VERS LA FLAMME
LIEPSNOS LINK
LIUDAS MOCKŪNAS, saxophone
PETRAS GENIUŠAS, piano
Programme
Compositions for saxophone and piano by artists.
The performances of classical and jazz musicians feel each time like a kind of adventure and a discovery of a new way of communication - a unique, original, singular creative act. According to musicologists, the work of L. Mockūnas and P. Geniuš cannot be confined to one particular style: it is not jazz, it is not classical, it is not an improvisation on classical themes, it is not an ordinary fusion project, it is not something that we have heard before, it is a conversation between two personalities through the use of musical signs.
Liudas Mockūnas is a representative of modern jazz and free avant-garde music, one of the founders of the Lithuanian Jazz Federation and the founder of the world-renowned Lithuanian record label NoBusiness Records. He studied at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre and the Copenhagen Rhythm Music Conservatory. L. Mockūnas is known not only as a performer of improvisational and avant-garde jazz, but also of contemporary academic music. His repertoire includes works by Bronis Kutavičius, Anatoly Shenderov, Arvydas Malcius, Vyacheslav Ganelin, Dietrich Eichmann, Vykintas Baltakas and Giedrius Puskunigis. The artist's mastery has been recognised with prizes from Lithuanian, Latvian, Danish and French jazz competitions, Vilnius Jazz, Birštonas Jazz, the daily newspaper Lietuvos Rytas, and the Lithuanian Musicians' Union's Golden Disk for his services to Lithuanian jazz.In 2011, he was awarded the Golden Stage Cross in the Composer nomination for his music for the play "Prakeiktieji" (The Damned), based on E. O'Neill's play "Mourning is Fit for Electricity" (dir. A. Areima, OKT Teatras).
L. Mockūnas is the leader of the trio Nuclear, one of the leaders of the international jazz collectives Pasborg-Mockunas Toxikum, the electroacoustic trio Red Planet, Megaphone, the Lithuanian quartet Saga, and the ensembles Copenhagen Art, Gaida, Pasborg's Odessa 5, Konvoj Art. "Free Moby Dick", member of Vladimir Tarasov Trio. He has appeared on the programmes of Pierre Dorge and his New Jungle Orchestra, and has played in duos with Marc Ducret, Peter Geniuš, Barry Guy, William Hooker and Ryoji Hojito. He has collaborated with Jacob Anderskov, Nils Davidsen, Vladimir Chekasin, Arkady Gottesman, Mats Eilertsen, Evan Parker, Mark Solborg, Dietrich Eichmann, Jaak Sooäär, and many other prominent jazz artists. He has played with Andrew Hill's Jazz Par Octet, Mikko Innanen's Innkvisitio, Hugo Carvalhais' Nebulosa, Barry Guy, Mats Gustaffsson, Ibrahim Electric, and the VD Trio. As a soloist, he has performed with the Czech Hradec Kralove, Lithuanian State and National Symphony Orchestras, the St. Christopher and Klaipėda Chamber Orchestras, the Chordos String Quartet, and has appeared with various ensembles in concert halls in Europe, the USA, Japan, Israel and China, and has played at the most important jazz festivals.
Petras Geniušas is an internationally renowned Lithuanian performer born into a musical family in Vilnius. He studied at the Lithuanian State Conservatoire (now LAMTA) under Prof. Jurgis Karnavičius. Later, he continued his studies with the renowned Professor Vera Gornostaeva at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory.
P. Geniušas has been awarded the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Art (1992), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Prize (2004), the Honorary Mark of the Ministry of Culture "Carry Your Light and Believe" (2011), the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Grand Duke Gediminas of Lithuania (2015). He has received the highest awards at prestigious piano competitions: 2nd Prize at the Piano Competition of Pilar Bayona in Zaragoza (1989); 1st Prize at the Y.C.A.A. The first prize at the International Piano Competition in Oberlin and the third prize at the A.M.S.A. World Piano Competition in Cincinnati (1991); 1st Prize at the Palm Beach International Visiting Piano Competition (1992).
The artist's musicianship is distinguished by the versatility of his interests and his constant, often risky search for new forms of expression, for unusual musical and spiritual experiences. In addition to his superior musical taste and artistic technique, music critics have identified his special sensitivity to sound as one of his most valuable qualities. However, his experience and activities as a classical pianist alone are too narrow: he can often be heard accompanying drama performances, ballet or even cabaret, or participating in jazz or projects combining different musical styles. The pianist's extremely broad musical horizons - from English string players and folk music from around the world to avant-garde music, jazz and electronica - also feed back to enrich the palette of his classical music.
The pianist, who has mastered a wide repertoire of classical, romantic and contemporary works, gives recitals, performs with various chamber ensembles, and plays solo with symphony orchestras. His partners on stage include M. Rostropovich, J. Menuhin, A. Knyazev, D. Goering, R. Katilius, V. Noreika and V. Chekasin. In addition to numerous performances in Lithuania, Geniuš's concert tours have taken him to more than two dozen countries worldwide. The pianist has performed in the most famous concert halls: the Avery Fisher and Alice Tully of the Lincoln Center in New York, the Geijitsu Geikijo in Tokyo, the Musikverein in Vienna, and the Great Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic. His discography includes critically and publicly acclaimed recordings on various German, Japanese and Lithuanian labels.
