Description
On August 15, world-renowned French pianist Jean-Marc Luisada returns to Paliesius Manor—this time, inviting listeners into a world of fantasies and nocturnes.
Works by Joseph Haydn, Fryderyk Chopin, and Gabriel Fauré will be performed, revealing the rich diversity and beauty of the fantasy and nocturne genres. The romance of Chopin, the playfulness of Haydn, and the elegant introspection of Fauré will weave together into one delicate musical journey.
Jean-Marc Luisada won the F. Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1985 and is now celebrated as one of the world’s finest and most captivating interpreters of F. Chopin. He considers himself a man of the 19th century, frequently emphasizing his deep love for the past that slumbers within the music. Renowned as a poet of the piano, he is defined by his exceptional grace and unexpected interpretations. The charming J.M. Luisada plays for the very soul of the audience—and occasionally, he enjoys sharing a playful joke on stage.
The pianist attended his first piano lesson at the age of six in Paris, taught by Denyse Riviere and Marcel Ciampi. He later continued his studies in Great Britain at the Yehudi Menuhin School, and at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. The musician learned the secrets of the piano from Dominique Merlet, Geneviève Joy-Dutilleux, Nikita Magaloff, Paul Badura-Skoda, Milosz Magin, and others.
J. M. Luisada is a laureate of the Dino Ciani (Milan, 1983) and Fryderyk Chopin (Warsaw, 1985) international competitions. He collaborates with renowned European orchestras led by Charles Dutoit, Adam Fischer, Michael Plasson, and other masters of the baton. The pianist performs chamber music with the Fine Arts, Sine Nomine, Kocian, and Talich quartets, as well as with illustrious instrumentalists. His career is marked by worldwide tours, albums released with recording studios such as Deutche Grammophon, Sony, RCA Red Seal, and others, as well as French orders of merit in the fields of art and literature. The pianist currently teaches at the Alfred Cortot music school in Paris.
Information partner:
Programme
Joseph Haydn – Sonata-partita in G major, Hob. XVI:6
Joseph Haydn – Variations in F minor
F. Chopin – Fantasy, Op. 49
– – – – Intermission – – – –
F. Chopin – Nocturne in B major, Op. 62 No. 1
G. Fauré – Nocturne No. 2 in B major
F. Chopin – Nocturne in D-flat major, Op. 27 No. 2
G. Fauré – Nocturne No. 6 in D-flat major
F. Chopin – Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 31
Recommendations for this concert
Dinner must be ordered in advance, no later than 24 hours before the concert.
You are welcome to order accompanying drinks separately on site.
The French Institute in Lithuania recently celebrated its 25th anniversary of activity. I am delighted to have had the opportunity to observe the Institute’s journey—both from the outside and, on occasion, as an active participant. Yet my friendship with French culture dates back, one might say, to my very birth. Born in Lithuania, in the small town of Užpaliai, I share the same Latin alphabet with the French through my parents’ native tongue: only the written Lithuanian language has 32 letters, and French has 26. My love for France began with the fairy tales of Charles Perrault, followed by Alexandre Dumas’s novels “The Black Tulip” and “The Three Musketeers”, and Alphonse Daudet’s deeply emotional work, “Letters from My Windmill”… Indeed, it is this very emotionality that I imagine is the second reason I love the French and France.
My first professional encounter with Francophonie occurred just after Lithuania regained its Independence, during an international children’s theater festival in Panevėžys. As a third-year journalism student at the Vilnius University Faculty of Communication, I prepared a report and an interview with Arlette, the director of a children’s theater troupe from the South of France. Over more than three decades in the Lithuanian media, I have published over two hundred texts on Francophone themes, half of which were interviews with prominent figures in French culture and art. But this is mere statistical bookkeeping; naturally, it cannot illustrate the emotional bond with the world’s capital of culture, fashion, and gastronomy. Not even if I had tallied up the glasses of champagne savored across various Francophone events, exhibition openings, and the launches of books, films, and perfumes, or the intimate tête-à-tête encounters that ultimately blossomed into the “Tête-à-tête” event series organized by the French Institute.
I am immensely grateful to the people I have met—especially my family and my colleagues from the editorial offices where I have worked—that this exhibition of publications, where every page and every depicted encounter holds its own distinct story, might illustrate even a fraction of the strength of the cultural ties between Lithuania and France. These are ties that first blossomed at the dawn of diplomatic relations between the two states a century ago, in 1922. Ties that were never entirely severed or silenced by the Soviet occupation. Even under the authoritarian Moscow regime during the Cold War, we could occasionally catch a French film, listen to Mireille Mathieu or Joe Dassin, and read François Rabelais, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire, and many of the 19th-century classics. Today, fortunately, we have the freedom to embrace it all: from Marcel Proust and Albert Camus to Frédéric Beigbeder and Annie Ernaux; from the Lumière brothers to François Ozon; from Charles Aznavour to Aya Nakamura…
I would like to dedicate the exhibition “My France: 25 Years of Love” to the French language teachers of my native Užpaliai Gymnasium—Rena Šliogerienė, and Kazimieras Kuliešius, who passed into Eternity many years ago.
Cordially yours –
Valdas Puteikis, journalist
The exhibition will be open until September 20, 2026.
Trains to Ignalina from Vilnius (and other cities) run several times a day, offering a comfortable and eco-friendly journey.
You can find ticket prices and schedules HERE
We can arrange a comfortable journey from Ignalina to Paliesius Manor and back.
Contact us: email info@paliesiausdvaras.lt, tel.: +370 626 82 760, and we will help you reach Paliesius Manor!
P.S. Regarding the transfer service, please contact us no later than 3 business days before your arrival date.
The Paliesius Manor shop, Wild Geese, has thrown its doors wide open and eagerly awaits visitors.
Here, you will discover pieces that reflect the aesthetics and philosophy of the Manor: designer clothing, perfumes, jewelry, carpets, tableware, spices, and other curiosities. Each holds its own special story!
Take a look around our online store.
The bakery nestled within Paliesius Manor may be small, but everything here is made with the utmost sincerity. We purchase flour for our pastries, cakes, and bread from local farmers, striving to use as many high-quality local products as possible while honoring authentic recipes. Our baked goods will delight even the greatest sweet tooths and the most discerning palates.
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