SIGHS AND PASSIONS

Šviesė Čepliauskaitė (piano)

The NESSUN DORMA Night Concert Marathon invites audiences to the recital Sighs and Passions, performed by pianist Šviesė Čepliauskaitė – a programme where Romantic poetry, pianistic brilliance and the world of human emotions come together.

At the heart of the evening stands the music of two towering figures of the nineteenth century, Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt. The programme includes Chopin’s Ballade No. 2 in F major, Liszt’s piano transcriptions of Polish songs, the celebrated Liebesträume (Dreams of Love), the concert étude Un Sospiro (A Sigh), the concert paraphrase on Verdi’s Rigoletto, and one of the most dazzling of the Transcendental Études.

A special place in the programme is reserved for Fantasy on Themes from Prince Antoni Henryk Radziwiłł’s Opera Faust, composed by Šviesė Čepliauskaitė herself. Born in Vilnius, Radziwiłł was a statesman, composer, poet and dramatist whose name is linked to one of the most fascinating chapters of European Romanticism. Inspired by Goethe’s Faust, he became the first composer to create an operatic version of the work, with the libretto adapted by Goethe himself. Čepliauskaitė’s fantasy revives this remarkable cultural connection between Lithuania and Europe and brings renewed attention to a unique artistic achievement of the Romantic era.

Šviesė Čepliauskaitė performs extensively in Lithuania and abroad, presenting solo recitals and chamber music programmes, appearing at international festivals, giving masterclasses, serving on competition juries, and teaching as Associate Professor at the Music Academy of Vytautas Magnus University.

Her concerts are distinguished by a unique atmosphere. Through engaging commentary, she introduces audiences to the world of the music she performs, revealing the lives, ideas and emotional landscapes of the composers. As a result, each recital becomes not only a musical performance but also a vivid and inspiring journey through history, culture and artistic imagination.

The music of Frédéric Chopin occupies a special place in her repertoire. She was the first pianist in Lithuania to record all of Chopin’s waltzes and has released acclaimed albums including F. Chopin: Waltzes, CHOPIN LT, M. K. Oginski: Farewell to the Homeland, and SENSIBILE. She has also recorded works by Mozart, Chopin and Szymanowski for Lithuanian Radio.

For her contribution to culture, Šviesė Čepliauskaitė has been awarded the Polish distinction Zasłużony dla Kultury Polskiej (Meritorious for Polish Culture) and the Gold Cross of Merit of the President of Poland.

Sighs and Passions is an evening where Romantic imagination, pianistic virtuosity and poetic storytelling merge into a captivating journey through love, longing, dreams and creative passion.

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.