Mkč26

MKČ26: Festival Opening | Piano Legend Cyprien Katsaris

The 14th International M. K. Čiurlionis Music Festival begins its Vilnius season with a sensation – an introduction to piano legend Cyprien Katsaris.

Performing in Lithuania for the first time, the French pianist of Cypriot descent is valued for his virtuosity and unique interpretations of works, which critics call phenomenal.

C. Katsaris stands out from other prominent pianists with his brilliant technique, distinctive sound culture, extraordinary musical thinking, provocative improvisations, and ability to engage the listener much more deeply, allowing them to experience a multi-layered world of music.

Having started playing the piano at just four years old, Katsaris became a laureate of many prestigious international competitions, was honored with prestigious music awards, received orders for cultural merit from France and Luxembourg, and was named an Artist for Peace by UNESCO.

The pianist's concert biography spans the entire globe – from Europe to the USA and Asia. C. Katsaris has performed with almost all of the world's most famous orchestras and conductors. He was the first to record the F. Liszt transcriptions of all Ludwig van Beethoven's symphonies and founded his own record company, "Piano 21," which releases world premieres and recordings of rarely performed works.

For the Vilnius audience, the piano virtuoso will perform the most beautiful works by L. van Beethoven, F. Liszt, F. Chopin, M. Ravel, and C. Saint-Saëns. You will also have the opportunity to hear an unusual interpretation of M. K. Čiurlionis's works as well as compositions by C. Katsaris himself.

P R O G R A M:

PART I: Cyprien KATSARIS (b. 1951) Improvisation on the themes of the ancient Greek melody "Seikilos"

Maurice RAVEL (1875–1937) Scene from the ballet "Daphnis et Chloé", Act III "Menuet antique" M. 7

Rena KYRIAKOU (1917–1994) Dance of the Goblins No. 4 from "6 Symphonic Poems", Op. 8

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770–1827) 6 Variations on the theme of "Turkish March" in D major, Op. 76

Camille SAINT-SAËNS (1835–1921) "Chœur des Derviches Tourneurs" ("Chorus of the Dervishes") from L. van Beethoven's "Die Ruinen von Athen" ("The Ruins of Athens")

Franz LISZT (1811–1886) Fantasy on themes from L. van Beethoven's "The Ruins of Athens", S. 122