Sighs and passions

Šviesė Čepliauskaitė (piano)

The NESSUN DORMA night concert marathon festival invites you to a recital by pianist Šviesė Čepliauskaitė titled "Sighs and Passions" – a program where the poetics of Romanticism, virtuosic brilliance, and the world of musical emotions meet.

At the heart of the evening's program is the work of two great musical figures of the 19th century, Fryderyk Chopin and Franz Liszt. The program will feature Chopin's Ballade No. 2 in F major, Polish songs arranged for piano by Liszt, the famous nocturne "Liebesträume" ("Dreams of Love"), the concert etude "Un sospiro" ("A Sigh"), the concert paraphrase "Rigoletto", and one of the most impressive Transcendental Etudes.

A special place in the program is occupied by a Fantasy composed by the pianist herself on themes from Prince Antoni Henryk Radziwiłł's opera "Faust". The name of Antoni Henryk Radziwiłł – a nobleman, politician, composer, poet, and playwright born in Vilnius – is inseparable from one of the most interesting pages in the history of European Romanticism. Fascinated by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's "Faust", he was the first to create an operatic version of this work, with the libretto adaptation prepared by Goethe himself. Šviesė Čepliauskaitė's fantasy revives this rarely remembered dialogue between Lithuanian and European culture and recalls one of the most intriguing stories of the Romantic era.

Šviesė Čepliauskaitė performs actively in Lithuania and abroad, organizes solo recitals and chamber music programs, participates in international festivals, conducts masterclasses, serves as a jury member for international competitions, and is an associate professor at the Vytautas Magnus University Music Academy.

The pianist's concerts are distinguished by a special atmosphere. Through her storytelling, she introduces listeners to the world of the works being performed, revealing the composers' life circumstances, creative ideas, and emotional context. Therefore, each of her concerts becomes not only a musical performance but also a living narrative about music, people, and the era.

An important part of Šviesė Čepliauskaitė's repertoire consists of the works of Fryderyk Chopin. She was the first in Lithuania to record all of the composer's waltzes and has released the CDs "F. Chopin. Waltzes", "CHOPIN LT", "M. K. Oginski. Farewell to the Homeland", "SENSIBILE", and has also recorded works by W. A. Mozart, F. Chopin, and K. Szymanowski for Lithuanian Radio.

For her contributions to culture, the pianist has been awarded the Polish honorary badge "Zasłużony dla Kultury Polskiej" and the Gold Cross of Merit by the President of Poland.