In the Light of the Road. Aurelija Šimkus

Participants

Aurelija Šimkus, piano

Program

Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms

Although programmatic elements are quite typical of Franz Liszt's output, in the case of the dramatic Second Ballade the composer did not provide an exact account of its content. Over time, however, music scholars and pianists have been happy to “find” one, most often leaning toward two endlessly beautiful, yet ultimately unfulfilled love stories. In a completely different mood, the colorful Romantic likewise painted the temperament-charged Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15, for which the outstanding piano virtuoso Vladimir Horowitz created his own version. The early Piano Sonata in D minor (XVI:20) by the eldest Viennese classicist Joseph Haydn, meanwhile, stands out for its dramatically shifting mood and unusual formal expansion, which is why it is often called the most Beethoven-like of the master’s piano works. Similarities and differences between the keyboard writing of the two great masters of Viennese Classicism will also be illuminated by Ludwig van Beethoven’s 31st, or penultimate, piano sonata, presented alongside the Austrian composer’s score. It was composed at the same time as his Missa Solemnis, and perhaps for that reason is full of recitative-like and singing elements that blend beautifully with pianistic virtuosity and seriousness of expression, with an engaging elegiac quality and lyricism. Also regarded as late works are the piano pieces Op. 119 by the Romantic Johannes Brahms, full of bright melancholy and playfulness, ardent passion and tenderness. These piano works by the four masters have been brought together in a single concert program by the young pianist Aurelija Šimkus. Having honed her skills not only in her homeland, but also in Italy, Sweden, and Germany, the young artist has already received several important awards, including the prestigious Echo Klassik, and has delighted audiences with her carefully considered and finely felt interpretations in nearly all of Europe.

Information

Event: 2 parts

Duration: 2h

Cafe: Yes