Tomas Kutavičius solo

On October 15, at the “Vilnius Jazz” festival, composer and pianist Tomas Kutavičius was honored with the “For Contributions to Lithuanian Jazz” award. This is a particularly significant recognition of his four-decade-long creative journey, in which jazz, free improvisation, and classical music converge in a unique way that is characteristic only of him.

In this solo concert, we will have the opportunity to hear one of the most important aspects of his work—piano improvisations. Tomas will play without a pre-planned program, allowing musical ideas to develop freely and complement one another. Not even the pianist himself knows in advance what music will emerge, but behind this freedom lies years of experience and the composer’s ability to give clear form even to music that arises spontaneously.

“For me, the most important thing is that there remains a sense of mystery in the music and in the sound itself,” Tomas Kutavičius told LRT in an interview published in October. This idea speaks volumes about his relationship with music and his desire to leave room not only for sound but also for the listener’s imagination.

In Kutavičius’s improvisations, the mood can shift from calm and contemplation to lively, energetic episodes. At times, one can sense the rhythms of nature in his music—the rustling of the wind, the rippling of water, or a sense of silence. Each improvisation has its own unique form and internal logic, yet remains open to the unexpected.