The guitar - how many wonderful words have been said about it by the virtuosos of this instrument... "If you want to write a song, ask for a guitar" (Neil Young), "I like to be quiet, play the guitar and just relax" (Post Malone), "The guitar itself is a miniature orchestra" (Ludwig van Beethoven), "I love the guitar for its harmony - it is my constant companion on all my travels" (Nicolo Paganini), "If you really love the guitar, you will spend every waking hour stroking it" (Frank Zappa), " My first love was the sound of the guitar” (Boz Scaggs)."Čiurlionis sand pyramids" is the debut album of poetic, contemporary music by Roko Jurkaus. Rokas boldly claims that there are classical guitar visionaries in Lithuania. "Čiurlionis Sand Pyramids" is immediately different - a conceptual, thought-out, peculiarly melancholic thought that betrays Rock's musical intelligence. From the islands of Japan to the American continent, the compositions spread out in space - like pyramids lift a person up into the sky. Next time we would be reassured by the stability of our base, only today they are made of sand, blown by the wind, constantly unstable. From the life of Čiurlionis to two thousand and twenty years, the evidence of the winter dream is coded. After breaking that stone - only sand dust. Tintinnabuli!Appreciated for his sensitive musicianship and visionary programs, guitarist Rokas Jurkus is an active concert soloist, chamber music performer, music producer and member of the Kaunas State Musical Theater Orchestra. The musician, who graduated from the Lille Conservatory of Music and Dance in France, regularly performs in major Lithuanian and foreign concert halls and implements creative projects. Their last is the debut solo album "Čiurlionis sand pyramids" recorded in the bedroom and released in October 2023. Not only that, Rokas is a sensitive arranger, another recently completed project is the adaptation of the piano music of the great Lithuanian artist Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis for guitar. Transcriptions created by the artist are an event of special significance for the Lithuanian classical music scene. With the help of the Lithuanian Music Information Center, this sheet music publication has been available worldwide since October. As the 150th anniversary of the birth of M. K. Čiurlionis is approaching, the Lithuanian Music Information Center is filling up the collection of sheet music publications of his work and has already published the fourth collection of the composer's works. Up until now, it has mostly been a set of piano works, and this time the digital edition is dedicated to the guitar. It was Rokas who adapted piano music for guitar and arranged 18 pieces. Rock has always been distinguished not only by delicate guitar playing skills, but also by exceptional attention to the work of M. K. Čiurlionis.In his musical programs, rock, combining tenderness with vigor, opens the most poetic rooms of his beloved instrument. Internationally appreciated for his exceptional sense of rhythm, sound depth and subtlety, the performer regularly performs in major Lithuanian and foreign concert halls and implements creative projects. The versatile guitarist can also be heard in the orchestra of the Kaunas State Musical Theater and at jazz music parties.
during the acoustic evening we will hear Rock's performancesArvo Pärt - "For Alina" (Für Alina, Estonia, 1976),Golfam Khayam - "Thousand Mirrors" (Iran, 2020),Dušan Bogdanović - In Winter Garden (Serbia, 1996),Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis – Songs and Preludes (Lithuania, 1901–1906),Jeremy Collins - Elegy (Elegy, USA 2011),Carlo Domeniconi - "Koyunbaba" (Turkey, 1985).
