Every year, the birthday concerts of the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra become a spectacular gift for the audience. The cellist, who has been hailed as an ambassador of the cello in the 21st century, has performed with the world's leading symphony orchestras and conductors such as Gustavo Dudamel, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Pablo Heras-Casado, Paavo Jarvi, Klaus Mäkelä, Andris Nelsons, and Christian Thielemann. In the 2024-2025 season alone, Capuçon has already performed at the Berlin and Paris Philharmonics, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, London's Wigmore Hall and other prestigious concert halls. It is a great pleasure to hear the renowned cellist at the LVSO Concert Hall in Vilnius this January.

 

The winner of numerous international awards, in addition to his intensive concert activity, he is also very dedicated to education and support for young musicians from all walks of life. In 2022, Capuçon set up a foundation in his name to support young talent. The cellist is a passionate ambassador of the Orchestre à l'École association, which introduces classical music to more than 42,000 French children every year. Capuçon plays a cello made in 1701 by the Venetian master Matteo Goffriller, which tonight will be used to play the Cello Concerto in E minor by the British composer Edward Elgar (1857-1934). This is a cornerstone work in the cello repertoire, containing everything a performer can dream of, from heady themes to stormy leaps of mood. 

 

In the second part of the concert, the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Gintaras Rinkevičius, will perform the six-movement symphonic poem The Life of a Hero by German composer Richard Strauss (1864-1949). In this autobiographical work, written in 1898, Strauss reflects on his entire life, using musical quotations from his most significant works.