BACEVIČIUS Piano Concertos Nos. 3 and 4, Spring Suite

"…Performances and recording quality are first-rate. Lyndon-Gee gave us…revelatory recordings of the music of Igor Markevitch and the symphonies of George Rochberg. His detailed, understanding approach pays similar dividends here, while the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra shines in the service of its under-appreciated countryman. Pianist Gabrielius Alekna…brings both pinpoint accuracy…and sensitivity to piano parts that are undoubtedly trickier to negotiate than they sound. " --Fanfare, November 2015

"Both pianist and orchestra serve the composer well as does conductor Christopher Lyndon-Gee…" --MusicWeb International, June 2015

Vytautas Bacevičius remained virtually unknown as a composer during his lifetime, in contrast to the fortunes of his sister Grażyna Bacewicz, who retained her Polish nationality. Rendered stateless by the outbreak of World War II while he was on tour as a concert pianist in Argentina, he eventually settled in New York until his death in 1970, giving acclaimed piano recitals, teaching, and writing astoundingly original orchestral scores. He never lost his deep allegiance to and nostalgia for Lithuania. This recording gives an eloquent introduction to his pianistic virtuosity and to his mystical, Scriabinesque vision of the orchestra.

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