Concert programme
Jean Sibelius. Finlandia Symphonic Poem
Sergei Rachmaninoff. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 43
Béla Bartók. Concerto for Orchestra
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A nominee of the prestigious Grammy Awards, Andrius Žlabys is one of the most talented and internationally acclaimed Lithuanian pianists of today. He has received many accolades worldwide for his performances of "easy virtuosity", "generous and all encompassing" sound, "spell-binding interpretation" and his "wealth of musical perception". Žlabys studied the art of piano performance at the Curtis Institute of Music, USA, and was heralded by the New York Sun in a review titled "A Shining Hope of Pianists". The artist has appeared with many of the world's leading orchestras, including The New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Rotterdam Symphony, Philharmonic Orchestra of Buenos Aires and others.
Tonight Andrius Žlabys partnered by the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra will perform a brilliant, deeply emotional and impressively virtuosic concertante work by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943) – The Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini for piano and orchestra. The life of the renowned violinist and composer Niccolò Paganini (1782–1840) was shrouded in legend about his preternatural abilities, his soul sold to the devil and about other real and imaginary things. Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is a reflection of these stories.
The concert will also feature the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius' (1865–1957) symphonic poem Finlandia, whose main theme became Finland's unofficial national anthem, and the Hungarian composer Béla Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra, which was a huge success right upon its premiere in 1943.
Tonight the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra will appear under the baton of the Dutch conductor Jurjen Hempel. A prize-winner of the International Sibelius Conducting Competition, Maestro Hempel receives invitations to conduct in the world's major venues including The Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Mariinsky Opera Theatre in St. Petersburg and elsewhere.