CONCERT PROGRAMME
M. Ravel. Piano Concerto in G Major
M. Ravel. Piano Concerto for the Left Hand
A. Bruckner. Symphony No. 2
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The talent and charisma of the fiery piano virtuoso Alexander Paley does not leave any member of the audience indifferent. The artist, who lives between New York and Paris, is welcomed in concert halls around the world, but always finds time to return to Lithuania. “I adore maestro Gintaras Rinkevičius. Throughout my career, I've played with a variety of conductors and orchestras, but I have to admit that playing with this Maestro is simply the best feeling", – says the famous pianist.
Already in 1991, after the pianist's debut with the US National Symphony Orchestra, “The Washington Post” called A. Paley's performance "simply flawless", which eventually led the pianist to perform with some of the world's most famous orchestras. The audience applauded him standing up, and critics praised him for "dazzling technical prowess", "convincing performance", "personal interpretations", and "an incredibly wide repertoire". Over the years, Paley's star is not extinguished - the pianist performs around 80 concerts worldwide every year.
This evening piano virtuoso A. Paley will embark on a musical tour of the impressionist world of French composer Maurice Ravel (1875-1937). Two works by the composer will be performed at the Vilnius Congress Hall: Piano Concerto in G Major inspired by jazz melodies and harmonies that were popular in Paris and the US at the time, and Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, written especially for the Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his right hand in World War I.
In the second part of the concert, the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra will continue performing the cycle of nine symphonies by Austrian composer Anton Bruckner (1824–1896). This evening the Symphony No. 2 will be performed. The symphony was scheduled to be performed in the same year with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Otto Dessoff, but rehearsals were difficult because the conductor and musicians said it was impossible to play the work. They laughed at the fact that the music was intermittently interrupted and called the piece "The Symphony of Pauses". However, Bruckner was indifferent to such criticism: "When I want to say something new and important, I first have to stop and take a deep breath."
This evening the orchestra will be conducted by its founder, artistic director and chief conductor, National Prize winner Gintaras Rinkevičius.