ČIURLIONIS QUARTET
Soloist GIANLUCA LITTERA (harmonica, Italy)
JOSEPH HAYDN – String quartet, Op. 54 No. 2, in C major, Hob. III:57
DAVID BALAKRISHNAN – Skylife
ÁSTOR PIAZZOLLA – Chant et Fugue; Chador; Medley
GORDON JACOB – Divertimento for harmonica and string quartet
GEORG FRIEDRICH HÄNDEL – Recorder sonata in F major, HWV 369
ENNIO MORRICONE – Soundtrack from the film Nuovo cinema Paradiso (New “Cinema Paradiso”)
JAMES MOODY – Little Suites
In anticipation of the New Year, the award-winning Čiurlionis Quartet invites on a journey through the most beautiful musical landscapes of different epochs ranging from the dome of the sky to the secret recesses of a cinema. On this journey, listeners will be escorted by a very unusual instrument to appear on this stage, the harmonica. It was championed to prestigious concert halls by Italian virtuoso Gianluca Littera. He is one of the few soloists in the world to perform classical, contemporary and jazz music on this instrument.
His repertoire includes symphonic and chamber music, compositions by Gordon Jacob, Robert Farnon, Vaughan Williams, William Walton, Luciano Chailly, James Moody and others. Featured in tonight’s concert, G. Jacob’s Divertimento for harmonica and string quartet was performed by Littera at the Asolo Music Festival in the Venice region. It turned to be one of the highlights of the concert and was featured on the festival’s 30th anniversary CD. In collaboration with the Brazilian composer and conductor Gil Jardim, the harmonica virtuoso has worked on a number of Brazilian music projects, including a CD of original compositions and arrangements for harmonica and orchestra. In 2010, with the Santa Cecilia Academy Orchestra Littera performed Immobile 2, a new composition for harmonica and orchestra written for him by Oscar-winner Ennio Morricone, conducted by the composer himself. Works by these and other composers adorn the festive programme of this unusual ensemble.
