Festival “World piano stars salute M. K. Čiurlionis”

On 18 September, in the Old Theatre of Vilnius, which boasts exceptional acoustics for piano recitals, M. K. Čiurlionis will be greeted by Andrius Žlabys, a Lithuanian pianist living in the USA, a Grammy nominee, as well as Håvard Gimse, a Norwegian superstar, praised for an adventurous and extremely wide repertoire. Musicianship and artistic presence of both pianists has received the highest accolades at festivals and competitions, as well as has been consistently praised by critics. Andrius Žlabys is “a shining hope of pianists” (The New York Sun), “his easy virtuosity is a wonder” (The Strad), his sound is “generous and all encompassing” (The Philadelphia Inquirer). The British news website independent.co.uk summed it up brilliantly and noted the uniqueness of Håvard Gimse: “Rarely is a pianist so at ease as Håvard Gimse. The mechanics of playing seemed to come naturally, so that he could concentrate on listening to himself.” Tonight, the Old Theatre of Vilnius will become a realm of enchanting interpretation, where multi-layered understanding of M. K. Čiurlionis’ music will manifest itself at the highest level.