The piano has always been hailed as the king of instruments. From the prodigy Mozart, who conquered all of Europe with his harpsichord, to the genius Liszt and Chopin, who managed to transform the piano into an orchestra, an opera, or a human bel canto voice — this instrument, capable of expressing everything with the hands of a single person, continues to astonish and captivate us to this day.

Founded in 2009 by pianist Prof. Mūza Rubackytė, the Vilnius Piano Festival (VPF) becomes, every other autumn, a hub for piano music lovers and enriches the cultural life of the capital with high-level concerts featuring acclaimed performers from Lithuania and abroad. The festival encompasses orchestral concerts, solo recitals by piano masters, performances by gifted children and youth, and concerts by laureates of prestigious international competitions.

This year marks the ninth edition of the Vilnius Piano Festival, which will present regal impressions of piano music and turn its focus to the creative work of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis. The festival’s motto is “Dedication to Čiurlionis.”

ABOUT THE CONCERT

The closing evening of the Vilnius Piano Festival will be graced by the performance of the festival’s founder and artistic director, Mūza Rubackytė — a laureate of the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts and one of the country’s most influential ambassadors of musical culture worldwide. Through her extensive artistic collaborations with leading musicians across the globe, she continues to invite top-tier performers to appear on the stage of the National Philharmonic.

This time, audiences will have the pleasure of hearing the return of one of today’s most respected conductors, Swiss maestro Stefan Lano, with his insightful interpretations. Renowned not only as a symphonic conductor but also as a sought-after opera conductor, Lano is regularly invited to the world’s leading opera houses. Lithuania was introduced to him over two decades ago — in 2003, he led a production of Puccini’s opera Turandot at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre. Since then, he has conducted the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO) on multiple occasions, participated in the Vilnius Piano Festival, and performed programs featuring Mūza Rubackytė as soloist. In 2004, under the baton of Juozas Domarkas, the LNSO performed Lano’s newly written Symphony No. 3 for the first time in Lithuania.

As a composer, S. Lano has been honored with the BMI Award, the Rockefeller Foundation Prize, and the Firestone Award from the National Arts and Letters Society. This year, the Vilnius Piano Festival audience will be treated to the world premiere of Lano’s newest opus — his Piano Concerto No. 2, dedicated to Mūza Rubackytė (as noted in the score: à Mūza Rubackytė avec admiration et affection). Rubackytė will perform the work alongside the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the composer himself.

The artistic friendship between Rubackytė and Lano began with a concert in Santiago, Chile, and has continued for nearly 25 years. “I never imagined that a concert in Chile would eventually lead me to Lithuania: first to conduct Puccini’s Turandot at the National Opera and Ballet Theatre, and then to work with the wonderful orchestra that you, dear audience, will hear this evening,” says the conductor. Years ago in Vilnius, Mūza encouraged him to compose a piano concerto for her, which he did — but during a concert tour in Argentina, the manuscript was stolen! “But Mūza didn’t give up so easily. Over the years, she kept reminding me that she was still waiting for the concerto. When the pandemic began, it finally gave me the time to fulfill that promise — not so much a commission as a gesture of love and admiration for Mūza and the exceptional symphonic ensemble,” Lano recounts.

He now invites you to share in the musical discoveries and artistic union between these two remarkable artists and the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra.

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PERFORMERS

❯ Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra (Artistic Director and Chief Conductor: Modestas Pitrėnas)

❯ Soloist Mūza Rubackytė (piano; Lithuania, France, Switzerland)

❯ Conductor Stefan Lano (Switzerland)

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PROGRAMME

❯ Erich Wolfgang Korngold

Straussiana

❯ Franz Schreker

Valse lente

Nachtstück from the opera Der ferne Klang (The Distant Sound)

❯ Stefan Lano

Piano Concerto No. 2

(dedicated to Mūza Rubackytė, world premiere)

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EVENT INFORMATION

Date and Time: November 29, 2025, at 7:00 PM

Venue: Lithuanian National Philharmonic

Address: Aušros Vartų g. 5, Vilnius

Duration: ~2 hours

Tickets: HERE

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ORGANIZER

Lithuanian National Philharmonic

Contact: bilietai@filharmonija.lt / +37061441725

Vilnius Piano Festival: LNSO, M. Rubackytė, S. Lano

Vilnius Piano Festival: LNSO, M. Rubackytė, S. Lano

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