SUMMERTIME | George Gershwin's most famous works

Jonas SAKALAUSKAS (bass)

Emilija FINAGĖJEVAITĖ (soprano)

Darius MAŽINTAS (piano)

George Gershwin was an American musician and composer who revolutionised music and lived an incredibly rich creative life.During his career, he composed three hundred songs, 9 musicals, several operas and many piano works. "Porgy and Bess and Rhapsody in Blue are still considered to be his trademarks.

The opening aria of George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess, Summertime, written in 1934, is the most frequently performed work in the music world, and today has more than 25,000 versions. Inspired by African-American jazz, it has been reconstructed in opera, rock and roll, reggae, disco and other genres over more than 80 years. On 14 August, this multifaceted hit and other George Gershwin songs, as well as the famous Rhapsody in Blue, will be performed at the Traukas Vokė Manor on 14 August by master musicians Jonas SAKALAUSKAS (bass), Emilija FINAGĖJEVAITĖ (soprano) and Darius MAŽINTAS (piano)

"Listening to the work of George Gershwin is completely boring, his music is absorbing, enchanting and captivating. The musical fantasies of this composer, who grew up in Brooklyn, New York, fascinate with their lyricism, varied rhythms, and stage atmosphere," says J. Sakalauskas, one of the conceivers of the concert programme.

Jonas SAKALAUSKAS  - opera soloist, composer. He studied singing at the LAMT in the class of Prof. Virgilijus Noreika. He has studied at masterclasses with N. Brzakovic (Germany), T. E. Bauer (Germany) and others. In his extensive list of roles performed, besides classical operas (G. Puccini's "Giannis Stikis", O. Nikolai's "The Jesters of Windsor", G. Verdi's "La Traviata"), roles in Kuprevičius's stage works, as well as performances at contemporary opera festivals. Among the singer's numerous works, the most acclaimed was the mono-opera "Isadora" (libretto by D. Gintalas, directed by A. Jankevičius), which won the Golden Stage Cross in 2009.

Emilija FINAGĖJEVAITĖ - Lithuanian soprano. She holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree in opera singing from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, in the class of Prof. Irena Milkevičiūtė. In 2023-2024 she took part in the trainee programme of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, and in 2023 she made her debut at the National Opera Theatre of Northern Macedonia, where she performed the role of Susanna in Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro. She has created various roles in operas by Verdi, Mozart, Massenet and other composers. In 2023 she won a special prize at the Virgilijus Noreika International Singing Competition.

Darius MAŽINTAS is associated with the expressive nature of the performance of piano music

subtleties and an emotional approach. A laureate of international competitions and a participant of festivals, the pianist is characterised by his musicality and unique, interesting interpretation, unexpected nuances and distinctive musical images, and has performed on the concert stage with various orchestras and renowned Lithuanian and foreign partners. The pianist is also an author of educational musical projects and an organiser of charity concerts. In 2023, he played in the official programme of the NATO Summit in Vilnius.