"I believe in a musician’s vocational call to promote beauty, good, and harmony"
Aiste's grandfather
Balys Dvarionas – remarkable personality
Aiste's grandfather Lithuanian composer Balys Dvarionas is an acclaimed 20th century performing pianist, versatile multilingual conductor and humanistic educationalist representing romantism era of Lithuanian national music.
Over his lifetime he composed series of works so diverse stylistically and genre wise, such as miniatures, concertos, operas, ballets, symphonies, music for films and theatre productions. Dvarionas music weaved with authentic compositions melodically and emotionally deeply resonating with Lithuanian folk music and its national heritage.
Dvarionas's music sounds authentic, close, natural, flexible in rhythmics, it mesmerises the listeners with clear and colourful mood. Dvarionas said once: 'My aesthetic ideals were formed under the influence of 19th century romanticism, and I believe in the musician’s vocational call to spread beauty, good, harmony, to educate people and to raise them above the routine. I believe that people who say this type of view is behind the times are wrong. The ideals of human good have remained unchanged over many thousands of years: love, truth, freedom, and friendship. To serve them is not a step backwards.'
In the picture Balys Dvarionas (1904-1972)
Publicising Dvarionas's music
The famous Violin Concerto debut in London
Vadim Gluzman needs no introduction. Geared with his 1690 ‘ex-Leopold Auer’ Stradivarius he performs regularly in with leading US and European orchestras.
It was an honour to Dvarionas family that a top class violinist Vadim Gluzman chose Aiste’s grandfather’s Violin Concerto for his performance in London on 13 April 2012 accompanied by BBC Symphony Orchestra.
For the family and the Lithuanian culture, it was truly a milestone debut: in the history of all Lithuanian composers, this was the first time a Violin Concerto composed by a Lithuania composer which was performed live in London. Moreover, to signify the occasion, composer’s living descendants: Prof Jurgis Dvarionas, Aiste Dvarionaite and her daughter Ilona.
After the concert, Mr Gluzman gave an interview to the National Lithuanian and Radio saying 'I knew the Balys Dvarionas Concert since my very childhood. Fell in love with it from the first moment. It’s been quite some time since my instrument had enjoyed music with so much fun. Speaking of the rehearsals with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the entire crew was smiling throughout the rehearsal which was really touching. The musicians played B. Dvarionas music with enormous pleasure. In turn, I will try to do my best to make that this music would be performed more and more often.'
In the picture, Vadim Gluzman performing Dvarionas's Violin Concerto in Barbican.
You can find out more information about the Dvarionas violin concerto in Lodon by browsing Aiste's blog.
