About

“The cello is a tool for me, but through the cello, my relationship with the world and my existence in it is expressed,” says renowned Lithuanian cellist Mindaugas Bačkus, actively performing as a soloist, member of ensembles and orchestras, and artistic director of the Klaipėda Chamber Orchestra. The Orchestra has delivered more than 500 concert programmes with world-renowned performers in Klaipėda, Vilnius, and various Lithuanian cities, as well as on important foreign stages. Bačkus’ musical interests as a cellist are extremely broad: from Baroque to contemporary works, from traditional cello sonorities to electroacoustic experiments and participation in theatre projects. 

Tonight, the orchestra led by Bačkus offers an intriguing juxtaposition of historically distant compositions: Baroque genius J. S. Bach’s challenging Goldberg Variations, which arranger Dmitry Sitkovetsky has called ‘the life force of music,’ and the most prominent contemporary Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks’, celebrating his 80th birthday, Concerto for cello and string orchestra No. 2, Klātbūtne (Presence). The latter work reflects the composer’s life on earth – from his first steps to idealism, from disappointment to aggression, ultimately depicting the ascent of his soul into the cosmos.