LNSO concert features violin celebrity ILYA GRINGOLTS, trio "FortVio", conductor Modestas Pitrėnas

Violin celebrity ILYA GRINGOLTS to perform in Vilnius

"This concert was second to none – it was an unforgettable experience created by a musician who is dedicated and inspired to the marrow of his bones." This is how the publication "Pizzicato" wrote about one of the concerts by Ilya Gringolts (Switzerland). The violinist, who captivates audiences around the world with his extraordinary virtuosity and expressive interpretations, will perform in Vilnius on October 16 at the National Philharmonic. The world-renowned violin virtuoso will appear in a concert with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra and, together with our famous conductor Modestas Pitrėnas, will perform the Violin Concerto by the legendary American composer John Adams, which will be heard in Lithuania for the first time. J. Adams has won the prestigious Grawemeyer Award for this work, considered perhaps the greatest award for composers worldwide.

I. Gringolts performs with the most famous orchestras in the world, such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Filarmonica della Scala in Milan, the BBC Symphony, the BBC Scottish Symphony, the NHK Symphony, the Vienna Symphony, the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, the Bavarian Radio Symphony, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, the City of Birmingham Symphony, the Oslo Philharmonic, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Helsinki Philharmonic, the São Paulo Symphony, the Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra, and others. Highlights of the past season include concerts with the Luxembourg Philharmonic, the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, and the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra. "It is difficult to imagine more expressive and uncompromising violin playing," wrote the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" about the violin virtuoso.

The violinist studied at the famous Juilliard School in New York, where his teacher was the legendary Itzhak Perlman – one of the most famous violinists of our era. In 1998, I. Gringolts won the prestigious Paganini International Violin Competition and remains the youngest winner in the history of this competition to this day. Currently, the performer plays a 1743 Guarneri "del Gesù" violin.

The violinist captivates the world's audiences with a combination of virtuosity and extraordinary interpretations and is constantly looking for new musical challenges. The performer's mastery is admired by many music critics, and the publication "Pizzicato" adds: "Ilya Gringolts' interpretations testify to his deep engagement with and understanding of the works, as well as his unwavering, confident command of the instrument." I. Gringolts' repertoire includes both the great masterpieces of violin classics and less frequently performed opuses as well as contemporary works. Composers such as Peter Maxwell Davies, Salvatore Sciarrino, Bernhard Lang, Michael Jarrell, Beat Furrer, Christophe Bertrand, Chaya Czernowin, Augusta Read Thomas, Mirela Ivičević, and others have written works specifically for this performer. The violinist also regularly plays music by John Adams, Jörg Widmann, Heinz Holliger, Valentin Silvestrov, Sofia Gubaidulina, Mieczysław Weinberg, and other most prominent creators of the 20th and 21st centuries.

In the first part of this concert, the trio "FortVio", which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, will also perform with the orchestra: Ingrida Rupaitė (violin), Povilas Jacunskas (cello), Indrė Baikštytė (piano), who will perform the world premiere of Kristupas Bubnelis' new work – "Jubilisma" for piano trio and symphony orchestra, created at the initiative of "FortVio".

For their twentieth anniversary, "FortVio" chose not a retrospective, but a commission of new Lithuanian music. "When I received an offer last July to write a piece for the piano trio "FortVio" and a symphony orchestra, I wanted to avoid bravura concertante style and offer something more subtle," says K. Bubnelis. The work brings together extended tuning systems, echoes of Middle Eastern maqam traditions, and a rethought role for the orchestra. The piano will be tuned according to an unusual eleven-tone system, and the violin and cello will at times approach the maqams of Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey. The orchestra, according to Kristupas Bubnelis, acts in the work like an acoustic synthesizer – a generator of complex timbres, dense sound clusters, and resonating "mists," while the trio and orchestra constantly take over each other's functions.

"Jubilisma" is born from the dialogue between the performers and the composer. Creative partnerships with contemporary authors have long become part of the identity of one of Lithuania's most prominent chamber ensembles, "FortVio". For their twentieth anniversary, the ensemble invited one of the most prominent Lithuanian composers of the young generation, Kristupas Bubnelis, to collaborate. The works of the artist, who lives and creates in New York, are performed at the most important contemporary music festivals in Europe and North America; Kristupas' music has been included in the repertoires of such groups as Ensemble Modern, International Contemporary Ensemble, Wet Ink Ensemble, the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, and many others. Kristupas Bubnelis' work "Jubilisma" was created for the 20th anniversary of the trio "FortVio". The "Gaida 2026" festival, the anniversary "FortVio" program, and the commission of the work are funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture. The festival is also supported by the Vilnius City Municipality; partners are the Lithuanian National Philharmonic and the Lithuanian Composers' Union.

Concert program:

Brett Dean. Ceremonial (premiere in Lithuania)

Kristupas Bubnelis. Jubilisma (world premiere)

Krists Auznieks. Crossing (premiere in Lithuania)

John Adams. Violin Concerto (premiere in Lithuania)