ONE COMPOSITION RECITAL
EGIDIJUS BUOŽIS (piano)
One person on stage. One instrument. One piece. One story. To tell a story, from the beginning to the end, taking the listener through the tension of culminations and the bliss of interludes – isn‘t that the single most important task of any composer? Pianist Egidijus Buožis is presenting his new solo programme A single piece recital, promising a spectacular story full of unexpected turns, dramas and cheerful moments.
The idea of the performance – which has already been staged in front of the Klaipėda public and will come alive again in the Great Renaissance Hall of the Palace of Grand Dukes in Vilnius at 7 PM on 9 April – is original and at the same time has a déjà vu feel to it.
The recital is based on a single continuous arrangement, 70 minutes of music. Recitals of this length are not common on the Lithuanian jazz scene, especially in the form of a solo recital. In choosing this form, Egidijus Buožis reveals his fascination with Keith Jarrett‘s series of uninterrupted monologues and his leaning toward the symphonic thinking of the Vilnius Jazz school luminary Vyacheslav Ganelin. But the real intrigue lies not in the form of the concert, but in its content – a programme centred on a secret storyline. It is a story about the making of a musician: one‘s early experiences, infatuations, then one‘s broadening outlook, discovery of one‘s own voice, and finally composing on one‘s own... At the same time, we can perceive a parallel storyline unfolding – that of evolution of music itself: the way the musician hears it in his quest for a deeper understanding, the things that strike as being the most important, and the sounds that give meaning to a period lived through.
This flow of poly-stylistic musical images is likely to have characteristics of a collage, a mosaic. But one thing is guaranteed: in this motley series of bright melody flashes you will not hear a single casual note without a meaning behind it. Egidijus Buožis just doesn‘t do that -- he never just plays.
Given the genre of the concert, it may be tempting to call him in jazz pianist. But that would be an injustice to the rich profile of this virtuoso. It may be true that we don‘t often hear Egidijus Buožis in traditional classical concert roles, and we may not be fully aware of his works in popular music, but his jazz projects clearly give away the style of a versatile piano master capable of unveiling the entirety of the instrument‘s sounds. Throughout his career of more than three decades, this docent of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre has retained his unique style characterised by perfected technique, faithfulness to melodiousness (even free improvisation), as well as assured expressivity that is only seen among improvisers from academic backgrounds.
Naturally, with all that solid academic wisdom and experience, Egidijus Buožis makes jazz whose free-thinking nature will not clash with the noble environment and acoustics of such venues as the Great Renaissance Hall of the Palace of Grand Dukes. He will also perform the same programme in the Biržai Castle (May 2), Anykščiai Chappel (May 21) and Palanga Amber Museum (July 19). Every time it will come out somewhat differently, as improvisation is always influenced by momentary impulses, the here-and-now condition, the atmosphere of the venue and the energy of the audience – so it can take turns that are totally unexpected and unanticipated for the composer himself.
This is a single story that can be told in many different ways, and that is the beauty of jazz.
Organiser: Cantus firmus VšĮ
Partner: National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania
Tickets: 10, 8, 6, 4 Eur.
Tickets are available at the box office of the Museum and „Bilietai LT“ National Ticketing System, as well as online at www.bilietai.lt (additional charges apply).