KONCERTAS IN B

In the small hall

Performers:
KAUNAS STRING QUARTET
Karolina Beinarytė-Palekauskienė (I violin)
Aistė Mikutytė (II violin)
Eglė Lapinskė (viola)
Kasparas Šerpytis (cello)
DONALD RACHYS (piano)
In the program:
ZITA BRUZAITĖ - string quartet "Mozaika I"
VIDMANTAS BARTULIS - string quartet "Oh, dear"
JOHANNES BRAHMS - Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34

Kaunas String Quartet, 2026. commemorating the 45th anniversary of its existence, the repertoire is constantly supplemented with both new and previously performed works by Kaunas composers. It can be said that the quartet's main mission is to represent Lithuanian musical culture, especially by nurturing the creativity of Kaunas composers. So it is no coincidence that in this evening's program, next to Johannes Brahms's piano quintet, the listeners will hear two string quartets by Kaunas composers - Zita Bružaitė and Vidmantas Bartulis.

Z. Bružaitė, who will celebrate her honorable anniversary this year, is one of the brightest personalities not only in terms of creativity, but also in terms of various cultural activities. Her 1997 the string quartet created by the "Mozaika I" collective has been performed several times and immortalized on a CD. This quartet consists of 5 short parts, like mosaics, distinguished by character, tempo, dynamics and strokes. "Mozaika I" is the second work for the string quartet, after the composition "Versmė" (1995), which was also inspired by the Kaunas String Quartet.

"Mozaika I" is like a suite, the 5 parts of which are the musical essence of the works created in the same year, a fragmentary reflection, which allows you to look at the created works by reflecting each idea in its own way. In the mentioned year, the composer created 15 works, which were very diverse in their genres and included: from a children's play, a song to an opera, but most of them are related to choral or vocal music. Only a few became a reflection of Mosaic I. There's a part that's written like a Gregorian chant, a part that looks like a bird's wings in the graphic score, and so on. These are the transformations of the works for the choir "Ave Maria", "Vieveršėliai", "Amiži dainos" created in the same year, which are very far removed from the created works in terms of their musical theme and timbral choice. The rest are just ideas, sketches that were combined into one cycle.

V. Bartulis's string quartet "O, pragnioji", which has been played more than once, is another unique work that has bright content and is extremely playful, sharp, characterized by bright rhythmic motifs. "Vidmantas Bartulis of bright memory has mentioned that the quartet is dedicated to his wife, and when my colleagues and I performed this work, we asked Vidmantas, what is this slow introduction about? The composer always allowed us to freely interpret his work, but always gave a few hints, which each performer interpreted in his own way. So a slow introduction is like an awakening, slow strumming, laziness... Well, after the introduction, the movement of a characteristic rhythm and a continuous musical engine begins, as if engaging in mutual teasing, reprimands, coming together beautifully in some places into a unified rhythmic formula", - this is how the prima of the quartet Karolina Beinarytė-Palekauskienė tells about this piece.

J. Brahms Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34, is one of the most mature of the 19th century. masterpieces of chamber music, distinguished by extraordinary emotional tension, symphonic scale and perfectly balanced dramaturgy of piano and string dialogue. The piece was created between 1862 and 1864, when J. Brahms lived in a period of extreme creativity and inner change. He originally intended to write a string quintet, then a sonata for two pianos, but the final version, a piano quintet, became the ideal form to express the composer's artistic vision. The quintet is considered the culmination of J. Brahms's chamber work - it is music that combines intellectual strength, emotional depth and the ensemble of the instrumentalists. To this day, this work remains an unsurpassed example of the chamber music repertoire, opening up new meanings and interpretative possibilities in each performance. Kaunas String Quartet will perform this quintet together with pianist prof. Donald Rach. D. RAČYS is a pianist who performs as a soloist and chamber music performer. He has given concerts in Germany, Italy, USA, Denmark, Czech Republic, Poland, China, gave lectures and conducted master classes in USA (Chicago), Czech Republic (Prague), Poland (Czestochowa), conservatories in Italy (Genoa, Frosinone, Pesaro, Verona, Milan), participated in international music festivals in China "Yamaha Piano Week" (Beijing), Czech Republic "Olympus Musicus" (Prague). D. Račys is a member of the jury of national and international competitions. He is also a professor at the VMU Music Academy, head of the Piano Department. The pianist pays great attention to pedagogical work, many of his students are laureates of various national and international competitions.

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