Lithuanian and Belgian Landscapes

MIKALOJUS KONSTANTINAS ČIURLIONIS – Theme and variations in B minor, VL 80
WILFRIED WESTERLINCK – Landscape VII for clarinet and string quartet
JOHANNES BRAHMS – Quintet, Op. 115 in B minor

Čiurlionis Quartet has nurtured a beautiful professional friendship with Belgian clarinettist Eddy Vanoosthuyse. Praised by the international press he has gained worldwide recognition for his distinctive interpretation and remarkable technical and musical qualities. He is the principal clarinet of the Brussels Philharmonic, professor at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent and the Fontys Conservatory of Tilburg, gives solo concerts and leads master classes around the globe. Vanoosthuyse received different prizes and awards, including those from the Chinese Clarinet Society and the city of Lima (Peru). He was awarded the Torenwachtersprijs for his international career; the Union of Belgian Composers honoured him with the prestigious Fuga Trophy, Klassiek Centraal distinguished him with a Golden Label for his CD recording of the concerti of Corigliano and Carter. He was awarded the Honorary Member of the International Clarinet Association (the highest award of the ICA for an ‘exceptional Career Achievement Award’).

This afternoon, Čiurlionis Quartet and Vanoosthuyse give a Lithuanian premiere to Landscape VII by Wilfried Westerlinck, a Belgian contemporary composer, and the Quintet for clarinet and string quartet in B minor, Op. 115 by the great romanticist Brahms. This majestic opus combines autumnal melancholy and equilibrium of emotion and rationality. “It is a truly wonderful work: whining clarinet and telling music”, commented Clara Schumann after listening to this Quintet for the first time. Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis’ Theme and Variations in B minor for string quartet will usher the audience into a tender Lithuanian landscape.