LITHUANIAN NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
(artistic director and principal conductor Modestas Pitrėnas)
VILNIUS State Choir
(artistic director and principal conductor Artūras Dambrauskas)
Soloists: LUCAS JUSSEN, ARTHUR JUSSEN (piano duo, Holland)
Conductor ANDRZEJ BOREYKO
CHARLES IVES – Unanswered question
JOEY ROUKENS – Concerto for two pianos and orchestra In Unison
RICHARD STRAUSS – Symphonic poem Don Juan, op. 20
JOHANNES BRAHMS – Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny) for choir and orchestra, Op. 54 (text by Friedrich Hölderlin)
The Vilnius Festival stage has always been and continues to be a venue for many impressive encounters, and this evening it will bring together conductor Andrzej Boreyko, pianists Lucas Jussen and Arthur Jussen, Vilnius State Choir, and the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra.
The Lithuanian audience has enjoyed Boreyko’s interpretations many times. Vilnius is where the maestro’s roots lie. ‘It is an honor and a pleasure for me to conduct at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society. I am delighted to be able to share my knowledge and experience with the musicians of the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra,’ says the conductor. Appearing on world’s concert stages, during the 2025/26 season Boreyko will conduct the Chicago and Boston, Sydney and Adelaide, Vienna and Spanish Radio, Arturo Toscanini and George Enescu philharmonic orchestras, as well as other symphony orchestras.
The energetic duo of brothers Lucas and Arthur Jussen gave a recital on this stage on the eve of this concert, and today they are performing their compatriot, contemporary Dutch composer Joey Roukens’ Concerto for two pianos and orchestra In Unison. The Dutch piano duo receives thunderous ovations in concert halls around the world.
The concert programme also includes Unanswered Question (1908), one of the most famous works by Charles Ives, known as the pioneer and innovator of modern American academic music. Another work is Richard Strauss’s symphonic poem Don Juan, composed in 1888. Notable for its particularly colourful orchestration, the opus marks a turning point in the composer’s style and aesthetic views between his early works and his artistic maturity. The poem premiered in 1889 at the Weimar Opera House, conducted by the composer himself. Some listeners booed it, while others expressed their admiration with shouts. Based on Friedrich Hölderlin’s poem, Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny, 1868–1871) is one of Johannes Brahms’ most striking works for choir and orchestra after Ein deutsches Requiem (German Requiem): the music is characterized by lucid, melodious lyricism and conveys reflections on the fate of the individual and humanity.
