The Journey to Tilsit
An opera in 2 acts, sung in Lithuanian
Libretto by Eduardas Balsys after the eponymous short story by Hermann Sudermann from the collection or stories Litauische Geschichte
The classic love triangle and an unexpectedly tragic outcome of one family’s story taken from the collection of short stories originally titled as Litauische Geschichte by German author Hermann Sudermann, who was born near Heydekrug (now Šilutė) in the Klaipėda region of East Prussia, has become basis for one of the most dramatic and amazing journeys both in Lithuanian literature and in the history of Lithuanian opera. The only opera by Eduardas Balsys, written after one of Sudermann’s short stories in 1980, tells about the life of beautiful and hard-working family of Ansas, Indrė and their three children living in a fishermen’s village. The family idyll is shattered by the appearance of a hired girl, named Busze, who infatuates Ansas with her hot temper and coaxes him into drowning his wife while on their journey up the Nemunas River to Tilsit. Busze’s plan is destined to fail, because on the journey, Ansas wakes up to the fact that the most beautiful and charming woman he has ever met is his meek wife, but their happiness will be nonetheless drowned by uncontrollable elements… Thus, the opera Journey to Tilsit is not about the distances covered or the happiness achieved, but rather about the inner journey of two loving people towards each other, their discoveries and misconducts.
The Klaipėda State Music Theatre’s production brought the opera to new life and completed the series of events dedicated to the centenary of the 20th century Lithuanian music classic Eduardas Balsys (1919–1984), which contributed to the broader promotion of the composer, who grew up in the seaside region. The opera’s score for this production was thoroughly edited by his pupil, the renowned composer Giedrius Kuprevičius.
