Musical Bridges. Aleksandra Žvirblytė, Yaroslav Shemet and the LNSO

Performers: Lithuanian national symphony orchestra (Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Modestas Pitrėnas) Soloist ALEKSANDRA ŽVIRBLYTĖ (piano) Conductor YAROSLAV SHEMET (Poland)

Program: STANISŁAW MONIUSZKO – Fantastic Overture "The Fairy Tale" ("Bajka") FRYDERYK CHOPIN – Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 21, F minor BORYS LYATOSHYNSKY – Symphony No. 3, Op. 50, B minor

A special guest of the concert is the talented young Ukrainian-born conductor Yaroslav Shemet, who has been standing at the conductor's podium since the age of thirteen. He is the Artistic Director of the Silesian Philharmonic in Katowice and the Music Director of the Baltic Opera in Gdańsk. His baton has led orchestras such as the Staatstheater Braunschweig, Sinfonia Varsovia, and others; he has conducted in prestigious halls from the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg to the Shanghai Grand Theatre, and at festivals in Bayreuth, Munich, Hong Kong, and elsewhere. The maestro's repertoire includes symphonic music, opera productions, as well as contemporary scores and even jazz projects. In this concert with the National Symphony Orchestra, the conductor presents scores by authors from his closest countries – Ukraine and Poland – who are also connected to Lithuania.

The famous Polish composer Stanisław Moniuszko spent the most creative part of his life in Vilnius, where he also created and premiered his most famous opera, "Halka". The ties to Borys Lyatoshynsky, considered the father of contemporary Ukrainian music, were initiated by composer Osvaldas Balakauskas, who attended Prof. Lyatoshynsky's class at the Kyiv Conservatory and participated in an artistic movement seeking inspiration in Western modernist music. B. Lyatoshynsky's Third Symphony (composed in 1950–1954), which will be performed at the concert, was attacked by fierce Soviet censorship for being too modern; the composer then sank into melancholy, even writing: "I am dead as a composer and I do not know when I will be resurrected..." Now, this symphony, subtitled "Peace Will Defeat War", is more relevant than ever.

Performing as a soloist in the concert will be Aleksandra Žvirblytė, one of the most versatile artists in Lithuania, who performs as a soloist, with orchestras, and organizes various chamber programs. Her desire not to be limited to the role of a classical pianist has led her to step into jazz and various cross-genre music projects, successfully performed with stage colleagues not only in Lithuania but in halls all over the world. Among numerous awards from Lithuania and foreign countries, the pianist has been awarded the Gold Cross of Merit by the President of Poland and a diploma from the Polish Minister of Culture for her active work in disseminating and preserving the legacy of Fryderyk Chopin. Thus, with A. Žvirblytė as soloist, the program symbolizing musical bridges between neighboring countries is adorned by the Piano Concerto No. 2 by this Polish and world genius, the author of immortal works for piano.