W. A. mozart – 270

Performers: Kaunas city symphony orchestra Chief Conductor Constantine Orbelian (USA), Director Algimantas Treikauskas Kaunas state choir Artistic Director and Chief Conductor Robertas Šervenikas Soloists: GINTARĖ RAMANAUSKAITĖ (soprano) VILIJA MIKŠTAITĖ (mezzo-soprano) MINDAUGAS ZIMKUS (tenor)

ALEXANDER PALEY (piano, USA–France–Lithuania)

Conductor ROBERTAS ŠERVENIKAS

Program:

Wolfgang amadeus mozart:

Part I

Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466

Part II

Requiem in D minor, K. 626

In commemoration of the 270th anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's birth, his immortal work "Requiem" will be performed at the Kaunas State Philharmonic. This masterpiece is special not only for its sonic power, depth, and sensitivity but also for the mysterious history of its creation, which was interrupted by the composer's untimely death.

"Requiem," a funeral mass for the dead, is one of W. A. Mozart's most famous compositions, written by the composer in 1791 but left unfinished. It was the composer's final work, scored for 4 soloists, mixed choir, and orchestra, and completed after W. A. Mozart's death by his student Franz Xaver Süßmayr.

W. A. Mozart composed relatively little church music. According to legend, a stranger dressed in black visited him and commissioned him to write a funeral mass. About this visit, a couple of months before his death, the composer wrote in a letter: "I cannot forget this stranger, he stands before my eyes – begging, pursuing, demanding. I continue, because work tires me less than rest. My intuition whispers that my hour has come; I am going to my death; I will meet it before I could have enjoyed my talent. Life is so beautiful, it was so promising, but what is destined cannot be changed. No one knows how many days are left, one must surrender to fate. I finish, because the funeral song awaits me, which I must complete."

"Requiem" consists of 12 parts. Particularly memorable are the parts "Dies irae" ("Day of Wrath") and "Lacrimosa" ("Full of tears"). "Dies irae" is particularly dramatic and active, depicting the terror of death and people's pleas for mercy. "Lacrimosa" is an oasis of peace, characterized by subtle lyricism, restrained lamentations, and painful sighs between the words.

In the first part of the concert, piano virtuoso ALEXANDER PALEY will perform one of W. A. Mozart's most famous concertos. It is an extremely dramatic piece, distinguished by a dark, stormy mood characteristic of the minor key of D minor.