Violin Concerto (2024)
Duration:
45′
Instrumentation:
Violin Solo
1 Piccolo, 1 Flute, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets in Bb, 1 Bassoon, 1 Contrabassoon
3 Horns in F, 1 Piccolo Trumpet in Bb, 1 Trumpet in Bb, 1 Trombone, 1 Tuba
Percussion player I: Timpani (4), Percussions: Rain stick, thunder sheet, vibraslap, cymbal, triangle
Percussion player II: Drum Set: hi-hat, crash cymbal, cowbell, 2 woodblocks, hi tom, low tom, gong; Xylophone; Crotales
Percussion player III: Cymbal; Bass Drum (used by Payer II in Part II); Tubular Bells;
Harp
Piano (also Celesta in Part II)
Violin I (8 people), Violin II (6 people), Viola (4 people), Violoncello (4 people), Contrabass (2 people)
Programme Note
To write a Violin Concerto is a life-long dream of mine. I am a violinist myself. While studying in school, I played through the whole ‘standard’ violin repertoire. Over the hours and years of practice these sounds have ‘drilled’ deeply into my mind and body to stay with me for the entire lifetime. Once I started my composers’ journey, violin stayed with me. And whilst I stopped performing classical repertoire, I continuously play my own contemporary music works. My dear violin, inherited from my father who also used to play it at some point, accompanied me through life. It traveled with me across Lithuania, came with me to study in Jerusalem, finally joined me when moving to England to study at the Royal Academy of Music, where at one point I worked at the museum looking after the most precious Stradivarius and Guarneri violins. It now lives with me in Scotland, from where we together travel around the world.
All these experiences in life, along with most famous sounds of Sibelius, Mendelsson, Tchaikovsky violins concertos, and my own musical language, are tied in this work. I am especially happy for my concerto to be premierred by Dalia Kuznecovaitė, who is not only an outstanding musician, but is also a daughter of my violin teacher Gintvilė Vitėnaitė.
Produced by Lithuanian Composer’s Union, funded by the Lithuanian Culture Council, supported by AIR – Artist in Residence, Arvo Part Centre, DAR Residency, premierred at Gaida Festival.