Opening of the festival “World Piano Stars Salute M. K. Čiurlionis”

Performers:
DMITRI LEVKOVICH (piano; Ukraine, Canada)
GEORGE LI (piano, USA)

Programme:
FRYDERYK CHOPIN –
Barcarolle in F sharp major, Op. 60
Etude No. 4 in C sharp minor, Op. 10
Etude No. 3 in E major, Op. 10, Tristesse
Etude No. 5 in G flat major, Op. 10
MIKALOJUS KONSTANTINAS ČIURLIONIS –
Prelude in D minor No. 3, Op. 16, VL 256
Theme and six variations on Sefaa esec theme, Op. 15, VL 258
Piece for piano No. 3, Op. 19, Lakštingala (Nightingale), VL 268
Prelude in B flat minor, VL 252
Prelude in D major, VL 272
Fugue, VL 337
Prelude Op. 26 No. 4, VL 311
Prelude Prisiminimas (Remembrance), VL 299
FRYDERYK CHOPIN –
Scherzo No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 31
       Performed by DMITRI LEVKOVICH

MIKALOJUS KONSTANTINAS ČIURLIONIS –
Sonata in F major, VL 155
FRYDERYK CHOPIN –
Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58
       Performed by GEORGE LI

Since 2020, Tytuvėnai Festival, the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society and M. K. Čiurlionis House in Vilnius have been organising concerts to mark the birthday of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (1875–1911). This creates a tradition of commemorating the unique Lithuanian composer and artist with performances of famous Lithuanian and foreign pianists. By including Čiurlionis’ works in their repertoire, foreign performers  celebrate our country’s culture and, of course, the great composer.

This September, on the 150th birth anniversary of M. K. Čiurlionis, music connoisseurs are invited to one of the largest piano music festivals in the Baltic States. Each evening of the festival M.K. Čiurlionis will be saluted by two world-renowned virtuoso pianists.

The first half of the opening concert will feature Dmitri Levkovich, a pianist of Ukrainian origin living in Canada, who is already well known to the Lithuanian music lovers. After the interval, the audience will be introduced to one of the most prominent pianists of his generation, George Li (USA), who will be performing in Lithuania for the first time.

Levkovich, who has a vocation not only as a pianist but also as a composer, studied piano with the legendary Armenian pianist Sergei Babayan and composition at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, USA. The pianist has performed more than 30 piano concertos in the world’s most famous concert halls and has collaborated with the world’s leading orchestras. The first CD of the winner of numerous international competitions was nominated for the International Classical Music Award (ICMA).

“Li’s performance left no doubt that he combines staggering technical prowess, a sense of command and depth of expression” (Washington Post), “a bracing, fearless account… Mr. Li’s playing combined youthful abandon with utter command” (New York Times) – this is how US music critics describe George Li’s playing. With grace and elegance, virtuosity of the highest order and a depth of interpretation far beyond his years, the recipient of the silver medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition has become one of the world’s most coveted pianists. His performances with the world’s leading orchestras under eminent baton masters have been a hit with audiences.

Concert organisers: the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society, PI Tytuvėnai Festival, M. K. Čiurlionis House

The concert is partly funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and Vilnius City Municipality