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The Vilnius String Quartet (VSQ) and accordionist Tadas Motiečius invite you to spend a Sunday afternoon listening to chamber music that is both popular and unheard of to many.

Dalia Kuznecovaitė, principal violinist of VSQ, on the programme: “It is not by chance that we have chosen works by Ukrainian and Polish composers for this concert. The last few years have proved how strong the tandem between Lithuania and the above-mentioned nations is in the face of war, and how powerful unity and loyalty to true values can be. Perhaps everyone is familiar with the popular Christmas melody Shchedryk by Mykola Leontovych, which is quoted in the Ukrainian composer Dmytro Klebanov’s String quartet dedicated to the memory of Leontovych. Klebanov’s opus, a real gem, enriched with Ukrainian folklore, will, I believe, delight every listener. The Concerto for accordion and strings by the Polish composer Mikołaj Majkusiak was offered by the soloist of the concert, Tadas Motiečius. This innovative work, rarely heard in Lithuania, was originally written for accordion and string orchestra, but Tadas commissioned the composer to transcribe it for accordion and string quartet. This Concerto is for us a kind of ‘stepping out’ of the traditional classical music framework and an opportunity to get acquainted with our neighbour’s contemporary opus.

Ástor Piazzolla, the famous 20th-century Argentine composer, revolutionised the traditional concept of the tango by enriching it with elements of jazz and classical music, and is considered the pioneer of the tango nuevo style and the most famous Argentine musician. In his homeland he is known as “El Gran Ástor” (The Great Astor). The concert will feature his Concierto para quinteto (Concerto for Quintet) and a set of four tangos Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires) for accordion and strings.