Lukas Geniušas / Piano Recital

With virtuosic aplomb and an unusually broad repertoire, the Lithuanian Lukas Geniušas is making his mark as an exceptional young pianist. Geniušas combines Franz Liszt’s Sonata in B Minor, a familiar milestone of the piano repertoire despite its many difficulties, with an exciting and rarely performed work by Frederic Rzewski, in which Geniušas takes on the role of speaking pianist. Frederic Rzewski’s »De profundis« (From the Depths) refers to a letter written by Oscar Wilde. Wilde wrote this forbidden love letter from prison after being convicted and incarcerated for his homosexuality. Spoken elements from Wilde’s text and instrumental passages become a psychological profile in word and music, through the performance of which Geniušas showcases his acting talent too. What links Rzewski’s work and Liszt’s Sonata in B Minor is their shared existential expression and revolutionary power.