About

2025 marks the 120th anniversary of the birth of Vytautas Bacevičius (1905–1970), one of the first Lithuanian musical avant-gardists, the creator of the first Lithuanian piano concerto and one of the first Lithuanian ballets, composer and pianist. Pianist and winner of international competitions Yusuke Ishii dedicated his recital programme to this composer. Born in Tokyo and educated in Paris, Ishii, a pianist, musicologist and composer, has been living in Lithuania since the end of 2019, researching Lithuanian music, and is a PhD student at Kaunas University of Technology.

The programme of the recital consists of works by Bacevičius and composers of similar aesthetics of the 20th century. The concert will symbolically open with the works of Karol Szymanowski, a composer Bacevičius was very fond of. As Ishii says, “with this programme I aim to reveal the musical utopia that Bacevičius dreamt of, by juxtaposing it with the works of some 20th century composers who pursued the same utopia. Messiaen, whose work Bacevičius admired, is probably missing here, but I have included his favourite pupils – Pierre Boulez and George Benjamin. The music of the former, who would have been 100 years old this year, shocked Bacevičius on his visit in Paris, with its modernity. Bacevičius did not meet Benjamin, another of Messiaen’s pupils. However, there is an interesting connection: Benjamin’s work is based on and entitled Fantasy on lambic Rhythm, a rhythm that Bacevičius was particularly keen on. The programme closes with a work by a younger generation composer, Boulez’s protégé Christophe Bertrand, who committed suicide at the height of his career at the age of 29. The aim is to highlight Bacevičius’ aesthetics and its diffusion in the context of 20th century piano literature.”

Concert partner – Music Information Centre Lithuania