Recital of the Year | Anna Geniušienė (piano)

Pianist Gintaras Januševičius has been astonishing his audiences for ten years with inventive programmes. Listeners will long remember his "Dream Catcher", "All Chopin Waltzes", "The New Colossus" or "The Merchant of Venice Stories". In each programme, G. Januševičius transforms like a chameleon not only into different characters, but also travels to another era, culture or musical style. Having refined his unique programmes over many years, he carefully selects pieces and assembles them into a cohesive musical garland, adorned with narrations, imagery, theatrical elements and even scents. With his innovative concert concepts he captivates audiences in New York, Paris, London, Zurich and Rio de Janeiro, while also returning to Lithuanian concert halls every year. In his latest programme "FREYLEKH!" , G. Januševičius tells the inspiring life stories of composers of Jewish heritage. "My grandmother was Jewish and survived the Second World War. This programme is a reflection of her smile, optimism, resilience and creativity," says the pianist. The overall mood of the programme is captured in the direct translation of the Yiddish word "Freylekh" — joyful, elated, festive, inviting one to dance and forget the worries clouding everyday life. Highlights include the "Wedding March" by Felix Mendelssohn in an arrangement by Vladimir Horowitz, virtuosic études by Earl Wild on themes from George Gershwin's Broadway musicals, the "Jazz Dance Suite" by Erwin Schulhoff — known as the father of European jazz — and miniatures by Philip Glass, Alexis Weissenberg and Erich Wolfgang Korngold. The audience will also be introduced to Latvian-born composer Marc Lavry and the distinguished Hollywood composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, whose students included the legendary John Williams. The programme thus blends jazz, classical music and film music with Jewish folk motifs. Based in Germany and performing worldwide, the pianist rose to fame in 2004 when he became the youngest finalist at the International Montreal Piano Competition. As a soloist he has performed with more than 30 orchestras, presented solo and chamber programmes in numerous Lithuanian and German cities, and appeared in such venues as the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, the Würzburg Residence, the Wilfrid Pelletier Hall in Montreal, the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, the Shenzhen Concert Hall, the Cortot Hall in Paris, the "Rahvusooper Estonia" in Tallinn, and many more. He has participated in numerous international festivals, including the prestigious Chopin festival in Duszniki-Zdrój (Poland), "Mozartfest" and "Dresdner Musikfestspiele" (Germany), "Festival Besançon" (France) and others. In 2017 he founded the largest pianists' academy in the Baltic States, "Klaipėda Piano Masters", and in 2021 joined the LRT KLASIKA team, where he nurtures his passion for music education by hosting the weekly programme "Palėpės radiniai".

Adresas: „Organum“ koncertų salė