Paying a tribute to the 200th anniversary of Frédéric Chopin, the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society offers the series of three evenings on February 20th, 24th and March 3rd, dedicated to three different hypostases of the great Polish composer: “Old Chopin,” “New Chopin” and “Juvenile Chopin.” The series features his iconic pieces for piano, less known works for orchestra and jazzy metamorphoses of his best-selling blockbusters. Among the guest performers in this series are French pianist Philippe Giusiano, Lithuanian pianists Petras and Lukas Geniušas, AUKSO Chamber Orchestra, under its artistic director Marek Moś, and a small combo ensemble.

“Among us there is so much writing, speaking and thinking about Fryderyk Chopin! How many rhetorically colourful wreaths lie at his feat! However, the question of his work still seems not to be properly considered. We are drowning in his depths, and we are afraid to cross outside the magic circle of superhuman heroism that so characteristically surrounds those whom we are accustomed to – from our past – who rise as huge bronze statues beyond their epoch,” wrote Polish composer Karol Szymanowski about Chopin in his article of 1923, beckoning his contemporaries to bring back Chopin’s ideas to the living national cultural consciousness, devoid of any sentimentality and prejudice.

On February 20th, at 7 pm, the Saturday orchestral concert at the National Philharmonic Hall presents Chopin’s Fantasie sur des airs polonais, Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise brillante (less frequently performed of his scores for piano and orchestra) and the Second Piano Concerto, featuring pianist Philippe Giusiano, who has twice come the prize-winner of the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw (in 1990 and 1995, respectively), and the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra under its second conductor, Robertas Šervenikas. The public is strongly recommended to attend this concert without any preconceptions about what is generally known about Chopin’s work – as tabula rasa, on which one could inscribe his or her new impressions.

On February 24th, Wednesday, at 7 pm, one can return with quite the contrary expectations – with an active memory of Chopin, bearing all his stereotyped motives, themes and characteristic details in mind – just to be surprised once more. For all that so characteristic of Chopin is to be transformed and displayed in an entirely different and somewhat unexpected musical context. “The New Chopin is not just an ordinary postcard to a composer,” comments Mateusz Kołakowski and Piotr Steczek, presenting their project “2010: a Chopin odyssey.” The standard jazz combo ensemble (of which Kołakowski is the leader) finds a strong partner in the AUKSO Chamber Orchestra (under its artistic director Marek Moś), which can play the groove, perform a solo, and most of all mix classical, romantic, modern and jazz sounds, so closely intertwined in today’s world. Additional contributions come with improvisations on an acoustic violin and a six-string electric violin as well as the spatial sound of oriental flutes, such as duduk, shakuhachi and ney (in the masterly hands of Piotr Steczek).

And, finally, on March 3rd, Wednesday, at 7 pm, father and son Petras and Lukas Geniušas are to engage not in a cosy family music-making, but in a real piano tour de force. After both pianists will perform Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, oozing with primordial energy, Lukas Geniušas will present his account of Chopin’s complete 24 etudes, op.10 and op.25, which revolutionised the piano technique of the time and transformed the very status of the genre – from ‘emotional trifles’ in the form of finger exercises to the form of highest art.