About

Two authorities, Artūras Anusauskas, one of Lithuania’s foremost jazz pianists, and Modestas Pitrėnas, artistic director and principal conductor of the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, invite you to join a journey through America to the rhythm of jazz.

The concert programme reflects the development and stylistic diversity of American music in the first half of the 20th century. It highlights the interaction between the centuries-old traditions of European symphonic music and American popular culture, particularly jazz – the works of three significant composers will reveal a distinctive national musical identity. 

The concert will open with Ferde Grofé’s Mississippi Suite for symphony orchestra, a programmatic work that uses musical means to portray one of America’s most important symbols: the mighty Mississippi River. This will be followed by two of George Gershwin’s most famous works. His Rhapsody in Blue is considered the first work to fuse jazz with the traditions of classical music, while the symphonic fantasy An American in Paris vividly conveys the American experience within the European cultural sphere. The concert will conclude with excerpts from Leonard Bernstein’s musical On the Town, embodying the aesthetics of Broadway musical culture.