SAULE KILAITE: MUSIC IS A CONSTANT CHANGE

Saule Kilaite is a famous violinist, she collaborated with many Italian and international artists. She strongly believes in the power of music and in the magic of art in all its forms.

HI SAULE, HOW DID YOUR LOVE FOR MUSIC AND FOR A CLASSICAL INSTRUMENT LIKE THE VIOLIN BEGIN? HOW DID YOU CULTIVATE THIS PASSION OVER TIME?

I think I was born a violinist. When I was about four years old, I was lucky enough to listen to Antonio Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" for the first time and from that day on, I was struck by both the violin and the magical world of music.

From that moment on I insisted every single day asking my mom (as only a child can do) to let me play this instrument. At first, adults thought it was a passing passion but I spent hours and days playing an imaginary violin, so much that I finally made it and managed to get a chance.

I actually started studying at the age of five and I was very excited. But it's normal that as teenagers we start having other priorities and as adults we often find ourselves failed musicians, pilots or footballers. It also happened to me to feel a bit lost in my teenage years, so much that I thought about giving up studying music to become a lawyer or... a journalist. ☺ The things that made me decide not to change my direction were my mom's support and trust. She was the one who gave me the right push and enthusiasm to continue and finish what I had started, because she intuitively knew that this would be the right way for me.

HAVE YOUR LITHUANIAN ORIGINS AND THE FACT THAT YOU TRAVEL A LOT BECAUSE OF YOUR WORK INFLUENCED YOUR WAY OF MAKING MUSIC?

Definitely traveling broadens horizons in every way. For any person with a little bit of sensitivity and care, a trip is enriching and when you come back you usually put into practice what you left in your heart, eyes and soul. Everyone does it in their own way, artists put it into their work. My origins contributed to create my current style, but it was a mix of experiences and encounters and the infinite Italian culture that led me to make the music I make now.

WHEN REVISITING MUSIC BY CLASSICAL COMPOSERS, WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO ADD ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR STYLE?

I actually let myself be guided by the intuition of the moment, I try not to have any rules. It happens that I hear modern arrangements that go perfectly with classical melodies and vice versa and I write them down without thinking twice. Many times, I hear them again and throw it all away, other times I wake up my collaborator in the middle of the night and we go down to the studio to work on the idea because I have to hear it right away :) I discovered I had a recognizable style after listening to myself on CDs and because others pointed it out to me.

The musical bases and the "modern" sounds that I add to classic music give me the opportunity to express a common language with a wider audience. Nothing to do with a commercialization of art, as someone might sometimes think, quite the contrary. It is my own creative research that comes out of the conservative mentality of those who consider art and classical music a dogma. For me, music is a constant change and I find nothing wrong in making it closer to the language of our times.

YOUR ARTISTIC PROJECT VIOLIN PERFORMANCE IS BASED ON THE UNION OF THE FIVE ARTS: MUSIC, DANCE, PAINTING/VIDEO ART, LITERATURE AND THEATER. WHAT IS THE MEETING POINT OF THESE WORLDS AND HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO PUT THEM TOGETHER IN ONE ELEMENT?

I’d like to answer this question with my personal interpretation of Pablo Picasso's famous phrase: "Music is stronger than me. It makes me do what it wants". During the creation of the first album, we found out that we liked the songs, but they were distant from each other, in terms of time, genre and sound. How to connect and put them into one show? At that moment I came up with the idea of a common thread that would take the audience on a "journey" through music, imagination and personal feelings, connecting in a fluid way different musical styles without any particular temporal pattern.

THE MUSICAL SHOW ANDANDO, VIVENDO WAS A GREAT SUCCESS. HOW DID THIS INNOVATIVE MULTIMEDIA PROJECT COME TO LIFE?

“Andando, Vivendo” was born from the initial idea of combining music with all other forms of art.

It took a long time and a continuous flow of extremely creative energies.

I learned to express myself on stage using every part of me, starting with the movements as if I were "writing" with my whole body what I am playing. Using words that come to me spontaneously before each piece and amplifying the communication with my audience.

In the first shows I realized that I needed an idea that would increase the emotion and tell a story at the same time. For this reason, I expressed my desire to a French set designer, painter and director of artistic videos and I brought this feeling into the show.

I began to shoot unpublished scenes in order to elaborate them into video scenography synchronized with what I was doing on stage.

The title sounded perfect to us because a two-word description expressed with a gerund immediately conveys a sense of movement and contemporaneity. It all represents the summary of our personal life, always in movement, both physical and in terms of the planning stage, a continuous "going" while life flows alongside us. It's a sort of slogan that has an intrinsic philosophical aspect and leaves everyone free to imagine their own personal vision.

YOU ARE ALSO A STAGE DIRECTOR AND A NOVELIST, SO WHAT ARE THE GENRES ON WHICH YOU CREATE YOUR PROJECTS?

I don't have a specific genre, I write what I feel. I have the good fortune/misfortune to not having to answer to an editor or have market obligations. This leaves me totally free to create anything. From a description of reality to esotericism, science fiction to neorealism. My first novel "Diary of a Violin" came to life in an almost magical way and was practically "dictated" to me by the violin itself as if it had used me as a "channel". I don't know if I can believe it myself, but when I reread it, I realize that it could only have happened that way. Projects and realizations take shape and come to realization through me without me doing anything but letting them "happen". The graphic novel “Saule - La Quinta Stagione” also took shape in this way.

BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC, THIS HAS BEEN A VERY COMPLICATED TIME FOR THE WORLD OF MUSIC AND ART IN GENERAL, WHAT HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED AS AN ARTIST? WHAT ARE THE DIFFICULTIES (THAT MAYBE NOT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS) THAT ARTISTS FOR EXAMPLE HAD TO FACE?

This historical period has really upset every plan and every project for every category and every person, regardless of the job they might have had. I think everyone can understand precisely because of the suffering that is common in every field. To avoid saying platitudes or playing the victim complaining that the world of music has been more penalized than others, I would prefer to leave the subject out. Of course, I have been two years without the possibility of performing in public and consequently supporting myself with my only job... but I can say that I have taken advantage to create new forms of communication.

On my Facebook page I started to do some live broadcasts that have been very appreciated and still I have created a "community" that follows me and that increases every time I connect. Many people have confessed to me that I have "relieved" them of this enormous burden that created depression and discouragement... Music is a "caress for the soul" as I always say. For those who have followed me, I have been like an aspirin for certain anxious evenings :)

Many still don't follow me even if they would like to because it is difficult to use these means effectively. Of course, nothing replaces a show in the theater or in the square and I sincerely hope that we will have the possibility to perform live as soon as possible.

WHAT ACHIEVEMENT IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL LIFE YOU PARTICULARLY HOLD DEAR?

I personally think that setting goals in the artistic field is dangerous. We never know where the next project will take us, nor whether it will come to light the way we thought it would. What I particularly hold dear is to keep using my heart and soul to guide my next steps, without caring too much about reaching a "goal". The real goal is to be able to continue to live on my passion and to be able to make a living with music, which is increasingly difficult but fills me with energy and optimism.

ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON ANY PROJECTS FOR THE FUTURE?

This year we will celebrate our 20th year of concert activity and we have named it: "20 years of success". Just in these days of January I have started the recordings of my sixth CD which will be based entirely on unpublished music and will be released in conjunction with a literary publication of a famous Lithuanian writer. I don't want to reveal anything yet, but it will be a very interesting work that will probably be translated into Italian. Maybe we'll talk about it in depth in the next interview if you like.

Follow Saule on

• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/saule.violinist/

• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/0fl5xBISXiHxI38iqbNJZq

• Official Website - www.SAULE.it

SO

For DareClan

Images provided by Saule

Credits to: M. Mandelli

Selena Chinnici