On 23 November the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO) and its principal guest conductor Victorien Vanoosten, renowned for his highly engaging interpretations of French music, present the symphonic music programme French Music Masterpieces. This time, the conductor and the LNSO will join forces with the French cello virtuoso Xavier Phillips and a large group of well-known Lithuanian performers. The programme features works of Claude Debussy, Henri Dutilleux and Gabriel Fauré – a sonic combination of three different branches of musical impressionism laid out by V. Vanoosten. Conductor Modestas Barkauskas was the Maestro’s assistant for this programme. 

Vanoosten, a recipient of the Order of the French Republic for his services to French culture, is a welcome presence in major venues around the world. An Artistic and Music Director of the Toulon Opera (France) and the Neuchâtel Symphony Ensemble (Switzerland), he also conducts at major opera houses (Paris, Berlin, Frankfurt, Zurich, Toulouse), performs with symphony orchestras (Vienna Tonkünstler, Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra and Montreal Philharmonic Orchestra), and has collaborated with renowned musicians such as Emmanuel Pahud, Bruce Liù, Lang Lang, the Jussen brothers, Gilles Apap, Patrizia Ciofi, Karine Deshayes, Rolando Villazón and Jane Birkin.

Briming with many ideas, enjoying excellent engagement offers in different countries, and since autumn of this year serving as the principal guest conductor of the LNSO, Vanoosten is very willing to collaborate with Lithuanian musicians, and the audience looks forward to his performances. “There is a chemistry between me and the orchestra, we feel each other”, said the Maestro. This close relationship makes for a very warm atmosphere at concerts. Especially when it comes to the kind of music to be programmed in French Music Masterpieces!

The concert will open with Debussy’s Nocturnes, a mystical masterpiece of musical imagery. This orchestral introduction will be followed by Dutilleux’s Cello Concerto Tout un monde lointain… (A Whole Distant World...) – one of the most important works of the 20th century cello repertoire. This musical paraphrase of Charles Baudelaire’s poetry was born out of Dutilleux’s close friendship with the renowned cello virtuoso Mstislav Rostropovich. It is said that the relationship between composer and performer, which is embodied in the work, was so close that other cellists struggle to find original, distinctive interpretations.

The renowned French cellist Xavier Phillips confessed that he had searched for the connection with the Concerto Tout un monde lointain…for a long time, page by page, following Rostropovich’s references and the philosophy of humility to music that Phillips adopted from him. This work demands special concentration not only from the soloist, but also from every member of the orchestra and the listener. 

The concert will close with Fauré’s Requiem in D minor, a richly spiritual lullaby to death, which earned the affection of the composer’s contemporaries. This peaceful, comforting work of reconciliation and liberation was also performed at Fauré’s own funeral.

Requiem for soprano, baritone, choir and orchestra will bring together a large number of performers on stage – the LNSO will be joined by the Kaunas State Choir, soloists Lina Dambrauskaitė (soprano), Steponas Zonys (baritone) and Renata Marcinkutė-Lesieur (organ).

Orchestral music concert French Music Masterpieces. LNSO, Xavier Phillips, Victorien Vanoosten will take place on Saturday, 23 November at 19.00 in the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Concert Hall. The concert is organised in cooperation with the French Institute in Lithuania. For full information about the LNPhS concerts, please visit www.nationalphilharmonic.lt. NORFA is the patron of the LNPhS 84th season.

LNPhS inf.