CONCERT PROGRAMME
M. K. Čiurlionis. Preludes (arranged for symphony orchestra by Rimantas Giedraitis)
M. Ravel. Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D major
L. van Beethoven. Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 (“Fate Symphony”)
Pianist Lukas Geniušas has established himself as one of the most interesting and original artists of his generation. "Brilliance and maturity, talent of a winner and a deep interpretation", – this is how the pianist's performance in 2016 was summed up the influential British newspaper "The Guardian". Today, the name of L. Geniušas is resounding prominently in the whole world: in 2022, together with opera soloist Asmik Grigorian, the pianist won the prestigious Gramophone Classical Music Award for their joint work, the album of Sergei Rachmaninoff's romances, “Dissonance”. L. Geniušas is regularly invited to perform recitals in the world's most famous concert halls, such as London's Wigmore Hall, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, Paris' Salle Gaveau, Louvre Auditorium, New York's Frick Collection, Washington's Phillips Collection, Genoa Teatro Carlo Felice, Milan's Sala Verdi and others. Tonight, L. Geniušas will perform the French composer Maurice Ravel's (1875-1937) Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D major, which was written especially for the Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his right hand in the First World War.
The second part of the concert will feature one of the most famous classical works in the world – L. van Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. "This is how fate knocks at the door", – L. van Beethoven wrote about the recurring motif in the symphony, which critics also call "the most famous four notes in the history of Western music". Because of these words of the composer, after his death, the symphony received the name "Fate Symphony". E. T. A. Hoffmann, a contemporary of L. van Beethoven, wrote: "This wonderful composition keeps climbing and climbing to the peak, leading the listener to the spiritual world of Infinity. The soul of every listener is touched by the spiritual reality created by this music, where sorrow and joy take the form of music."
On this evening the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by its founder, artistic director and chief conductor, laureate of the National Prize maestro Gintaras Rinkevičius.