ČIURLIONIS RESONANCES

ČIURLIONIS RESONANCES
Peace. Wrath. Eternity.

Vincenzo De Martino (Italy–Lithuania) – piano

The NESSUN DORMA Night Concert Marathon invites audiences not only to enjoy music, but also to discover unexpected dialogues between cultures, eras and artistic worlds. One such encounter will be offered by Italian pianist Vincenzo De Martino, who has lived in Lithuania for more than a decade and whose artistic work is devoted to exploring connections between Lithuanian and Italian musical culture.

In this recital, the pianist presents ČIURLIONIS RESONANCES, a programme born from the continuing echoes of the 150th anniversary of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis. Although the official anniversary year has passed, those echoes continue to inspire new performances, research and artistic discoveries, constantly renewing the legacy of Lithuania’s visionary composer and painter.

The programme unfolds as a three-part musical journey – Peace, Wrath and Eternity – bringing together the sound worlds of Čiurlionis and Italian composers while exploring the relationship between humanity, nature and the universe. Within this musical narrative, subtle yet fascinating connections emerge between Lithuanian and Italian culture, revealing shared artistic sensibilities and reflections of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Čiurlionis’ Preludes enter into dialogue with works by Gian Francesco Malipiero, Alfredo Casella, Giovanni Sgambati and Nino Rota, creating unexpected and illuminating encounters between different cultural traditions.

The concept of the programme reflects a central theme in Vincenzo De Martino’s artistic work. He frequently creates concert programmes based on historical and musical parallels between Lithuania and Italy, inviting audiences to experience the two cultures not as separate worlds but as parts of a shared European musical heritage.

Born in Cagliari, Italy, Vincenzo De Martino studied at the Cagliari State Conservatory before continuing his education at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, where he completed both his Master’s degree and Doctorate in Music. A laureate of international competitions and winner of the Stasys Vainiūnas International Piano Competition in 2018, he has performed extensively throughout Europe as both a soloist and chamber musician. Alongside his concert career, he is actively engaged in research on Lithuanian music, publishing scholarly articles and presenting his work at international conferences. In 2019, he was awarded a Letter of Appreciation by the President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaitė, in recognition of his artistic achievements.

This evening is conceived not as a traditional recital but as a unified musical narrative, where the relationships between the works are as important as the works themselves. Peace, Wrath and Eternity become not only sections of the programme, but symbols of a deeper human and spiritual journey.

Following the concert, audiences are invited to remain for the Media Opera ČIURLIONIS: I SEE MUSIC – a unique theatrical concept created by composer Audronė Žigaitytė. Inspired by the visionary world of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, it combines music, visual art, animation and digital media in a journey where music becomes vision and vision becomes music.