Virtuoso Musicians and Masterpieces

The Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, under the artistic leadership of its chief conductor Gintaras Rinkevičius, returns to the Klaipėda Concert Hall in the company of pianist Alexander Paley, a much-coveted audience favourite. A virtuoso, whose dazzling technical prowess and charismatic personality simply cannot leave the audience indifferent, now often comes to Lithuania to spend more time in Vilnius, so his performances have become more frequent here. No matter how often you have a chance to listen to him perform live, you are always awestruck by his superlative artistry, mesmerizing genius, and "the enormous pleasure of knowing there is still more to come" (The Washington Post). 

Paley now continues to perform extensively around the globe, with appearances at the world's major concert halls, averaging 80 concerts per year. He is also much awaited as a soloist with the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra. "I admire Maestro Gintaras Rinkevičius. I have performed with numerous orchestras and conductors throughout my career, but never felt as good as when I perform with him," says Paley. 

In the first half of this concert he will perform solo in Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor. It is one of the most popular works by the Norwegian composer and is among the most popular of all piano concerti. It is also Grieg's only completed concerto, written by the 24-year-old composer. 

The second half will feature Gustav Mahler's Ninth Symphony performed by the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Rinkevičius. The work's ending is usually interpreted as Mahler's conscious farewell to the world, but the prevalent mercurial mood throughout the symphony has little to do with that of death. Musicologist and biographer Henry-Louis de La Grange, Mahler's greatest authority, wrote that "first and foremost, there is the intense love of life (...) that pervades countless passages in the opening movement with its feverish ardour. Beyond serenity, Mahler rediscovers passion and, in the middle movements, even the grotesque visions of his earlier works. But in the Ninth, the demon of derision is unleashed with an aggressive violence never previously encountered in his works. The Scherzo and the Rondo-Burleske take to their very limits some of the features that had so disconcerted the composer's contemporaries in his earlier music, grotesque distortions and grinning parody."

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• 50% off for children under 7 years of age (admitted only to the educational programmes);

• Admission free for persons in wheelchairs (appropriate cards to be shown ) and 50% off for one accompanying person;

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