Chopin’s sparkling Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante is the grand opener to this recital by the Lithuanian pianist Rokas Valuntonis.  The programme includes miniatures by fellow countryman Balys Dvarionas which owes much of their musical language to Chopin. Horowitz’s arrangement of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody makes a show-stopping finale.

Programme

Chopin –  Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante
Balys Dvarionas –  First Snowflakes, Birds In The Winter, Impromptu in E flat minor, Waltz in G minor, Down the hill in a sled
Manuel de Falla – Cuatro piezas españolas
Franz Liszt arr. Vladimir Horowitz – Hungarian Rhapsody No.2

Performer

Rokas Valuntonis Piano

A laureate of more than 20 international competitions, Valuntonis won 1st Prize at the 2018 Campillos International Piano Competition (Spain) and previous victories include both the International Music Competition “Societa Umanitaria” (Italy) and the Nordic Piano Competition (Sweden).

Valuntonis has performed all over Europe, including Denmark, Finland, France, and Portugal, in venues such as Milton Court (Barbican Centre), La Sala Verdi, The Wallace Collection, Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall, and La Sala Casella Accademia Filarmonica Romana. He has also performed with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Lund Symphony Orchestra, St Christopher Chamber Orchestra, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, and Panevėžys Chamber Orchestra.

Aside from traditional concerts, Valuntonis has collaborated with both actors and presenters. His most recent collaboration, with the celebrated Lithuanian actor Kostas Smoriginas, explored the characters and emotional lives of great composers like Beethoven, Chopin, and Rachmaninov.