Sounds from Lithuania by the choir Exicon.
By Roy Lie Atjam.
The Hague, 13 February 2019, the Lithuanian style concert was followed by a reception. The occasion, celebrating Lithuania’s “Restoration-Statehood “(February 1918) The Lutheran church in The Hague served as a backdrop for the festivities.The event was attended by Ambassadors from the Philippines, Thailand, South Korea, Belarus, Kuwait just to mention some, as well as by the diaspora from the Baltic states and others.
After an impressive life rendition of the Lithuanian- and Dutch national anthem by organist Liga Vilmane, H.E.Vidmantas Purlys delivered his welcome address.
My wife Dita and I would like to warmly welcome you to the celebration of the day of Restoration of Lithuania’s Statehood. On 16 February 1918, twenty political leaders of the national independence movement, who formed The Council of Lithuania, signed the Act of Independence of Lithuania, which proclaimed the restoration of the State.
The Council of Lithuania decided to address other states with the following: The Council, as the sole representative of the Lithuanian nation, based on the recognized right to national self-determination, proclaimed the restoration of the independent state of Lithuania and declared the termination of all state ties, which formerly bound this State to other nations. The Council also declared that the foundation of the Lithuanian State and its relations with other countries would be finally determined by the Constituent Assembly, elected democratically by all its inhabitants.
By this act,
The declaration of 16 February also was a crucial source inspiration to Lithuanian society and Lithuanians throughout the world during difficult years of the Soviet occupation of 1940-1990. It inspired to strive for freedom, resist imposed outside rule, fight injustice and abuse of human rights.
It also encouraged military leaders of the Union of Lithuanian Freedom Fighters 70 years ago, who – on 16 February 1949 – declared that they assumed responsibility to lead the restoration of independent democratic state of Lithuania, where equal rights for all citizens should be guaranteed. We call this document “the Declaration of Partisans”. These man and women of strong conviction continued to fight in desperate, often impossible circumstances.
We restored our independence in 1990. Lithuania is free democratic state as was foreseen on 16 February 1918 and 1949. We created resilient democratic society, where rule of law and human rights are cornerstones of our constitution. We developed strong, dynamic, open and innovative economy. We enjoy good relations with many countries around the world and are proud member of EU, NATO and other international organizations.
In this context, I would like to acknowledge excellent relations between Lithuanian and the Netherlands, based on the shared values. We are close NATO allies. Dutch military contingent is deployed in Lithuanian as part of NATO enhanced Forward Presence, which creates a special bond. We are good like-minded partners in the EU. We are happy about the increasing number of Dutch tourists. In addition, we welcome increasing Dutch investment, especially in information and communication technology and other high value-added sectors. Of course, there is a lot of potential for the future co-operation. I am confident that the landmark state visit of His Majesty King Willem Alexander last June in Lithuania created additional impetus for co-operation in fields of energy, innovation and technology.
Mr Steffen Posthuma from “Exicon” informed the audience about the sequence of the concert. The vocal ensemble Exicon was founded in 1984 with the objective of practicing choral singing as a collective, without a conductor, at the highest possible level. The choir consists of 16 singers. The musical background of the members is very diverse. As a result, everyone has their own expert input .
Exicon new CD A Baltic Hike, consist of inspiring choral sounds from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The choral performed the following pieces:
Vytauta Miskinis, Faustas Latenas, organ and other pieces.
Members of the choral perceived the concert as special. It took place on the invitation of the embassy of Lithuania
Photography by the Embassy of Lithuania in The Hague.
