The Fourth Alexander Paley Music Marathon “Vive La France” at Paliesius Manor

World-renowned piano virtuoso Alexander Paley presents his fourth music marathon to the audience of Paliesius Manor! The theme of this year’s music marathon is “Vive La France” (Long Live France)

For two days, Paliesius Manor will resonate with the magnificent music of French composers—J. P. Rameau, J. B. Lully, C. Saint-Saens, C. Gunoud, R. Hahn, B. Godard, C. Debussy, M. Ravel, F. Poulenc, D. Milhaud, and R. Boutry—performed by 10 exceptionally talented artists from Lithuania and abroad. A. Paley jokes that the idea for the marathon was born not from a whim to show off that he could play the piano for hours without interruption, but from a heartfelt wish to bring performers and listeners together to revel in an abundance of music. Let the music flow amidst wild nature, at Paliesius Manor…

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. His 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 very first time.

Honored with a multitude of world-class awards, the pianist has performed at and is always a welcome guest in the most prestigious concert halls and festivals. His roster includes “Radio France”, “Theatre des Champs-Elysees”, “Salle Pleyel”, “Salle Gaveau” (Paris), “Grands Interprètes” (Lyon), the Lille Piano Festival, the Besançon Opera Theater, “Leipzig Gewandhaus”, “Concertgebouw” (Amsterdam), “Laeiszhalle” (Hamburg), concert halls in China, and beyond.

As the years pass, A. Paley’s star only shines brighter—living between New York, Paris, and Vilnius, the pianist gives around 80 concerts worldwide each 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. She is a laureate of international piano competitions and a participant in world-class projects. The pianist performs regularly across Europe and other continents, having collaborated with many prominent 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, and others. Every year, she appears alongside her husband, Alexander Paley, at the A. Paley Music Festival.

She joined the Washington Opera Company for their production of the opera “Fedora”, and served as a pianist at the “Metropolitan Opera” and “Amato Opera” theaters. The artist has also directed and conducted several operas and concerts. She has taught at multiple US universities and remains active in academic life. In 2017, P. W. Chen was appointed pianist for the Shanghai Classical Singers Competition, and in 2020, she served as a jury member for several online international vocal competitions. In 2022, the artist plans to perform a series of concerts featuring the chamber music of J. Brahms.

World-renowned violinist Amiram Ganz began his career at just 11 years old. The artist is a laureate of international competitions, a member of the highly successful Altenberg Trio Wien, and always a welcome presence on major stages. A. Ganz plays a violin crafted in Italy by Goffredo Cappa in 1690.

In 1993, violinist Raimondas Butvila traveled to Venezuela under a creative cooperation agreement between Lithuania and the South American nation. In Caracas, he served as the Musical Director of the Emil Friedman College and a professor at the University of the Arts (UNEARTE), shaping several generations of professional musicians over 18 years. As a soloist, he performed frequently with Venezuelan orchestras, interpreting the core repertoire for violin concertos. He also played extensively in chamber ensembles and was a member of the Trio Academico Emil Friedman.

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

Since 2013, he has maintained a highly active artistic collaboration with his former classmate in Moscow, the world-renowned piano virtuoso Alexander Paley. They have held philharmonic recitals in Lithuania and a concert with the VMU Chamber Orchestra, performing J. Haydn’s and F. Mendelssohn’s concertos for violin and keyboard. Since 2016, R. Butvila has participated in the annual festival organized by A. Paley in the town of Moulin d’Andé, France.

Romanas Kudriašovas (baritone) – completed his bachelor’s studies in operatic singing at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. He earned his first master’s degree in Hamburg, his second in Cardiff, and honed his skills in London at the National Opera Studio. Having worked at London’s famous “Covent Garden” theater and successfully created the role of the Master of Ceremonies in Jules Massenet’s opera “Cinderella” at the prestigious Glyndebourne Festival—touring the entire United Kingdom with it—he regularly participates in masterclasses with renowned European pedagogues and successfully competes in international competitions. A few years ago, the Liverpool Philharmonic decided to gather a team of young artists around Bryn Terfel, one of the most famous baritones of recent decades, along with a few other stars, to stage Giacomo Puccini’s opera “Tosca”, where Romanas took on the role of the Sacristan. This production was performed on stages ranging from England to Abu Dhabi.

Ensemble “Paleasis”:

Vytenis Gurstis (flute) was born into a musical family: his mother is pianist and organist Virginija Survilaitė, an associate professor at the LMTA, and his father is choir conductor Virgilijus Gurstis. Vytenis performs actively both nationally and abroad. He has played in Germany, England, Norway, Switzerland, the USA, Poland, Latvia, Ukraine, and Belarus. He concerts extensively in Lithuania, participating in performances and both national and international festivals, while continuously refining his craft in masterclasses led by prominent flute professors.

The flutist’s playing earned high praise at London’s “MasterWorks Festival Europe”: the festival organizers invited him to participate in the “MasterWorks Festival 2005” in the USA and Great Britain, awarding him a scholarship. At the “MasterWorks Festival Europe 2005”, V. Gurstis won the “Concerto Competition” and performed W. A. Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Orchestra in G major with the festival’s symphony orchestra. In 2010, Vytenis took part in London’s “All Flutes in Kings Place” concert, where, alongside Prof. W. Bennett, he performed J. S. Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins in D minor (arranged for flutes by W. Bennett).

Ugnius Dičiūnas graduated from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in 2016 (studying under Prof. Dr. R. Beinaris and lecturer E. Paškevičius). In 2015–2016, he completed an internship in Prague in the classes of Prof. Jana Brožková and Liběna Séquardtová. He has attended masterclasses with many prominent artists, such as Omar Zoboli, Jan Thuri, Diethelm Jonas, Kalev Kuljus, and others. He is a laureate of various national and international competitions.

Since 2014, he has been a member of the oboe section of the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra and the St. Christopher Woodwind Quintet.

Karolis Kolakauskas, born and raised at the E. Balsys Gymnasium of Arts in Klaipėda, studied clarinet in the class of Petras Mateika. He began his studies at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent, continued at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo—where he won first prize in a chamber music ensemble competition—and now learns from his colleagues and life itself. For 10 years, he worked with the LSSO and gladly performed with other ensembles in Lithuania and abroad.

Bassoonist Andrius Puplauskis is a laureate of national and international competitions. He performs as a soloist with orchestras, holds solo recitals, and plays with various chamber ensembles in Lithuania and abroad. Puplauskis’s repertoire is wonderfully broad; he can be heard playing baroque, classical, contemporary, pop, jazz, and electronic music, or even improvising his own compositions on the electric bassoon. In 2009, he released the first solo bassoon CD in Lithuania, “FAGOTAS LIETUVIŠKAI”, which gathered the finest examples of Lithuanian bassoon music. A. Puplauskis is the concertmaster of the bassoon section in the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, a member of the St. Christopher Woodwind Quintet, a member of the ensemble ARS MUSICA, and an associate professor at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.

Gediminas Abaris is considered one of the most promising horn players of his generation in Lithuania. He began his career at the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art, and at the age of eleven, he stepped onto the stage of the Vilnius Congress Hall to perform the second movement of W. A. Mozart’s Horn Concerto with the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra. While still in school, Gediminas recorded and released a record featuring B. Dvarionas’s Horn Concerto. Gediminas has won multiple national and international competitions and has performed as a soloist and orchestral musician with the most prominent Lithuanian orchestras. Gediminas also actively performs with various chamber music ensembles. His concert career includes notable performances not only in Lithuania but also in Latvia, Estonia, Germany, Austria, Spain, and Greece. From 2016 to 2019, Gediminas played principal horn in the joint orchestra at the “Festival of the Aegean” held on the island of Syros in Greece. Currently, Gediminas Abaris is the assistant concertmaster of the horn section of the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra and a member of the horn section at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre.

Day I (August 20)

M. Ravel – Two Sonatas for Violin and Piano
Performed by: Amiram Ganz (violin), Alexander Paley (piano)

R. Boutry – Interferences for Bassoon and Piano
Performed by: Andrius Puplauskis (bassoon), Alexander Paley (piano)

14:30 | Afternoon Concert

B. Godard – Suite for Flute and Piano
Performed by: Vytenis Gurstis (flute), Alexander Paley (piano)

F. Poulenc – Sonatas for Flute, Oboe and Clarinet
Performed by: Vytenis Gurstis (flute), Ugnius Dičiūnas (oboe), Karolis Kolakauskas (clarinet)

F. Poulenc – Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano
Performed by: Ugnius Dičiūnas (oboe), Andrius Puplauskis (bassoon), Alexander Paley (piano)

F. Poulenc – Sextet for Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, Horn and Piano
Performed by: Vytenis Gurstis (flute), Ugnius Dičiūnas (oboe), Andrius Puplauskis (bassoon), Gediminas Abaris (horn), Alexander Paley (piano)

19:00 | Final Concert

C. Franck – Sonata for Violin and Piano
Performed by: Raimondas Butivila (violin), Alexander Paley (piano)

C. Debussy – Premiere Rhapsodie for Clarinet and Piano
Performed by: Karolis Kolakauskas (clarinet), Alexander Paley (piano)

C. Debussy – “Deuxieme Rhapsodie” for English Horn and Piano
Performed by: Ugniu Dičiūnas (English horn), Alexander Paley (piano)

R. Hahn – “Le Ruban Denoue” Suite for Two Pianos
Performed by: Pei-Wen Chen (piano), Alexander Paley (piano)

J. B. Lully – “Belle Hermione” (from the opera “Cadmus et Hermione”)
J. P. Rameau – “Ah! Qu‘on daigne… Puisque Pluton” (from the opera “Hippolyte et Aricie”)
J. P. Rameau – “Voici les tristes lieux… Monstre affreux” (from the opera “Dardanus”)
J. P. Rameau – “Soleil, on a détruit – Brillant soleil” (from the opera “Les Indes Galantes”)
R. Hahn – “Néère” (from the cycle “Etudes latines”)
R. Hahn – “Reverie”
R. Hahn – “Si mes vers avaient des ailes”

Performed by: Romanas Kudriašovas (baritone), Alexander Paley (piano)

D. Milhaud – Trio for Violin, Clarinet and Piano
Performed by: Amiram Ganz (violin), Karolis Kolakauskas (clarinet), Alexander Paley (piano)

D. Milhaud – “Scaramouche” Suite for Two Pianos
Performed by: Pei-Wen Chen (piano), Alexander Paley (piano)

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