Palace Music: DUO ANDERSSON

Sunday, September 27, 2026 at 6 p.m. Kadriorg Palace / Kadriorg Art Museum

PALACE MUSIC
“Between Light and Shadow”

Duo Andersson
Julija Andersson - violin
Paulius Andersson - piano

Program:

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Sonata for Piano and Violin  No. 4, Op. 23 in A minor
   Presto
   Andante scherzoso, più allegretto
   Allegro molto

Faustas Latėnas (1956–2020)
Sonata for Violin and Piano
   Moderato
   Lento

César Franck (1822-1890)
Sonata for violin and piano in A major
   Allegretto ben moderato
   Allegro
   Ben moderato: Recitativo-Fantasia
   Allegretto poco mosso

In cooperation with Lithuanian Embassy in Tallinn and agency Uus Kontsert

Across centuries, the violin sonata has served as a space for composers to explore both intimacy and intensity — a dialogue where lyricism meets restlessness, and brilliance gives way to introspection.

Ludwig van Beethoven's extensive oeuvre comprises nine symphonies, five piano concertos, the Violin Concerto and the Triple Concerto for violin, cello and piano, 32 piano sonatas, sonatas for violin and cello, major sacred works, the opera Fidelio, a wealth of chamber and piano music, and more than a hundred songs. Many of the works are dominated by a heroic, pathos-filled mood, yet we also hear a virile lyricism. In form, he follows the classical traditions. His symphonies are characterised by powerful dynamic contrasts, extensive developments and enlarged orchestral forces.

Beethoven broke the boundaries of music and opened the way to Romanticism. His creative output changed dramatically, for he lived in an era when the French Revolution (1789–1799) shook Europe, bringing with it the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity. Beethoven's early works followed the classical style of Haydn and Mozart, but the spirit of the French Revolution inspired him towards rebellious self-expression. His Third Symphony (1804) originally bore a dedication to Napoleon as the embodiment of the revolution, but later — disillusioned by his idol's dictatorial ambitions — he replaced it with the title Eroica ("Heroic"). Music born at the turning points of history became a symbol of humanism and resistance.

Beethoven's ten violin sonatas (opp. 12–96), together with the works of Mozart and Brahms, form the core of the violin repertoire, each sonata representing a distinct period in the composer's creative life. The best known of them is the "Kreutzer" Sonata in A major, Op. 47, completed in 1802, which was revolutionary for its time both in its technical demands and its emotional scope. The earlier op. 12 sonatas still follow Mozartian models, with the piano in the leading role, but from Op. 30 onwards the violinist becomes an increasingly important partner. In the late sonatas we hear a deeply felt dialogue between two equal and independent instruments.

Faustas Latėnas was a Lithuanian composer, theatre director and cultural figure, regarded as one of the most outstanding composers of his generation (the so-called neo-romantics). He studied composition at the Juozas Gruodis Conservatoire in Kaunas under Giedrius Kuprevičius, and subsequently at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in Vilnius under Prof. Eduardas Balsys, graduating in 1980. Stage music constitutes the largest part of his output: he wrote music for more than 200 drama and puppet-theatre productions, as well as for nine feature films and 20 documentaries. He was closely associated with the director Eimuntas Nekrošius, and the music he created for Nekrošius's productions (including Hamlet and Faust) brought Latėnas onto the international stage. From 2002 onwards he also composed music for productions at the Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow, enjoying a remarkably international career. For years Latėnas directed the Lėlė Puppet Theatre in Vilnius and the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre, and also served as Vice-Minister at the Ministry of Culture and as cultural attaché at the Lithuanian Embassy in Moscow. Among his concert works, the Agnus Dei for choir, organ and orchestra and his cello and violin sonatas are the best known; they have been recorded by, among others, David Geringas. He described his style, half-ironically, as "post-socialist realism", in which joy, sorrow and sarcasm are intertwined — in a word, a "merry-sad oeuvre", which during a life that ended suddenly in 2020 at the age of 64 earned him the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts.
Bridging past and present, the Violin Sonata by Faustas Latėnas inhabits a more fragile landscape. Its textures and gestures seem suspended between memory and immediacy, light and shadow — echoing tradition while speaking in a distinctly modern voice. Together, these works trace a path through contrast and continuity, revealing how the violin and piano, in dialogue, illuminate both brilliance and depth.

The Sonata for violin and piano in A major, composed by César Franck in 1886, is one of the composer's best-known works — and, at the same time, one of the most beloved violin sonatas of all time. Beyond its fascinating harmonic language, the work captivates through its monothematic construction and, above all, its extraordinary emotional tension. The 63-year-old composer's work became a wedding gift for the 31-year-old master violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, who, without a moment's hesitation, "unwrapped" it and, after a whirlwind rehearsal, performed it that very evening for the wedding guests. The official premiere took place on 16 December 1886 at the Musée d'Art Moderne in Brussels. The sonata quickly became a staple of Ysaÿe's concert repertoire, and over the following forty years he performed it with many distinguished pianists, including Théo Ysaÿe, Ernest Chausson, Ferruccio Busoni, Vincent d'Indy, Raoul Pugno, Camille Decreus, Arthur De Greef, Leopold Godowsky and Yves Nat. Although the numerous performances helped convince a broad public of the exceptional qualities of Franck's music, the deserved recognition came too late for the composer himself. The violin sonata became Franck's "musical monument".

 “Duo Andersson is characterized not by the pursuit of outward effects, but by a deep exploration of thought, meaning, and subtlety — into that sphere where, according to Heinrich G. Neuhaus, that miraculous ‘almost-almost’ begins…” Daiva Tamošaitytė, Muzikos barai

 Duo Andersson was founded in 2021 by two prominent young-generation Lithuanian musicians – violinist Julija Andersson and pianist Paulius Andersson. The duo are First Prize winners and recipients of the Special Prize for the best performance of J. Brahms at one of Europe’s largest chamber music competitions, the International Chamber Music Competition “Pinerolo” (2025, Italy). Actively promoting Lithuanian music abroad, the duo seeks to present rarely performed works and conceptually curated programs to international audiences. Duo Andersson have refined their artistry with legendary internationally acclaimed musicians, including Alfred Brendel, Kim Kashkashian, Krzysztof Węgrzyn, and others. In recent years, the duo has performed in Lithuania, Poland, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and Italy. In 2026, they will make their debut as soloists with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, performing the Lithuanian premiere of Bohuslav Martinů’s Concerto for Violin and Piano.