Lukas Geniušas / Piano Recital

Machines, speed and progress promised a glorious future in the early 20th century. The general buzz around technology soon spilled over into art as the movement of the Futurists. They explored new topics and forms of expression – for instance, in Russia, which was also on the verge of political upheaval. Russian-Lithuanian pianist Lukas Geniušas, who was most recently celebrated in the »Pianomania« series at the Elbphilharmonie, presents important representatives of this brief, but all the more exciting, period. Alexander Scriabin was a musical forerunner to the Russian Futurists with his groundbreaking piano works, such as his 5 Preludes. Arthur Lourié ultimately became the musical spokesperson of the movement and sought the »autonomy of tempi and rhythms«. In his »Eight Scenes of Russian Childhood«, he sets the movements of children, footballs or contemporary dances to music. The huge impact Futurism had on Russian music is clear in the early works of three of the most important composers of the 20th century: both Shostakovich and Prokofiev as well as Stravinsky got enthusiastic about the new spirit of the age. While Stravinsky was already living in Paris and by turns outraging and delighting audiences with his works, his two colleagues experienced their artistic breakthrough shortly thereafter.