MUSICA HUMANA Ensemble
Artistic director, soloist and conductor ROBERTAS BEINARIS (oboe)
Soloists: VIRGINIJUS BARKAUSKAS (organ), KRISTUPAS KAČIONAS (oboe), RAMUNĖ GRAKAUSKAITĖ (violin), DŽIUGAS DAUGIRDA (percussion)
ARCANGELO CORELLI – Concerto grosso in G minor, Op. 6 No 8, Per la notte di Natale (Christmas Night)
ANTONIO VIVALDI – Concerto for violin and string orchestra No 4 in F minor L’inverno (Winter), RV 297 from Le quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons)
MARC-ANTOINE CHARPENTIER – Prelude from Te Deum in D major, H. 146
VIET COUNG – Concerto for two oboes and orchestra Extra (ordinarily) Fancy
PIERRE COCHEREAU – Boléro sur un thème de Charles Racquet (Bolero on a theme by Charles Racquet) for organ and percussion
HENRI MULET – Tu es Petra for solo organ
HOWARD HANSON – Concerto for organ, strings and harp
On the eve of the Three Kings Day, you will be treated to gifts from Musica humana Ensemble, its artistic director, conductor and oboist Robertas Beinaris, and soloists – organist Virginijus Barkauskas, oboist Kristupas Kačionas, violinist Ramunė Grakauskaitė and percussionist Džiugas Daugirda.
The first half of the concert will be dominated by Baroque, imbued with the spirit of Christmas night, the New Year and winter, with works by Arcangelo Corelli, Antonio Vivaldi and Marc-Antoine Charpentier. The two halves of the concert will be linked by the Concerto for two oboes by the Vietnamese-American composer Viet Cuong, influenced by the Baroque music of Tomaso Albinoni, Alessandro Marcello and Antonio Vivaldi. The second half of the concert will feature music by 20th-century French composers and American composer Howard Hanson’s Concerto, immersing in the harmonies of a calm flow.
The idea of this concert echoes Musica humana’s historic two-week tour of the USA in October: a mission to build cultural bridges, to celebrate the name of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis on the 150th anniversary of his birth, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Lithuania’s membership of NATO, and to raise support for Ukraine was fulfilled. And it all started with the friendship between Beinaris and Virginijus Barkauskas, who lives in the USA and is known as an organ virtuoso (we will hear him this evening). “Barkauskas’ wonderful musicianship and command of the largest instrument are mesmerising and very impressive. He is a great musician with a fantastic dedication to the art of the organ”, says Beinaris.
