Piano recital “Echoes of the Baltics” | Monika Dars

“I would like to compose a symphony from the sound of the waves, from the mysterious language of the hundred-year-old forest, from the twinkling of the stars, from our little songs and from my own unutterable longing.”, – M. K. Čiurlionis

Sounds born of silence, wind and sea. The music of M. K. Čiurlionis, B. Dvarionas, A. Remesa, P. Vasks and A. Pärt is not only an echo of the culture of the Baltic States, but also a living, unfolding narrative that sensitively combines tradition and the present.

On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of M.K. Čiurlionis’ birth, in the hands of pianist Monika Dars not only his piano miniatures will come to life, but also his spectacular piano sonata. Čiurlionis’ works will engage in a sensitive dialogue with the music of other Baltic composers – from melancholic lyricism and the fragile harmony of frozen time to dynamic, pulsating energy; from echoes of folk motifs to bold, experimental harmonies.

Echoes of folklore are not only quoted here, but also dissected, transformed, sometimes barely audible like a song in the distance, sometimes pulsating with the rhythm of dance. Folk melodies become a bridge between the past and the present, between tradition and innovation.

Pianist Monika Dars is a laureate of international competitions and has toured many European countries, played in the USA, South America, Canada and Asia. She is an active soloist and member of chamber ensembles.

In the context of the 60th anniversary of the Benelux, she performed for the Royal Families of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg at the Bozar Henry Le Boeuf concert hall in Brussels.

Recent awards include the Golden Wing and a concert tour from the Podkarpacka Fundacja Rozwoju Kultury in Poland, 4th prize at the Schoenfeld Chamber Music Competition in China, the Joseph Darche Piano Prize and the Supernova Chamber Music Competition in Belgium, 1st prize at the Nordic Strings Chamber Music Competition in Denmark, 2nd prize at the Luigi Nono Competition in Italy.

Programme of the concert:

B. DVARIONAS (1904-1972)
Impromptu
Waltz in a-minor
Waltz in g-minor
Dance in a style of Skudučiai (“Šokis skudučių stiliuje”)
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M. K. ČIURLIONIS (1875-1911)
Nocturne
Prelude in B-major
Prelude in b-minor
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A. PÄRT (1935)
Für Alina
Für Anna Maria
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A. REMĖSA (1951)
Stygmatas (“Stigmos”)
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BREAK
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P. VASKS (1946)
White Scenery (“Balta Ainava”)
Music for a Summer Evening
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M. K. ČIURLIONIS (1875-1911)
Sonata in F-major