"The world of classical music is too serious and strict - it's time to change that" - this is how the string quartet "PaGAGnini" introduces itself, coming to Lithuania for the first time, and will organize hilarious humor and classical music shows in Vilnius, Kaunas and Palanga on December 13-15.
The "PaGAGnini" quartet performs works by composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Pachelbel, Frederic Chopin, Manuel de Falla, Pablo de Sarasate, and Nicolo Paganini, as well as other musical genres such as rock or folk rock, and combines everything with a witty humorous performance that instantly engages the audience.
The show was created by the famous comedy theater "Yllana", founded in 1991, and one of the most talented violinists of his generation, Ara Malikian, while the "PaGAGnini" string quartet consists of the talented Thomas Potiron, Fernando Clemente, Gueorgui Fournadjiev, and Eduardo Ortega.
The performance was inspired by the work of the most famous violin virtuoso of the time and Italian composer Nicolo Paganini, considered one of the pioneers of modern violin technique, and the desire to present classical music in an attractive and non-standard way, thus attracting a younger audience.
“Paganinis is the world's first rock star – he popularized this music genre and performed for huge crowds, so he is very important to us,” say the members of “PaGAGnini.” “We have fun on stage and share it with the audience, and humor plays perhaps the most important role.”
"Combining humor and classical music is one way to show the audience that enjoying it doesn't have to be complicated. You really don't have to be an expert in this genre. The world of classical music is too serious and strict, which is why young people often don't understand it. It's time to change that and let them hear how wonderful classical music really is," the quartet members add.
The originality of PaGAGnini has earned the quartet several awards: the show was recognized as the Classical Music Performance of the Year (Spain, 2009), beat out 1300 other shows in the election for the best performance at The Fringe (United Kingdom, 2009), became the Audience Choice at the Chiclana Theatre Festival (Spain, 2008) and won the Moerser Comedy Prize (Germany, 2008).
"When I saw PaGAGnini for the first time, I laughed until I cried, so I immediately realized that we had to invite them to Lithuania. We have never had a show like this before, they break the stereotypes of a classical music concert with their performance, so it is not surprising that tickets to their show are usually sold out. I have no doubt that the audience will be impressed," says Tomas Inčikas, the head of Seven Live, which is organizing the event.
The hilarious performances of humor and classical music by the string quartet "PaGAGnini" will take place on December 13 of this year at the Palanga Concert Hall.
