Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra will make appearance at the 50th Sion Festival in Switzerland
In late August the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra (LCO) will take part in the 50th Sion Festival in Switzerland the roster of which includes celebrated musicians such as Igudesman and Joo Duo, Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica, Janine Jansen and Itamar Golan, Klangforum Wien, Natalia Gutman and Pavel Vernikov to name but a few.
On August 28th at the Théâtre de Valère the LCO will collaborate with soloists Augustin Dumay (violin) and Aleksandra Orłowska (soprano). Programme featuring the violin wizardry and exceptional voice will include works by Mozart, Richard Strauss, Fauré, Ravel and Mendelssohn.
In closing concert of the Festival on August 31st in Sion’s Cathedral the LCO will appear with Sion’s choir Novantiqua and soloists Pavel Vernikov (violin), Svetlana Makarova (violin), Stéphane Chapuis (accordion), Alexander Chaushian (cello), Brigitte Fournier (soprano) and Sylviane Bourban (alto). Under the baton of Jan Dobrzelewski and Bernard Héritier the musicians will perform works by Vivaldi and Mendelssohn as well as Seven Words by contemporary composer Sofia Gubaidulina.
The Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra (Artistic Director – Sergej Krylov; Patron – Virginijus Strioga; Director – Egidijus Mikšys), one of our leading collectives, visits the Sion Festival for the second year in a row. According to the LCO’s Director Egidijus Mikšys, accompanying the collective to Sion, this tour is eagerly awaited and is of great importance for it testifies the LCO’s merits and acclaim gained at the Sion Festival last year when the LCO was the Orchestra in Residence. “We gave four concerts with soloists such as Julian Rachlin, Mojca Erdman (soprano) and Bo Skovhus (baritone) under conductor Stefan Vladar; as well as led by the LCO’s Artistic Director Sergej Krylov the Orchestra collaborated with Kaunas State Choir in performance of St. Matthew Passion by Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev. The fact that in a year we are repeatedly invited to the festival of such a high level is a sign of great recognition to us”, rejoices E. Mikšys.
Founded by Tibor Vargos, the renowned violinist of the 20th century, the Sion Festival can be called the Violin Mecca – its master classes, discussions and post-concert talks have been drawing the world’s leading violinists for five decades. The Festival also programs appearances of other string instrument virtuosos and most beautiful voices.
This year the Sion Festival presents the LCO’s three programmes featuring different soloists. The LCO’s concerts will take place on August 28th, 30th and 31st. The highlight of the three will be GALA Concert on August 30th marking the Festival’s 50th anniversary with the celebrated tongue-in-cheek musicians Aleksey Igudesman (violin) and Hyunk-ki Joo (piano), known as Igudesman and Joo Duo. Held at Théâtre du Crochetan the concert will include double concertos by Haydn and Mendelssohn, Music for the Royal Fireworks by Händel and A BIG Nightmare music by Igudesman and Joo.
LNPh inf.
