir Peter Ustinov, as narrator resulted in the unique and best-selling recording of Ludwig van Beethoven’s ballet music The Creatures of Prometheus.

Fun Fact

The Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra has made a recording of music by the acclaimed UK-based composer Dobrinka Tabakova, who once upon a time worked in the office of the British Music Information Centre – one of Sound and Music’s founding organisations.