As the 90th birthday of one of the most influential composers of our time, Philip Glass, approaches, renowned Japanese pianist Maki Namekawa \u2013 one of the most distinguished interpreters of Glass\u2019s music \u2013 will perform in Lithuania. The composer himself has said of her: \u201cShe is one of the strongest pianists.\u201d At the virtuoso pianist\u2019s recital, which will take place on October 28 at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic, works by the legendary minimalist and music by American jazz legend Keith Jarrett will be performed. Almost all of the works on the programme will be performed in Lithuania for the first time.<\/p>\n
Maki Namekawa<\/strong> is regarded as one of today\u2019s most distinguished pianists. She has performed at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Barbican Centre in London, the Philharmonie de Paris, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo, as well as at the Salzburg Festival, Ars Electronica, and the Ruhr Piano Festival. She has performed with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic, the Bamberg Symphony, the Dresden Philharmonic, the Bruckner Orchestra Linz, and the Seattle Symphony.<\/p>\n Among other exceptional pianists, Maki Namekawa stands out for her particular dedication to contemporary music and, above all, for her close creative relationship with legendary American composer Philip Glass. The pianist has performed and recorded a large part of his work, and in 2013, at the Perth International Arts Festival, in the presence of the composer himself, she gave the world premiere of the complete cycle of all 20 of Glass\u2019s piano \u00e9tudes. A year later, her recording of all of Glass\u2019s \u00e9tudes reached number one among classical music albums on the iTunes platform. In 2018, Maki Namekawa also recorded a piano version of Glass\u2019s music for the film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters<\/em> \u2013 her performance received the prestigious Pasticcio Prize from Austria\u2019s national broadcaster ORF.<\/p>\n \u201cMaki Namekawa is a very strong performer. She is one of the strongest pianists and undoubtedly has a deep feeling for music. She plays from the heart,\u201d Philip Glass himself has said of the pianist. The special relationship between the performer and his music is also reflected in the fact that in 2019 Glass composed his first Piano Sonata especially for Maki Namekawa. The pianist gave its premiere at the Ruhr Piano Festival in Germany, with the composer himself in attendance.<\/p>\n This is not the only work the renowned minimalist has written for the Japanese pianist. Together with her husband, conductor Dennis Russell Davies, Maki Namekawa has performed as a piano duo since 2003, and Glass has also composed works for the duo \u2013 Four Movements for Two Pianos<\/em> and Two Movements for Four Pianos<\/em> (the latter together with the piano duo Katia and Marielle Lab\u00e8que).<\/p>\n Writing about Namekawa\u2019s interpretations of Glass\u2019s music, The Guardian<\/em> described the \u201clongtime interpreter of Glass\u2019s music\u201d as possessing \u201cquiet wisdom\u201d, while reviewing her performance of the 20th \u00e9tude, the newspaper\u2019s critic stated that \u201cMaki Namekawa completely merged with the music\u201d. At the Vilnius concert, the pianist will perform Glass\u2019s \u00c9tudes Nos. 11 and 12, the music written for the dance production Tesra<\/em>, and the First Piano Sonata dedicated especially to her. Maki Namekawa will also perform Ritual<\/em> by American jazz legend Keith Jarrett.<\/p>\n The central figure of the concert is Philip Glass<\/strong>, who will celebrate his 90th birthday next January. One of the most influential composers of our time, he is perhaps the first composer to attract a broad audience to opera houses, concert halls, the world of dance, cinema, and popular music. His operas (Einstein on the Beach<\/em>, Satyagraha<\/em>, Akhnaten<\/em>, The Voyage<\/em>, and others) are staged at the world\u2019s most renowned opera houses and are often sold out. Glass has also composed music for the Oscar-winning films The Hours<\/em> and Kundun<\/em>, as well as Koyaanisqatsi<\/em>, renowned for its distinctive connection between music and visuals. The composer has collaborated with Allen Ginsberg, David Bowie, Paul Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Yo-Yo Ma, Leonard Cohen, Doris Lessing, and many other world-renowned artists.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":235950,"template":"","categories":[6,4],"tags":[],"ticket-vendor":[46],"class_list":["post-235949","event","type-event","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-festivaliai","category-koncertai","ticket-vendor-kakava-lt"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t