About this Event
is proud to present a free lunchtime concert featuring pianist and composer Milda Vitartaite.
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Programme: ‘Games of Sound’
Claude Debussy (1862-1918) - Preludes, Book 1
10. La cathédrale engloutie (The engulfed Cathedral)
3. Le vent dans la plaine (The Wind in the Plain)
Arvidas Remesa (b. 1951) - Stigmata (5 miniatures for piano)
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) - Barceuse Op. 57
Midla Vitartaite - Piano improvisation
György Ligeti (1923-2006) - Etudes, Book 1
2. Cordes à vide
4. Fanfares
5. Arc-en-ciel
Charles Ives (1874-1954) - Three-Page Sonata
About the programme
This concert program draws inspiration from my deep appreciation as a contemporary music performer for the diverse methods composers have utilized to create imagery and stimulate our senses throughout the past two centuries. From harmonic innovations to the art of improvisation, music —and the creativity it unleashes – has evolved to offer audiences both surprises and challenges, much like games — the purest form of enjoyment, mystery, and challenge that captivates us from our earliest days.
The first and last piece in the programme were written just a few years apart, however the sound world and musical expression Debussy’s Preludes and Ives’ Sonata diverge onto completely different planes. Debussy, the father of impressionist music, introduces live-real images through his use of harmony and texture. Ives brings us to avant-garde, polytonal world of enormous complexity, where he also teases our ears with musical quotations and even parody.
Remesa’s ‘Stigmata’ is an evocative set of 5 piano miniatures, each a depiction of the wounds of Christ. As a modern composer from my native Lithuania, Remesa’s worked is rooted in sacral music characterized by monothematic elegance and subtlety.
Improvisation holds a prominent place in the concept of sonic play. I’ve chosen to include Chopin’s Barceuse op. 57, a piece of standard classical repertoire, as its spontaneity creates such a colourful, almost kaleidoscopic effect; listening to it almost feels like one’s improvising!
As kaleidoscopic are etudes by Ligeti, which complete the programme. One of the most innovative composers of modern age, Ligeti has composed the etudes in the last two decades of his life, offering a new pianistic vocabulary, matching its virtuosity with intense emotionality.
Milda Vitartaite is a Lithuanian pianist and composer. Having started piano and composition lessons at the age of 12, Milda gained her master’s degree in Piano Performance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, UK, under the guidance of Douglas Finch, where she also had opportunities to shape her artistic expression with such celebrated artists as Pascal Roge and Martino Tirimo.
In recent years, Milda has emerged on the contemporary music scene as a dynamic and fervent interpreter of modern piano repertoire with a passion for bringing new works to the forefront of the classical music scene. Her commitment to new music led to numerous collaborations with emerging composers, premiering both chamber and solo pieces written for her.
Milda’s national debut as a composer came with the dance theatre work 'Plastic Bag Odyssey', which enjoyed acclaim in various Lithuanian festivals during 2020 and 2021. Since then, Milda’s works have been performed in different venues across London, including The New Lights Contemporary Piano Festival 2023.
Founded in 1948, Westminster Music Library holds one of the largest public collections of sheet music and music books in the UK. We are part of the Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea BiBorough Library Service, and our materials are free to use and borrow.
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This recital is part of our free live music series. Join us every Wednesday at 12:30 for a lunchtime concert.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Westminster Music Library, 35 Saint Martin's Street, London, United Kingdom
GBP 0.00
