DUO ANDERSSON

DUO ANDERSSON (Julija Andersson, violin and Paulius Andersson, piano) presents a program featuring the most striking works for violin and piano. The concert will begin with the Sixth Sonata for Violin and Piano by the genius of Classicism, Ludwig van Beethoven, which is considered one of the pearls of the chamber music repertoire. Duo Andersson will also perform the Sonata for Violin and Piano by French Impressionist Claude Debussy. This was the composer's final work, created in 1917 when Europe was engulfed in the chaos and economic hardships of World War I. However, this short, three-movement piece, with its constantly shifting moods, bursts into a mesmerizing world of lively rhythms, shimmering colors, and nostalgia, enveloped in a quiet, autumnal farewell atmosphere. The evening will conclude with another masterpiece – the Sonata for Violin and Piano by César Franck, which is regarded as one of the most beautiful sonatas ever written for this instrumentation. Franck composed the piece in 1886 as a wedding gift for the violin king, Eugene Ysaÿe, making the joyful and emotional sonata the perfect optimistic ending to the evening.

Duo Andersson was founded in 2019 by renowned young Lithuanian musicians – violinist Julija Andersson and pianist Paulius Andersson. Constantly promoting Lithuanian music abroad, the duo aims to present rarely performed pieces and conceptual programs to international audiences. Duo Andersson studied with renowned chamber music teachers – Indrė Baikštytė, Audronė Vainiūnaitė, Avedis Kouyoumdjian, Johannes Meissl, and others. In 2024, the duo became Grand Prix laureates at the “International Masters Competition” (Warsaw, Poland), won third prize at the 2023 Luigi Nono International Chamber Music Competition (Turin, Italy), and received a diploma and audience prize at the 2022 International Stasys Vainiūnas Chamber Music Competition (Vilnius, Lithuania).

Julija and Paulius regularly perform as soloists with Baltic and European orchestras. P. Andersson, from a well-known dynasty of pianists, is a laureate of 16 international piano competitions. J. Andersson is a member of the NICO ensemble, with whom she has performed in prestigious concert halls such as Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall (New York, USA, 2023), Tonhalle Zurich (Switzerland, 2024), St. Martin-in-the-Fields (London, United Kingdom), and others.