What you are holding is an audio document imprinted with the memory of the Jewish ghetto, which operated in Vilnius between 1941 and 1943. The Filler is an auditory experience for small groups of people, inviting them to travel through the territory of the former ghetto guided by sound. The sonic map of the journey consists of musical compositions written for each space visited, and the trajectories of movement are defined by four voices of Holocaus survivors who left their native Vilnius for Israel after WWII. Conversations with Baruch Shub, Frida Sohat, Sore Voloshin and Joshua Zak were recorded in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa in May 2019.
The interviews, as an artefact of memory, form the main axis of the work and the starting point for musical interpretations of the former ghetto’s streets, courtyards, staircases, apartments, halls, and other spaces. You can experience The Filler not only by listening: the publication includes the libretto in Lithuanian, English, Hebrew and Russian, offering a deeper look into the dramaturgy of the work, which was awarded the Golden Stage Cross in 2019. Furthermore, the audio material is presented along with a photo essay by the renowed Lithuanian humanist photographer Artūras Morozovas. Thus, yet another – visual – layer complements the work, inviting you to wander through the spaces of The Filler by turning the pages of the publication together with the music.
The audience will come and they will get headphones.
And then they will walk in different places.
And they will stop. They will hear voice.
And the voice will tell.
(From The Filler)
Creative team: playwright Rimantas Ribačiauskas, director Mantas Jančiauskas, composers Jūra Elena Šedytė and Andrius Šiurys
The work includes audio recordings from interviews with Frida Sohat, Joshua Zak, Sore Voloshin, Baruch Shub.
Performers featured in the audio recordings:
Vocal ensemble Melos: Justina Leinartaitė (soprano), Gabrielė Bilevičiūtė (soprano), Karolina Macytė (soprano), Ieva Parnarauskaitė (soprano), Jūra Elena Šedytė (alto), Dainora Aleksaitė (alto), Gabija Adamonytė (alto), Milda Adamonytė (alto)
Sound director: Vytautas Bedalis
Children’s Vocal Ensemble: Patricia Dahl, Urtė Kretkovskytė, Ignas Masevičius, Kasparas Skuja
Choirmaster: Skaistė Garbašauskienė
Lora Kmieliauskaitė (violin)
Kazimieras Jušinskas (saxophone)
Remote player programmer Robertas Dumpis
Photo essay by Artūras Morozovas
Mastering by Arūnas Zujus
Design by Jurgis Griškevičius
Author of the cover text: Rimantas Ribačiauskas
Copy editor of the Lithuanian cover text: Rima Jūraitė
Translator of the cover text: Alexandra Bondarev
Translators of the libretto texts: Rimantas Ribačiauskas, Ana Ablamonova, Olga Lempert, Darius Ross, Vsevolod Chernozub
Producer: Operomanija
Main partner: Jewish Culture and Information Centre
Sponsors: Lithuanian Council for Culture, Vilnius City Municipality
UPC 4772220015855
© Rimantas Ribačiauskas, Mantas Jančiauskas, Jūra Elena Šedytė, Andrius Šiurys, Operomanija, 2019
℗ Operomanija, 2023
Duration: 49′27″
Price: 33,00 €
Media: LP (180 g, black) ir catalogue with libretto in Lithuanian, English, Russian, Hebrew and photo essay (44 pages)
Year of publication: 2023
Operomanija OP-006