About

The Vilnius String Quartet and Ukrainian pianist Antonii Baryshevskyi will open their concert with Johann Sebastian Bach’s Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of Fugue), BWV 1080, written in the twilight of his life and published by his sons as a sign of their utmost respect for their father. Bach did not specify exactly which instrument or ensemble this work was intended for – it can be performed on any keyboard instrument, as well as by any ensemble or orchestra. It is a cycle of fourteen fugues (the composer calls them counterpoints) and four canons, demonstrating Bach’s extraordinary, unsurpassed mastery as a polyphonist. Continuing the Bach theme, his chorale prelude for organ O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß (O Mankind, Mourn Your Great Sins) from the Orgelbüchlein (Little Organ Book), arranged by Japanese composer Toshio Hosokawa, will be performed.

Ukrainian composer Boris Lyatoshinsky (1895–1968) was one of the most influential figures in the 20th-century Ukrainian music. A talented composer and teacher, he lived through a period of political upheaval and ideological censorship. He was repeatedly targeted by ideologues, accused of formalism and of not ‘writing music for the people.’ The Ukrainian Quintet was written between 1942 and 1945, during the war years.

Pianist Antonii Baryshevskyi, winner of international competitions, has performed in such venues as London’s Wigmore Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, the philharmonic halls of Berlin, Cologne, and Warsaw, and the Royal Concertgebouw. He has toured almost all European countries, as well as Israel, Japan, South Korea, and the USA. Baryshevskyi has appeared with the Munich Radio, Israel, and Arturo Toscanini philharmonic orchestras, among others.