Eighth Alexander Paley music marathon “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

May the last Saturday of summer be full of music! World-renowned piano virtuoso Alexander Paley and three other talented performers invite you to the eighth music marathon – a magical „Midsummer Night’s Dream“.

This marathon is dedicated to the music of German composer Felix Mendelssohn. According to A. Paley, he is an extremely significant figure in world music and one of the most important composers in history – ‘a man kissed by God, a second Mozart’. The composer, a true child prodigy in his youth, died at just thirty-eight, but wrote numerous works during his lifetime. “His entire life was like ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’,” says A. Paley.

A. Paley and other talented musicians will perform not only famous F. Mendelssohn works such as the ‘Wedding March’ written for the play ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, but also compositions that will be heard for the first time in Lithuania – for example, the String Octet, which the composer himself transcribed for piano four hands. The concept of the event itself is also unique in Lithuania – an entire day dedicated solely to the music of this composer.

The fiery piano virtuoso Alexander Paley leaves no one indifferent with his talent and charisma. Audiences give him standing ovations, and critics spare no praise. The dream of playing the piano was born in early childhood, when the young pianist eagerly awaited the opportunity to touch the keys of a „Belarus“ piano for the first time.

The pianist, recognized with numerous world-class awards, has performed and is always welcome in the most prestigious concert halls and festivals. Their list includes „Radio France“, „Theatre des Champs-Elysees“, „Salle Pleyel“, „Salle Gaveau“ (Paris), „Grands Interprètes“ (Lyon), Lille Piano Festival, Besançon Opera House, „Leipzig Gewandhaus“, „Concertgebouw“ (Amsterdam), „Laeiszhalle“ (Hamburg), concert halls in China and elsewhere.

Over the years, A. Paley’s star has not faded – the pianist, who lives between New York, Paris, and Vilnius, performs about 80 concerts worldwide every year.

Pei-Wen Chen, born in Taipei, Taiwan, made her debut at the prestigious ‘Carnegie Hall’ in New York shortly after completing her piano studies at the ‘Mannes College of Music’ in New York. She is a laureate of international piano competitions and a participant in world-class projects. The pianist constantly performs both in Europe and on other continents, and has collaborated with many renowned artists, such as Licia Abanese, Elly Ameling, Regina Resnik, Jon Vickers, Evelyn Lear, Diane Soviero, Deborah Voigt, Ruth Falcon, Mignon Dunn, Sherril Milnes, Olga Peretyako, etc. Concerts with her husband Alexander Paley hold a special place in her artistic career.

She was involved in the production of the opera ‘Fedora’ by the Washington Opera Company, worked at the ‘Metropolitan Opera’ and ‘Amato Opera’ theaters, and led various prestigious opera and concert performance projects in the USA. The pianist has taught at several US universities and is currently a professor at ‘Mannes College of Music’ in New York and ‘Montclair State University’ in New Jersey. In 2017, P. W. Chen was appointed pianist for the Shanghai Classical Singers Competition and was a jury member for several international vocal competitions.

Violinist Raimondas Butvila played in the Lithuanian State Quartet, was the first concertmaster of the current Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, and in 1993, under the Lithuanian-Venezuelan creative cooperation agreement, he left for this South American country. In Caracas, he was the musical director of the Emil Friedman College and a professor at the University of Arts (UNEARTE), preparing several generations of professional musicians over 18 years. As a soloist, he frequently performed with Venezuelan orchestras, playing the main repertoire of violin concertos. He played a lot of chamber music and was a member of the ‘Trio Academico Emil Friedman’.

In 2011, he returned to Lithuania and is currently the Head of the String Instruments Department and a professor at the Vytautas Magnus University Music Academy.

Since 2013, a very active artistic collaboration has developed with his former classmate, world-renowned piano virtuoso Alexander Paley. Philharmonic recitals were held in Lithuania, as well as a concert with the VMU Chamber Orchestra, during which J. Haydn’s and F. Mendelssohn’s concertos for violin and keyboard were performed. Through this creative collaboration, the entire chamber repertoire of L. van Beethoven, W. A. Mozart, F. Schubert, S. Prokofiev, and J. Brahms was performed. Since 2016, R. Butvila has participated in A. Paley’s annual festival in Moulin d’Ande, France.

Cellist Marius Dominykas Sakavičius was born in 1994. He graduated with a cello specialization from the M. K. Čiurlionis National School of Arts, in the class of teacher Romanas Armonas. He also completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s studies in performing arts (cello) at the VMU Music Academy, in the class of Assoc. Prof. Ramutė Kalnėnaitė.

The performer is a participant and laureate of various national and international masterclasses and competitions, having performed as a soloist with various orchestras. The young cellist is also a member of the newly formed piano trio ‘Vytautas Magnus Trio’, and in the contemporary art scene, he actively participates in various projects, collaborating with the contemporary dance performers and creators team ‘Šeiko Dance Theatre’. His music has been heard not only on stages in Lithuania, but also in Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Portugal, Denmark, Israel, and Great Britain.