The Gustav Mahler Orchestra of Colombo is back with yet another exciting concert at the start of 2020. This time the orchestra features a world renowned Lithuanian violin soloist, Barbora Valiukeviciute, with Dilan Angunawela on piano. The concert also features two young violinists of the orchestra, Manoj Wijayawardana and Darshana Amarasinghe as soloists and they will be joined by the string section of the Gustav Mahler Orchestra of Colombo under the baton of its Chief Conductor, Srimal Weerasinghe.
This special concert is to be held on Sunday February 2, 2020, 7.30pm at the Lotus Hall of BMICH, Colombo-07 and is presented in association with the Lithuanian Consulate in Sri Lanka celebrating the Independence of Lithuania and Sri Lanka.
Violinist Barbora Valiukeviciute will perform Ludwig Van Beethoven’s exquisite Spring Sonata, Pablo Sarasate’s extremely demanding showpiece for Violin, Zigeunerweisen along with Phantasy for Violin and Piano by Arnold Schoenberg, the most influential of the Second Viennese School of Composers. Music of the 20th Century ,especially those of the Viennese composers are rarely heard in the region, therefore, the audiences are in for a unique treat with this work.
Born in Kaunas, Lithuania, Barbora Valiukeviciute began her studies at the age of four at J. Naujalis Music Gymnasium. Barbora has served as a co-concertmaster of the New York Symphonic Ensemble under the baton of Takahara Mamoru, leading the orchestra for five years in tours around the United States and Asia. As a guest concertmaster she led the Pan-European Philharmonic at the Aegean Music Festival in Greece. She has collaborated with many famous conductors and critically acclaimed musicians such as Kurt Mazur, Vladimir Jurowski, Philippe Entremont, Julian Rachlin, Maxim Vengerov and Vadim Gluzman. She has performed solo and chamber music recitals around the world, at venues such as the Veronica Hagman Concert Hall, Staller Centre for the Arts in the United States, the Auditorium al Duomo in Florence, the Fukuoka Across Hall in Japan, the Metropolitan MuseumConcert Hall in New York, and the National Philharmonic in Lithuania.
She has collaborated with colleagues such as IevaJokubaviciute, Leon Livshin, Miles Masicotte and Raul
Rodriguez.
Ms. Valiukeviciute regularly teaches master classes as a guest artist at Accademia d'ArchiArrigoni in Italy, and Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania. She has been a faculty member at the Merit School of Music in Chicago and Barenboim-Said foundation.
The second half of the concert consists of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Concerto for 2 Violins in D minor performed by Manoj Wijayawardana and Darshana Amarasinghe. Manoj is the Principal Second Violin of the Gustav Mahler Orchestra and Darshana is the Associate Principal Second Violin of the Orchestra.
The concert will close with Gustav Mahler’s immortal Adagietto, 4th Movement of his colossal Symphony No. 5, performed by the lush String Section of the Gustav Mahler Orchestra conducted by its Music Director and Chief Conductor Srimal Weerasinghe.
Entrance is free for the concert. However, reservation is required due to limited seating. Reservations can be made by calling 0778079335.
The concert is supported by the Lithuanian Consulate in Sri Lanka, Worldwide Recruiting Agency, Sunday Observer and Pulse as media sponsors.