CONCERTINO “25”

The Lithuanian accordion quintet In 1978, an accordion quintet in Vilnius, at that time capital city of the Lithuanian Republic of the USSR, started performing concerts. Through the initiative of Ricardas Sviackevicius, the Concertino ensemble was founded and continued its artistic development under his musical direction and organizability. From its inception, the ensemble has consisted exclusively of professional musicians who are music students, professional teachers, and winners of national and international competitions. Some of the original members have been replaced over the years; others have been active since the beginning. Today, the Lithuanian Concertino accordion quintet is composed of players Ilma Plungaite, Regina Pancekauskiene, Žana Gumenaja, Rasa Mikiškiene, and Ricardas Sviackevicius. At the time of the Soviet Union, the ensemble-with its five musicians representative of the accordion and bayan music scene-was the most important and successful music group in the Baltic. Within the USSR‘s numerous countries possessing first-class musicians and ensembles, the Concertino accordion quintet was considered one of the finest. Concertino is regarded as one of the founders of the accordion chamber music genre in the Baltic. Today, it is one of the most prominent proponents of accordion chamber music internationally. Shortly after it was founded, the ensemble conducted concert tours at first through the Lithuanian Republic of the USSR, then within the entire Soviet Union, and finally in other socialist countries (1981 in East Germany and 1983 in Czechoslovakia, for example). Early on, the group could be heard and seen in national radio and television. Over the years, it produced a series of recordings. Its first records and music cassettes were produced in the Soviet Union for distribution within socialist countries. The concert artists achieved their international breakthrough in 1986 when they participated in the Klingenthal Vogtland music festival (at that time in East Germany). There, they were discovered by the young West German music producer Ulrich Schmülling, who made it possible for them to produce their first record in the western world. After the Soviet Union was dissolved and the Republic of Lithuania became an independent country with professed western orientation, director Ricardas Sviackevicius‘ organizational talent combined with his high musical artistic demands soon promoted the ensemble to appear in various concert halls of the western world. The ensemble enjoyed ever increasing popularity with its audiences. The five Lithuanian musicians visited France, Germany, and Italy many times. They also travelled to Austria, Belgium, Finland, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and Switzerland as well as eastern European countries. They played many concerts and took part in competitions-always with outstanding success. Wherever they appeared, they performed in full auditoriums to fascinated audiences. In renowned international competitions, such as the 1990 Premio Internazionale in Castelfidardo and 1992 Alpine Festival in Innsbruck, their outstanding artistry was honored with first prizes. The ensemble‘s repertoire contains compositions of well known Lithuanian, Russian, and foreign composers from various time periods and with different music styles, many of which ensemble members Ilma Plungaite and Ricardas Sviackevicius have arranged specifically for the quintet. Included in the repertoire are also a number of original works, many of which were written by contemporary composers specifically for Concertino and which are presented by the ensemble with particular engagement. Recently, the ensemble‘s cooperation with contemporary composing artists is intensifying as it meets with considerable resonance. The Lithuanian accordion quintet Concertino primarily excels through the musical individuality of its players with their specific talents and high artistic maturity-subtle tone, deep stylistic understanding, and sovereign technical playing ability-connected with the capability to perform as a united group convincingly and professionally. This accounts for the ensemble‘s showmanship and dynamic effect comparable to a symphony orchestra, which accounts for its success in 2002, the 25th year of its artistic creativity.