For Beethoven’s Birthday. Daumantas Kirilauskas

Performers:
DAUMANTAS KIRILAUSKAS (piano)

Programme:
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN – Piano sonatas: No. 30 in E major, Op. 109; No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110; No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111

This Sunday afternoon, Daumantas Kirilauskas, a laureate of international competitions and one of Lithuania’s most prominent pianists, will perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s last three piano sonatas (Nos. 30–32, Op. 109–111). Composed between 1820 and 1822, these sonatas showcase the maturity of the composer’s late creative period and are particularly striking examples of this genre in music history. The composer seems to venture into new sonic realms, offering an innovative understanding of musical form and a novel treatment of the sonata genre.

Kirilauskas: “Beethoven’s works have long been an important part of my creative life. I have performed and recorded quite a few of his sonatas, and I have also played his piano concertos Nos. 3 and 4, the Diabelli Variations, and performed the Choral Fantasy in Salzburg on numerous occasions. I naturally came to his late sonatas as well. In fact, I studied Sonata No. 32 with my professor Karl-Heinz Kämmerling while at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. This sonata, like a lifelong companion, often finds its way back into my programmes. I have performed Sonatas No. 30 and No. 31 in recitals over the past few years as individual pieces alongside other works. I have tried to spend as much time as possible with them, to let them mature. I believe that such a special programme is a fitting tribute to the approaching anniversary of the genius.” 

The pianist is a graduate of the Mozarteum University in Salzburg (Austria) and was named a “Bösendorfer Artist” (Austria) in 2019. Kirilauskas has toured nearly all European countries, the U.S., and Iran, performing with all Lithuanian orchestras, as well as with Sinfonietta Riga, Kremerata Baltica, the Lappeenranta City Orchestra of Finland, and others.

The pianist is a regular participant in the international Thomas Mann Festival and the Gaida Contemporary Music Festival, as well as other events. He is the first performer of many compositions and has released 19 solo albums.