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The idea for everyone to sing their national anthem together was born in 2009. This time, the anthem was first played on the occasion of the millennium of the name Lithuania, when the crew of the yacht Ambersail not only sailed around the world, but also invited 26 Lithuanian communities around the world to commemorate this occasion. Ten years later, the Seimas declared July 6, State Day, not only the day of the coronation of King Mindaugas of Lithuania, but also the Day of the National Anthem.
This year the hymn was played for the 12th time, he was invited to sing on the banks of the Neris River between King Mindaugas and the Žvėrynas Bridge. This solution was chosen to maintain the greatest possible distance between the people gathered and to reduce the risk of coronavirus. However, this time many more questions were not caused by choosing a safe distance, but by the concert participants drenched in the rain.
During the live broadcast, Mantas Jankavičius, Ieva Juozapaitytė, Martynas Kavaliauskas, Neda Malūnavičiūtė, Justinas Lapatinskas, Bjelle, Stanislavas Stavickis-Stanas, Girmantė Vaitkutė, Aistė Smilgevičiūtė and Rokas Radius. The Liepaitės and Ąžuoliukas choirs also sang the National Anthem with everyone.
Sigismund Gedvila / 15min photo / Concert “National anthem around the world”
It was the latter who became the subject of multi-day speeches: the holidays were not overwhelmed by the rain, viewers were really shocked by the general image, the small chorus girls drenched in the sea with cold teeth, and it seemed that no there was the possibility of offering umbrellas or coats.
VIDEO: Surprise in Daukantas Square and the rain that did not scare Vilnius residents – an impressive crowd held on July 6
R.Dubar: everything was prepared
However, the organizer of the initiative “National anthem around the world” Raimundas Daubaras 15 minutes He says the situation was a little different. The Mindaugas Bridge was chosen for the filming of the concert in order to limit the number of people gathered as much as possible, but giving the opportunity to a wider audience to sing the hymn together. That is why it was decided to stream audio on the banks of the Neris River, near the Green, White, Iron Wolf and Žvėrynas bridges.
“Everything focused on filming, that’s why this place was chosen. As this year is truly exceptional, we decided to follow that concept ”, explains R. Daubaras.
Sigismund Gedvila / 15min photo / Concert “National anthem around the world”
It was the choice of the place that determined the construction of the stage itself. According to the organizer of the event, if it were decided to install a roof, such construction, given the weather conditions, could have caused even more danger. As R. Daubar says, any rain protection reinforcement could act as a sail that could not withstand such a strong wind.
The organizer of the initiative emphasizes that they were aware of the weather conditions. The fact that Vilnius will be washed in the rain on the night of July 6 was made clear a few days ago, and according to R. Daubaras, they were ready for that.
“We had umbrellas and coats, and the participation of Ąžuoliukas without rain protection was completely spontaneous. We were ready for the capes, the girls dressed them and the boys wanted to act like that,” recalls R. Daubaras.
The discussion and dissatisfaction that followed the concert really surprised the authors of the initiative. As he says, immediately after the event, he was approached by the mother of one of the Ąžuoliukas singers, who thanked him for the experience and assured him that his son felt great. And, as R. Daubar emphasizes, the ecstasy of the choir members is perfectly understandable, as the entire crowd sang the hymn together, they cared less about the rain.
I myself was next to President Valdas Adamkus, the guards wanted to keep an umbrella over his head, he turned around and said it was not necessary.
“There was such a strong warmth to that unit that the rain was really irrelevant. It is not a concert that you are listening and thinking about what to do now, whether it is running or not. It is a sense of human unity, of concentration, the rain was certainly not the main concern of the people.
I myself was next to President Valdas Adamkus, the guards wanted to keep an umbrella over his head, he turned around and said it was not necessary. After all, it seems that a person is older and there is definitely a higher risk of catching a cold, but at the time it was not important, “recalls R. Daubaras.
Sigismund Gedvila / 15min photo / Valdas Adamkus
Organizers say there is no need to throw flames at the crowd as well. According to him, it was indicated that access to the King Mindaugas Bridge would be restricted in accordance with the rules for the safe gathering of people. The area around the main concert venue was fenced off, and anyone who wanted to hear the concert was encouraged not to be afraid to meet on other bridges in the capital.
VIDEO: “National anthem” around the world: how did the tradition that unites Lithuanians come about and why is it important today?
However, the people left behind the fence did not comply with the security requirements, but, according to the organizer, they are not responsible for such human responsibility. According to R. Daubaras, special areas with disinfectant liquid were installed in the fenced area, and security guards were in charge of keeping people at a safe distance.
“We met all the requirements and fenced areas where more than a thousand people could not enter. We have hired twice as many security guards because we knew that we had to take care of the distance in a very responsible way ”, says the organizer of the initiative.
Concert moments – in the gallery:
Showgirls Ąžuoliukas: we have already entered the stage
The “Ąžuoliukas” choir also spoke about the uproar on Wednesday night. They shared their impressions on Facebook, assuring them that excitement and joy redeemed all the evidence.
“It is difficult to understand when you have not sung in a choir. We have been the most discussed choir since last night. What you don’t know yet: yesterday we sang the national anthem on the King Mindaugas Bridge. It was our first show after the quarantine and it was incredibly Fun to be together again. However, because it was raining a lot, we all got wet on stage.
Transmission frame of LRT / Gitanas Nausėda during the solemn event
In fact, this is definitely not the first time in our history that we have sung to the last seam. And although it was cold, unity with Lithuanians around the world felt stronger than ever.
Here are some things we want you to know:
1. For security reasons, the scene was planned without a roof from the beginning, as the depth of the scene was very small and you still could not have protected it from heavy rain with the wind. We discussed the rain with the event organizers and still decided to sing.
2. Perhaps it was necessary to give raincoats to the choristers? Perhaps. But the scene is the scene. And it is sacred to us. There is a certain dress code on it. So we didn’t think it would be fun to see oak trees in plastic layers on the occasion of State Day singing the national anthem to Lithuanians around the world from the most important stage in the country.
3. The safety and health of children is paramount to us. But sometimes it happens Force Majeure circumstances and quick solutions must be found here and now. Although we do our best to anticipate various situations and circumstances, “Ąžuoliukas” has had to sing repeatedly under conditions that changed just before the performance. The ability to sing when circumstances change dramatically and make our choir good, ”the Ąžuoliukas choir shared the comment.
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