Arvo Pärt is celebrating his 90th birthday in September. The anniversaries of birthdays that occur during this time: Vytautas Bacevičius’ 120th and Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis’ 150th, while the entire year 2025 has been declared the year of George Enescu – it is the 70th anniversary of his death. Join us for concerts to hear and see how they shaped the musical landscape of Central and Eastern Europe with their sonic visions.

Arvo Pärt’s birthday

One of the anniversaries is the 90th birthday of Arvo Pärt – one of the most influential contemporary composers. A native of Estonia, Pärt is an icon of sonic minimalism. He sought inspiration in deep faith and mysticism, and with his work he brought spirituality back to modern music. His style of composition is tintinnabuli, or “bells.” The calm and harmonious sounds are reminiscent of Gregorian chant and Renaissance polyphony. During this year’s edition of Eufonie Festival, we will hear one of his best-known works in this style, Fratres, which also gave its name to the entire contemplative concert Fratres (Parać/ Pärt/ Šipuš).

Anniversary of the 120th birthday of Vytautas Bacevičius

The festival also recalls the work of Vytautas Bacevičius – Lithuanian composer and pianist, brother of the famous Polish composer Grazyna Bacewicz – on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of his birth, which falls this year. As a pianist, he performed in Europe and the Americas, performing works by Chopin and Čiurlionis, among others. In his compositional work, he combined Polish and Lithuanian musical traditions.

From his early compositions inspired by neoclassicism, to his later works in which he drew on more avant-garde and sonoristic techniques. His oeuvre includes symphonies, piano concertos and works for orchestra, among others, often characterized by rich textures and innovative approaches to form. During Euphonia, we will hear his works performed by Yusuke Ishii, in the concert program Masks (Szymanowski/Bacevich/Bacevičius).

Music 2025: George Enescu and Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis

The year 2025 has been declared the Year of George Enescu (Romania), and in the composer’s country, the President of Romania has assumed honorary patronage of the celebration. George Enescu was a composer, violinist, conductor and pedagogue. Considered one of the most important musicians in Romanian history, he has been described as “a phenomenon since Mozart.” During Eufonie Festival, we will hear one of his most recognizable works, the Romanian Rhapsodies, which combine the essence of the composer’s personal style and the character of Romanian national music, in a concert of the Porivas (Enescu/ Wajnberg/ Kodály).

Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (Lithuania), meanwhile, is a Lithuanian composer and painter whose work crosses the boundaries of artistic disciplines. He is a pioneer of synesthesia in art, attempting to combine sounds with colors and shapes.