9 December 2022, 7pm
Duration: 2 hours
Price: €9,00 - €24,00
Venue: Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania (Katedros Sq. 4, Vilnius)
Violin Justina Auškelytė Rossi
Orchestra Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra
Conductor Ričardas Šumila

Concert Programme

L. van Beethoven. Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61
N. Rimsky-Korsakov. “Capriccio Espagnol”, Op. 34
P. Tchaikovsky. “Capriccio Italien”, Op. 45

***

Justina Auškelytė is a young generation violinist of extraordinary talent and charisma – perhaps not everyone has heard of her yet, but she is a shining name in the sky of Lithuanian music. Few people know that the violinist, who lives in the city of Malmö, Sweden, is a graduate of the prestigious Juilliard School of Music in New York, laureate of many international competitions, and has received several awards from the President of the Republic of Lithuania for her contribution to musical culture. The 30-year-old violinist has performed in such prestigious concert halls as the Lincoln Centre in New York, Musikverein in Vienna, and the National Concert Hall in Dublin. With her long-time stage partner, pianist Cesare Pezzi, the violinist recorded two albums (in 2017 and 2019), released by the prestigious music recording company Naxos Records. Passionate about bringing classical music closer to the listeners, in 2018 J. Auškelytė started the project "Violinist on a Bike", during which she played the violin while riding a bicycle in various unexpected places of Malmö. Tonight, the violinist will perform Ludwig van Beethoven's (1770-1827) Concerto for violin and orchestra in D major. For more than 200 years, this work has been recognized as one of the greatest works ever written for the violin.

The concert program will also feature caprices performed by the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ričardas Šumila. The “Capriccio Espagnol” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844–1908) is a five-movement orchestral suite based on Spanish folk melodies and especially appreciated for its virtuoso orchestration. No less famous is Pyotr Tchaikovsky's (1840-1893) “Capriccio Italien”, inspired by the composer's trip to Rome, where he went to recover from his disastrous marriage to Antonina Miliukova. While still in Rome, P. Tchaikovsky wrote to his friend and patron Nadezhda von Meck: "I have already finished the sketches for the Italian fantasy, and I believe that it will be accompanied by success."

Tonight, the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Ričardas Šumila, the chief conductor of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre. In 2011 R. Šumila completed postgraduate studies in conducting at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (in the class of prof. Gintaras Rinkevičius). He also studied at the University of Music and Visual Arts in Vienna, at the same time improving his skills in various masterclasses. Beginning with 2008 he worked as an assistant chief conductor of the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, and for many years conducted productions of the Vilnius City Opera. In 2014 he won the Golden Cross of the Stage award in the category of Young Artist. Since 2019 R. Šumila has been the chief conductor of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre.