On 17 April, one of the most versatile artists of our time, Lithuanian-born cellist David Geringas, appearing tonight as a conductor, and the winner of the International Klaipėda David Geringas Cello Competition, French cello virtuoso Stanislas Kim, will meet on the Lithuanian National Philharmonic stage. The programme The Cello Magic, featuring the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO) and guests, will offer works by Vytautas Laurušas, Edward Elgar and Felix Mendelssohn.
The title of the concert, The Cello Magic, will be voiced out not only in the meeting of two outstanding cellists collaborating in different capacities, but also Elgar’s Concerto for cello and orchestra, which has been chosen as the axis of the programme. This lyrical, elegiac, but at the same time passionate and contemplative work has surpassed not only Elgar’s other works, but also many other composers’ cello concertos. It is hard to imagine any cello virtuoso’s repertoire without this work, so an evening of symphonic music at the Philharmonic promises to be an intriguing experience offering yet another interpretation of Elgar’s famous opus.
Stanislas Kim, winner of the 2023 International Klaipėda David Geringas Cello Competition, studied in Paris with Raphaël Pidoux and Philippe Muller, in Hanover with Tilmann Wick and Leonid Gorokhov, as well as with J. P. Maintz at the Reina Sofía School of Music. Kim has been coached by the renowned cellists Geringas, Frans Helmerson, Natalia Gutman, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, Tabea Zimmermann, Ferenc Rados and others. The French musician, who has performed successfully as a soloist and prize-winner of various competitions all over the world, is currently Principal Cellist of the Orquesta y Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid, Professor at the Extremadura High School of Music in Spain and assistant to Professor Jens Peter Maintz at the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid. Kim plays on an 18th century Italian cello which has been made available to him by a private patron.
Alongside Elgar’s elegiac Cello Concerto, the programme includes one of Vytautas Laurušas’ most successful works, Maldų simfonija (Symphony of Prayers), which, like Elgar’s Concerto, is captivating in its emotional depth. “For me, emotions and the play of imagination have always been and are more important. Although I try to adopt the latest compositional techniques, I never sell out to them. When I worked on Maldų simfonija (Symphony of Prayers), I tried to create colours by means of the articulation of string instruments”, the composer said about this work, written in 2000 and further refined in 2001. Later, after hearing Maldų simfonija (Symphony of Prayers), Geringas became enthusiastic about the work and began to promote it.
Geringas’ extensive discography as a performer includes many works by Lithuanian composers. The Maestro not only performs solo, but also conducts Lithuanian opuses, for example, he is the music director and conductor of Eduardas Balsys’ ballet Eglė žalčių karalienė (Eglė, the Queen of Serpents), staged at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre. Geringas regularly performs as a conductor and has been invited to appear at renowned concert halls in Europe, Asia and the USA. In 1997–2004, he was principal guest conductor of the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, and in 2005–2008, principal guest conductor of the Tokyo and China philharmonic orchestras.
Under the baton of Geringas, the symphonic music programme will be crowned by Mendelssohn’s Symphony No.3 in A minor, Op. 56, Scottish. This symphony was inspired by the composer’s first visit to Great Britain. While travelling in Scotland with a friend, Mendelssohn visited the ruins of the chapel at Holyrood House in Edinburgh, where the idea for Scottish was first conceived. The symphony took a long time to mature, it was started in Scotland in 1829 and finished in 1842. Composed over 13 years, the work is extraordinarily picturesque, the music magically engaging from the first notes.
The concert The Cello Magic. LNSO, David Geringas, Stanislas Kim will take place on Thursday, 17 April at 19.00 at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Concert Hall. For full information on the concerts of the LNPhS 84th season, please visit www.nationalphilharmonic.lt LNPhS 84th concert season is sponsored by NORFA.
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