Historical memory: the archives of Rimas Geniušas

Publikacijoje pateikiamas neskelbtas lietuvių dirigento Rimo Geniušo (1920–2012) archyvo rašytinių dokumentų sąrašas su komentarais. Jis aprėpia laikotarpį nuo XX a. 4-ojo dešimtmečio iki paskutinių autoriaus gyvenimo dienų. Geniušo archyvą sąlygiškai būtų galima skirstyti į tris stambias grupes: 1) asmenybės tobulinimui, mąstymo analizei skirti dienoraščio sąsiuviniai, 2) įvykius fiksuojantys kronikos pobūdžio sąsiuviniai ir 3) visuomeninio gyvenimo atspindžiai. Pirmosios grupės dokumentai įvairiapusiškai ir išsamiai liudija Geniušo asmenybės interesus, dvasinio gyvenimo intensyvumą, o antrosios grupės užrašų turinys daugiausia skirtas asmeninės profesinės veiklos stebėsenai ir vertinimui bei muzikinio gyvenimo realijų ir aktualijų dokumentavimui.In Lithuanian historical memory, Rimas Geniušas (1920– 2012) is primarily associated with the activities of a performer and opera, operetta and symphony conductor. His debut as a conductor took place in 1945 in Kaunas, at the then Lithuanian State Opera and Ballet Theater. Geniušas worked as an opera conductor until 1996, holding the position of the chief conductor of the theater in 1958–1975 and in 1991–1994. Another no less important sphere of his activities was teaching at the Lithuanian State Conservatory , later the Music and Theater Academy, from 1949 to 1999. Nevertheless, the first musical diploma obtained by Geniušas was that of a pianist; he gave concerts in the 1930s–early 1940s; at the same time he began to work as an accompanist for opera, ballet and operetta companies. It was as early as in the 1930s that Geniušas started his activities of a musical writer as well; even though the number of his articles was not particularly great, he proceeded to write for the press until 2010. Throughout and after his conducting and teaching career, Geniušas was an active participant of radio and TV programmes as well as other public events dealing with historical issues of musical theater. He felt a constant need to write, document, edit, comment, evaluate, analyze, which was most intensively implemented in personal notes, numerous essays, diaries and in a relatively small number of letters, occasionally written to colleagues in a merely telegraphic style. The least familiar part of Geniušas’ musical activities is his extensive and diverse written heritage, accumulated throughout the whole period of his conducting career and nurtured till the end of the life, which makes up the majority of Geniušas’ personal archives. This heritage consists of not only documents typical of personal archives such as letters, diaries, manuscripts, lectures, radio and TV materials, but also of particular documents distinguishing this author among others. The heritage could be relatively divided into three large groups: 1) diaries intended for personal development and analytical thinking, 2) records of current events and 3) reflections on social life. Whereas the former documents provide substantial evidence of Geniušas’ personal interests and the intensity of his spiritual life, the latter are mostly related to observation and evaluation of his personal professional activities as well as documentation of the realities of musical life