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The Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in the Czech Republic, continuing the series of events commemorating the 150th anniversary of the birth of M. K. Čiurlionis, invites you to celebrate the important dates for us and for the country - the 16th February and the 11th March. We invite you to the evening "Letters to Sophie" on 26 February at 18:00 at the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in the Czech Republic (Pod Klikovkou 1916/2 Prague).

Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis did not only create art and music. For almost the entire ten-year period of his artistic activity, he did not let go of his pen, trying his hand at literature, and more than once, as his letters suggest, he intended to "get down to it", to work seriously and consistently in this field.

Already in his thirties, the painter and composer mentions his "literature". These were not youthful works or works dictated by ambition. Rather, it was the voice of real and imperative creative forces. Čiurlionis's entire written works, and especially his letters, is marked by a vivid word and a capacious image; we see in them the potencies of feeling, image and style that could and should have sought their proper expression in the art of the written word.

Čiurlionis wrote in Polish and did not publish his art of word. It is not unique that the more educated ithuanians had to learn their mother tongue, while Čiurlionis did not have the time to learn it well enough to be able to write such profound and poetic texts. Bedřich Smetana, a classic of Czech music, half of his life spoke German better than Czech and wrote letters in German; Janáček's mother-in-law constantly reproached her daughter for speaking Czech, the "maid's tongue", in their home.

Letters occupy a special place in Čiurlionis' literary legacy. He wrote them to family members and patrons, but Čiurlionis's sensitive inner world is best revealed in his letters to his fiancée, and later wife, Sofija Kymantaitė. When they met, the 32-year-old Čiurlionis was a composer who had graduated from two conservatoires, and a talented, distinctive, famous, though far from recognised, painter who gave lessons and directed a choir. Sofia was 22 at the time. She was a budding writer, working in the editorial office of the newspaper Viltis, and taking part in social activities. Educated as a rare Lithuanian of that time, independent, with a pleasant oval face of a Madonna and big "sea eyes" (as Čiurlionis called them), Sofija Kymantaitė could and did charm more than one person. She chose one - for a few years together and for the rest of her widowed life.

Information based on texts by V. Landsbergis and J. Bruveris

At the evening titled Letters to Sofija on 26 February at the Embassy of Lithuania the excerpts from Čiurlionis' letter will be read by Deividas Batavičius. The young actor has created memorable roles in theatre and cinema, worked with famous directors O. Koršunovas, K. Glušajevas. During his short career, he has played the roles of Romeo, Iago, Banquo and others. In the cinema, the actor has collaborated with directors K. Vildžiūnas, J. Trukans, A. Burkšaitis, and has also appeared in the Netflix series Clark; on television, he can be seen in the LRT series for teenagers and children, Bad Girl, Thoughtsies’ Attic. He is an active participant in performances, literary events and music programmes. He has organised poetry evenings, taken part in the Sirenos theatre festival and various social projects.

Karolina Pancernaitė is a pianist with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, an active chamber music performer and teacher. She started playing at the age of six and graduated from the Juozas Naujalis Music School in Kaunas. At the age of 10 she made her debut as a soloist with the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra and later played for several years with the Kaunas Symphony Orchestra. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and has given solo recitals at various festivals and concert halls throughout Europe. For her musical achievements she has been awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by the President of the Republic of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus.

Paulius Grigonis began his musical career in 1989 at the Kaunas Boys' and Youth's Choir Singing School "Varpelis". In 2004, he graduated from Vilnius University with a Master's degree in Law. In 2006 he started private organ lessons with Dr Vidas Pinkevičius. In 2008 he became a laureate of the 2nd Jonas Žukas Organ Competition. He has participated in various masterclasses for organists and church musicians, and has been organist at Vilnius St. Cross, St. Joseph's, Assumption churches. He has given concerts and organ demonstrations in many Lithuanian cities and is one of the founders of the National Association of Organists.