The concertmaster of the viola section of the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra and one of the founders of the chamber ensemble Vilnius Arsenal, violist Rolandas Romoslauskas, is celebrating the 40th anniversary of his creative activity this spring. On this occasion, together with the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Gintaras Rinkevičius, the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor, the violist invites you to a special concert with the participation of R. Romoslauskas' student friend, piano virtuoso Alexander Paley, will be featured in the concert. 

 

Rolandas Romoslauskas started learning the viola at the M. K. Čiurlionis National School of Arts. With the M. K. Čiurlionis School of Arts String Orchestra, conducted by Sauliaus Sondeckis, he took part in the prestigious Herbert von Karajan Competition, where the orchestra was awarded the gold medal. Later he continued his studies at the prestigious Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory. After graduating, he entered active concert life in 1984. Since then, the violist has performed with the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra and the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra, participated in international chamber music festivals in Luxembourg, France, Germany and Poland, and given solo concerts in Vilnius and other Lithuanian cities. In 2006, Romoslauskas gave concerts in Paris and Reims with the World Philharmonic Orchestra, and in 2007 he performed with pianist A. Paley at the Chamber Music Festival in Richmond (USA). This year marks the 30th anniversary of R. Romoslauskas's tenure as concertmaster of the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra's viola section. 

 

In 1986, the violist, not limiting himself solely to his solo career, took the initiative to form the chamber ensemble Vilnius Arsenal, whose original thematic concerts have already become a traditional part of the Museum of Applied Arts Vilnius. Since 2000, the ensemble has initiated and performed more than 100 works by Lithuanian composers and recorded five CDs, four of them by Lithuanian composers. Eight works for viola and piano by Lithuanian composers have been initiated and performed, as well as two concertos for viola and symphony orchestra by Zita Bružaitė and Giedrius Kuprevičius. In 1997 Romoslauskas founded the Vilnius Arsenal Studio, which he directed for 25 years. During this period, a number of cultural projects have been implemented, focusing on the interaction between music and other arts. The repertoire includes chamber music from the early Baroque to contemporary compositions. 

 

In the first part of the concert, Romoslauskas will play the Romance for Viola and Orchestra, Op. 85 by German composer Max Bruch (1838-1920). Paley will also perform Robert Schumann's (1810-1856) Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in A minor.

 

In the second part of the concert, the audience will have the opportunity to hear the opus Harold in Italy by the French Romantic composer Hector Berlioz (1803-1869). It is a four-movement symphony with solo viola part, written by the famous French Romantic for Niccolò Paganini, which incorporates memories of his poetic wanderings in Italy. However, when Paganini saw the sketches of the symphony, he was disappointed by the pauses in the viola part, and he and the composer parted ways. However, it was destined that a few years later, during a visit to Paris, Paganini heard Berlioz's Harold in Italy. He was so enchanted that after the concert he knelt down in front of the composer and kissed his hand.