The 10th “Odessa Classics” Festival. LNSO, “Vilnius” Choir, Alexey Botvinov, Modestas Pitrėnas

Performers:
LITHUANIAN NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
(artistic director and principal conductor Modestas Pitrėnas)
VILNIUS Choir (artistic director and principal conductor Artūras Dambrauskas)
Soloist ALEXEY BOTVINOV (piano, Ukraine)
Conductor MODESTAS PITRĖNAS

Programme:
BEDŘICH SMETANA – Symphonic poem Vltava (The Moldau) from a set of six symphonic poems Má vlast (My Fatherland)
JOHANNES BRAHMS – Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15
VALENTIN SILVESTROV – Hymn for string orchestra
OLEKSANDR SHCHETYNSKY – Requiem for mixed choir and string orchestra
MYROSLAV SKORYK – Melody for choir and strings

The prestigious and highly anticipated Odessa Classics festival used to bring a large number of classical musicians to Odessa every year. Unfortunately, when Russia invaded Ukraine, the festival had to find a home abroad. One of the concerts of the 10th edition of the festival will take place in Vilnius. The Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, the Vilnius Choir and guest pianist Alexey Botvinov from Ukraine will present a solid repertoire of large-scale works, combining Western European and contemporary Ukrainian classics.

The concert will open with Bedřich Smetana’s symphonic poem Vltava (The Moldau) from the set of six symphonic poems Má vlast (My Fatherland), a reflection on the greatness of his native land. The concert will also feature Johannes Brahms’ Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 1 in D minor, the composer’s first symphonic work performed in public. The programme will continue with music by Ukrainian composers. Valentin Silvestrov’s Hymn for string orchestra, which received the epithet of a “noble song of praise” due to its spiritual sound, is reminiscent of a reflection on silence featuring a solo violin part, played by Kristina Morozova, the concertmaster of the LNSO’s second violin group. Oleksandr Shchetynsky’s Requiem is a lyrical reflection on death, which takes on symbolic meaning in the context of war. The concert will close with Myroslav Skoryk’s melancholically elegiac Melody.

Ukrainian pianist Alexey Botvinov, who has already performed at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Concert Hall on several occasions, is famous for his record – he has performed Johann Sebastian Bach’s extremely difficult Goldberg Variations more than 300 times. Botvinov will be joined on stage by the Vilnius Choir, which is entering its fifth decade of activity, and the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra.