35 years since 'Hiperbolė's' daring comeback: What happened later hit the pocket

The story of the legendary Lithuanian rock band 'Hiperbolė' is intrinsically linked to the life and passion of its co-founder, Viktoras Prapras. While Prapras now shares his life with a significant companion, his enduring love affair has always been with music, a passion that ignited during his school years and paved the way for the band's formation.

Despite his parents' initial disapproval of his musical pursuits, Prapras enrolled in the Vilnius Civil Engineering Institute. However, music remained an inseparable part of his student life, ultimately leading to the birth of 'Hiperbolė.' His early musical endeavors included forming a band in eighth or ninth grade and performing at dances.

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I had to climb drainpipes just to get there.

Prapras's journey into music was marked by a pivotal moment when he climbed a drainpipe to attend a concert of 'Jesus Christ Superstar.' This experience solidified his belief that one could pursue music alongside engineering studies. In 1974, he joined VISI and, with Ričardas Bartkevičius, formed a group that initially played at faculty parties, marking a new phase in his musical path.

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We were young, we were not afraid of anything, and we even played foreign songs.

The band gained a regular performance slot at VISI dances in 1975, filling a void left by the popular group 'Antanėliai,' whose musical 'Jesus Christ Superstar' had been deemed ideologically unacceptable by Soviet authorities. This situation allowed Prapras's group to flourish, performing both foreign and original compositions. Prapras eventually led the band, but faced restrictions on playing "American" music, a common challenge during the Soviet era.

In 1977, Prapras's group, by then known as 'Hiperbolė,' achieved significant recognition by winning the Grand Prix at an international festival in Armenia. This festival also saw the band performing their own songs. The year 1978 proved even more crucial as the musicians began seriously composing their own music. However, creative freedom was limited; lyrics required official approval, and their publication had to demonstrate compliance with Soviet control systems, illustrating the complex environment in which the band created their art.

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The authorities at the time only allowed us to create music. Creative freedom was limited in the Soviet era: it was not enough to just write the music, the lyrics had to be officially approved, and often printed in a way that showed the texts had gone through the entire control system.