About

The Estonian orchestra Glasperlenspiel Sinfonietta returns to the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society. The orchestra not only skilfully performs classical masterpieces, but also actively participates in innovative projects and initiates new works. Its repertoire spans centuries: early music is intertwined with the new from Bach to Piazzolla, from Pärt to Vähi. In recent years, the Glasperlenspiel Sinfonietta has performed in Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Finland, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay; it has taken part in a number of international music festivals and has played at many of Europe’s most famous venues, such as the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and the Cologne Philharmonic Hall. The orchestra is led by violinist and conductor Andres Mustonen.

This concert celebrates the 90th anniversary of the legendary, world-famous Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. His music is said to hypnotise the listener and dissolve the sense of real time – it is like a meditative journey through harmonising sonorities. The composer is also recognised for his unique musical style, tintinnabuli (Latin for bells), which has been a hallmark of his work for almost half a century. Tonight’s concert will feature two of Pärt’s works, Orient & Occident and Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten.

The concert programme also includes Prayer-Wheel for chamber orchestra by Peeter Vähi, a representative of the younger generation of Estonians, as well as 4’33” (i.e. Four Minutes and Thirty-Three Seconds) by John Cage, one of the most influential composers and thinkers of the 20th century and the father of avant-garde. The opus is sure to surprise the audience. Alongside music from the 20th and 21st centuries, the programme features immortal classics such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Concerto for violin and orchestra No. 5 in A major, nicknamed the Turkish, and Symphony No. 29 in A major. Composed in 1774 by the 18-year-old Mozart, the latter is the precursor of his mature symphonies.

Soloist, Tallinn-born violinist Hans Christian Aavik, is the winner of the first prize at the 2022 Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition in Odense, Denmark, and the prize at the Usedom Music Festival in Usedom, Germany. This year alone his appearances include the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Tonhalle in Zurich, Elbe Philharmonic Hamburg, Carnegie Hall in New York, George Enescu Festival. He has collaborated with musicians such as Erkki-Sven Tüür, Tabea Zimmermann, Julian Rachlin, Midori and others. Estonian maestro Andres Kaljuste, graduate of orchestral conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, is guest conductor of the Estonian National Opera orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, symphony orchestras of Tampere, Odense, Aalborg and Aarhus as well as Lahti Sinfonia.

The concert is partly funded by the Ministry of Culture’s Professional Art Promotion Program