SERGEY KRYLOV with LNSO: Esa-Pekka Salonen – Violin Concerto

“One of the five most outstanding violinists in the world today” – this is how legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich described violinist Sergey Krylov. On November 7, the renowned violin virtuoso will perform at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic and, together with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, will perform one of the most significant violin concertos of the 21st century – the Violin Concerto by renowned conductor and composer Esa-Pekka Salonen, which will be performed in Lithuania for the first time.

Among other top-level violinists, Sergey Krylov stands out not only for his exceptional technique and virtuosity, but also for the extraordinary beauty of his sound, intensity of expression, and captivating musicality. He is regularly invited to perform at major festivals and concert halls. In recent years, Krylov has performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Osmo Vänskä, the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Juraj Valčuha, the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jukka-Pekka Saraste, the Filarmonica della Scala conducted by Fabio Luisi, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop. He has also performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the NHK Symphony Orchestra, and many other top-level orchestras. His stage partners have included world-renowned conductors such as Charles Dutoit, Vasily Petrenko, Simone Young, Tõnu Kaljuste, Vladimir Jurowski, Andris Poga, and others.

Krylov’s recordings have been released by major classical music labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, Sony Classical, and EMI. The performer also recorded Krzysztof Penderecki’s Violin Concerto Metamorphosen, conducted by the composer himself. This recording became an important part of a project dedicated to recording all of Penderecki’s works.

Krylov’s career extends beyond solo performance to conducting. Since 2008, he has been the artistic director of the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra. He also conducts various orchestras in Europe and around the world, with a repertoire spanning from Baroque to contemporary music. He has conducted the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana in Lugano, the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, Kremerata Baltica, Pomeriggi Musicali in Milan, the Carlo Felice Theatre Orchestra in Genoa, the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, and many other ensembles.

This time, Krylov will take the stage of the Lithuanian National Philharmonic as a soloist and perform a remarkable work – one of the most significant violin concertos of the 21st century, Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Violin Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, which received the prestigious Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition. Written in 2009, the work combines the traditional concept of the virtuosic concerto with a contemporary sound aesthetic and an exceptionally broad emotional range. “I wanted to encompass as wide a spectrum of expression as possible – from virtuosic and spectacular to aggressive and brutal, from meditative and static to nostalgic and autumnal,” Salonen has said of his concerto.

An important factor in the creation of the work was Salonen’s collaboration with world-renowned violinist Leila Josefowicz, who will also perform in Vilnius this autumn (October 22 at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic) and to whom the Violin Concerto was dedicated. The composer has said that the performer constantly encouraged him to push the boundaries of artistic expression. As a result, the work became not only a portrait of the violinist but also Salonen’s own personal narrative – a reflection on his creative and personal experiences.