In the piano virtuoso recital, which will take place on October 28 at the National Philharmonic, works by the legendary minimalist and American jazz legend Keith Jarrett will be performed. Almost all the concert pieces will be played for the first time in Lithuania.
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Maki Namekawa, considered one of the brightest pianists today, has performed on prestigious stages such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, Vienna’s Musikverein, London’s Barbican Centre, the Paris Philharmonic, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, as well as at the Salzburg Festival, Ars Electronica, and the Ruhr Piano Festival. She has played with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, Munich Philharmonic, Bamberg Symphony, Dresden Philharmonic, Linz Bruckner Orchestra, and Seattle Symphony.
Among other exceptional pianists, Maki Namekawa stands out for her special attention to contemporary music, especially her close creative relationship with the legendary American composer Philip Glass. The pianist has performed and recorded a large part of his works, and in 2013, at the Perth International Arts Festival, with the composer himself present, she gave the world premiere of the entire cycle of 20 Glass piano etudes.
A year later, her recording of all the Glass etudes reached number one on the iTunes platform among classical music albums. Also, in 2018, Maki Namekawa recorded a piano version of Glass’s music for the film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters – her performance was awarded the prestigious Austrian national broadcaster ORF’s Pasticcio Prize.
“Maki Namekawa is a very strong performer. She is one of the strongest pianists and undoubtedly has a deep musical sensitivity. She plays from the heart,” said Philip Glass himself about the pianist. The special relationship of the performer with his music is also evidenced by the fact that in 2019 Glass specially composed his first Piano Sonata for Maki Namekawa. The pianist premiered it at the Ruhr Piano Festival in Germany, with the composer attending the performance.
This is not the only piece the famous minimalist has written for the Japanese pianist. Together with her husband, conductor Dennis Russell Davies, Maki Namekawa has been playing in a piano duo since 2003, for which Glass has also composed works – Four Movements for Two Pianos and Two Movements for Four Pianos (together with the Katia and Marielle Labèque piano duo).
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About Namekawa’s interpretations of Glass’s music, The Guardian wrote: “a long-time interpreter of Glass’s music” marked by “calm wisdom,” and reviewing her performance of the 20th etude, the critic said that “Maki Namekawa completely merged with the music.” At the concert in Vilnius, the pianist will perform Glass’s 11th and 12th etudes, music written for a dance performance “Tesra,” and the First Piano Sonata dedicated especially to her. Maki Namekawa will also play the piece “Ritual” by American jazz legend Keith Jarrett.
The central figure of the concert is Philip Glass, who will celebrate his honorable 90th birthday next January. One of the most influential composers today, he is probably the first music creator to attract a wide audience to opera houses, concert halls, the world of dance, cinema, and popular music. His operas (Einstein on the Beach, Satyagraha, Akhnaten, The Voyage, etc.) are staged in the most famous opera houses worldwide and are usually sold out.
Glass has also composed music for Oscar-winning films The Hours and Kundun, as well as for Koyaanisqatsi, known for its unique connection between music and visuals. The composer has collaborated with Allen Ginsberg, David Bowie, Paul Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Yo-Yo Ma, Leonard Cohen, Doris Lessing, and many other world-renowned artists.
The recital of one of the most famous performers of Philip Glass’s music, the renowned Japanese pianist Maki Namekawa, will take place on October 28 at the National Philharmonic. Tickets are sold by kakava.lt.
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