The small theater in Vilnius remembers Faustas Latėnas: a faithful friend full of sadness and understanding of the human soul

Rimas Tuminas: Fausto was a friend in life and in secrets

Faustas Latėnas was a good and loyal friend of the director Rimas Tuminas. According to the director, there are very few friends of this type in their lives: “In the end, we lose them and we are alone. Fausto now pushed me to solitude and was a friend for many years. A friend everywhere, in life, in secrets … Faust largely predicted the spirit, the soul, the pain of a person. “

Speaking of the composer, R. Tumin says that he was full of sadness. “His music has always accompanied him requiem – parents he loved very much, a son he lost and with whom he probably never came to terms. His grades were sad, but also bright. Faust was … a leading composer. Not in vain did he speak to me once to teach him how to direct, that he had just returned from Moscow. But he became him, always advising and helping the actors “, recalls R. Tumin.

Although there were also sterile and slight disagreements in life and work, R. Tumin says that he could not work without Faust Latėnas and Adam Jacovskis: “And now I can’t imagine what it will be like. We fall, we go out. It is the end of our generation, but there is nothing tragic about it. Everyone goes out when they need to, when they want or invite those who don’t. “

R. Tumin, currently in clinics in Germany, admits to even embracing a peculiar shame.

“I was here in June, when Gediminas Girdvainis died suddenly in Lithuania. Now I’m here again and that’s what … What a shame, what a shame. As if I were the only one who wanted to escape death, say no here there would be death. There is that death, there is. Only the theater allows us to live in the absence of death. This is the great illusion of the theater “, opens the director.

Larisa Kalpokaitė: Faust had a rare trait

The actress Larisa Kalpokaitė specifically describes the composer F. Latėna: he is a man who did not lie.

“I have known Fausto since the time of the conservatory, although then we only said goodbye. We got to know each other better when the Vilnius Small Theater was being created, when the performances were staged. Faust was everything, but above all a man who did not lie. He did not wrap the words in cotton. Either he didn’t say anything or he told the truth, ”the actress recalls the talented creator.

According to L. Kalpokaitė, a justice like F. Latėnas was a very rare and expensive characteristic.

“I don’t even mean how great he was as a composer, a great theater connoisseur, a wise director. By the way, I remember a funny incident. A long time ago, when we participated in the “Baltijskij dom” festival and played “Smile at us, Lord”, we rehearsed in a huge hall. The room was empty, with only the actors on stage and Faust in the last row. The music he composed sounds and Faustas says with a serious face – what beautiful music I wrote, how good! ”- laughs L. Kalpokaitė, remembering the brilliant moments.

Advised, mocked, felt a brittle pulse

When asked about F. Latėna, the director of the Vilnius Little Theater, Gabrielė Tuminaitė, says that so far it is very difficult to say anything about this loss: Scary, who will create music like this now? Faust was the only one … And not only in Lithuania. Wherever he went, everyone admired his music. And now that? “

According to G. Tuminaitė, the most characteristic feature of F. Latėnas was his sense of humor. “He had a very sharp, very good sense of humor, even though life was tragic. I remember when we did a tour of China, Italy, there were tensions, difficult moments, and Fausto was able to make fun of him! ”Recalls G. Tuminaitė.

Actor Almantas Šinkūnas states: “The melody of“ Smile at us, Lord ”sounded, sounds and will always ring in my heart, the theme of the eternal circle of life and death, which was recognized and written with such precision by Faust. A man who felt the pulse of our fragility and shared it ”.

The theater director Daiva Baltūsytė-Len describes the composer F. Latėna in a concrete and meaningful way, as a wonderful adviser. One who, without unnecessary emotions, understood, advised, inspired peace and trust.

The country’s leaders also sympathize

The President of the Republic of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, expressed his deepest condolences on the sudden and painful loss of the composer Faustus Latėnas.

According to the president, Lithuania bids farewell to a bright and talented person who has significantly contributed to the development of theatrical culture in our country, created the phenomenon of theatrical music, was able to uniquely reveal the theme and depth of performance, turn music into a full participant. “We knew Faustas Latėnas as a man of the theater, but the composer left a brilliant mark not only in the skies of Lithuanian culture, but also in diplomacy, political and social life. He was an active shaper of the cultural field, symbolizing the resurgence of the new independent Lithuanian culture, ”said the president.

Seimas spokesperson Viktoras Pranckietis also expressed his condolences. “Faustas Latėnas not only contributed to the history of modern Lithuanian music with his works, but also did everything possible to create an independent Lithuanian cultural sector and theater culture in it. Its vision and activities will continue to be the standards of quality and well-being for future generations. I express my deepest condolences to the family, colleagues and admirers of his talent of Faustus Latėnas ”, says the President of Parliament.

Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis also expressed his condolences. “I sincerely sympathize with my loved ones, friends, everyone who has been fortunate enough to meet this outstanding personality and see the bright light of talent,” the prime minister said in a message.