Baltic Guitar Quartet
The Baltic Guitar Quartet was formed in 2004 by four young and talented classic guitar performers. The ensemble is appreciated by local classical music lovers and presented to foreign audiences as the leading guitar ensemble in the Baltic States. The quartet has performed in over 20 countries and most prestigious concert halls, among them Japan, Russia, China, Austria, Denmark as well as the renowned Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Castle in Warsaw, Southbank Center in London and the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing. The present line-up of the quartet was formed in 2008, after a Belgian performer Chris Ruebens joined Zigmas Čepulėnas, Sergej Krinicin and Saulius S. Lipčius.
The quartet members are winners of various contests, active solo performers, whose music is sensitive, colorful and subtle without being pretentious. The quartet refined its knowledge on subtleties of chamber music together with the violinist, former member of the National Vilnius String Quartet prof. Petras Kunca, also improved their skills with the help of internationally renowned musicians and ensembles, among them Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Oscar Ghiglia, Pepe Romero, Roland Dyens, David Russell, Laura Young and Bandini Chiacchiaretta duo.
The Baltic Guitar Quartet‘s repertoire contains various compositions ranging from Renaissance to modern music. The search for unique sound and new compositions results in the musicians‘ own arranged pieces by Bach, Rossini, De Falla as well as variations of the Balkan music or even rock music. The quartet's repertoire is constantly supplemented by Chris Ruebens‘s creative works. The ensemble has had works specifically written for them by the Lithuanian National Prize winners Jurgis Juozapaitis and Giedrius Kuprevičius famous composer Jonas Tamulionis.
The quartet also enriches its repertoire and programmes by performing together with other musicians. Together with the opera tenor Edmundas Seilius the ensemble prepared a programme of arranged Italian and Lithuanian songs. In Germany and Lithuania the musicians performed a part of their programme together with the double-bass virtuoso Guy D. Tuneh. The ensemble also performed together with St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra, Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra, M. K. Čiurlionis string quartet and musicians Donatas Bagurskas (double-bass) and Judita Leitaitė (soprano).
The Baltic Guitar Quartet actively performs in Lithuania‘s main concert halls and most prominent festivals as well as concerts organized by the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society. The musicians frequently perform abroad. They have already visited Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Japan, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Russia, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Ukraine, Germany, and Great Britain. The ensemble has frequented the most famous concert halls: Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Castle in Warsaw, Southbank Center and St. James‘s Church in London, Forbidden City Concert Hall and National Center of Performing Arts in Beijing. The quartet has also performed in the most prestigious Europe's festivals, among them Iserlohn Guitar Symposium, Saitenspruenge (Germany), Martsishor International Music Festival (Moldova), Flanders Music Festival (Belgium), Paganini Festival (Italy), Probaltica Festival (Poland), Cyprus International Guitar Festival (Cyprus), Fiesta de la guitarra (Estonia) and others.
Lithuanian Composers
Jurgis Juozapaitis
„Guitar Quartet“
Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis
„Menuetto from String Quartet in C minor
Giedrius Kuprevičius
„The Round-Up“
„Little Music for 4 Guitars and String Orchestra“
Algimantas Raudonikis
„Svaja“ / Dream (for 4 guitars and voice)
„Mylimos akys“ / Beloved Eyes (for 4 guitars and voice)
Chris Ruebens
„Fenestrae“
„Gitana linda“
„I guess I’ll sleep on it“
„Jolie folie“
„Stories of a common man“ (4 gitaroms ir styginių orkestrui)
„Summer dance“
Jonas Tamulionis
„Perpetuum mobile“
Three Dances
Foreign Composers
Johann Sebastian Bach
Aria „Erbarme dich“ from Matthäuspassion (arr. Sergej Krinicin)
Georges Bizet
„Carmen“ suite (arr. William Kanengiser)
Luigi Boccherini
„Introduction and fandango“ (arr. Jeremy Sparks)
Dusan Bogdanovic
„Introduction and dance“
Johannes Brahms
„Hungarian dance No.5“ (arr. David Adele)
Leo Brouwer
„Cuban landscape with rumba“
Manuel De Falla
„El amor brujo“ suite (arr. Zigmas Čepulėnas)
Carlo Domeniconi
„Malamatina for four guitars, four glasses and one bottle of wine“
Antonin Dvorak
„Humoreska Op. 101, No. 7“ (arr. Zigmas Čepulėnas)
„Slavonic dance Op.72, No. 2“ (arr. Jeremy Sparks)
„Slavonic dance Op. 46, No. 7“ (arr. Jeremy Sparks)
James Hetfield/ Kirk Hammett/ Lars Ulrich (Metallica)
„Enter sandmen/ The unforgiven“ (arr. Zigmas Čepulėnas)
Astor Piazzolla
„Adios nonino“ (arr. Jukka Sarkka)
„Invierno porteño“ (arr. Jukka Sarkka)
Maurice Ravel
„Pavane pour une infante défunte“ (arr. Jeremy Sparks)
Giocchino Rossini
„La danza (Soirées musicales No.8) “ (arr. Zigmas Čepulėnas)
„La gazza ladra“ (arr. Sergej Krinicin)
Patrick Roux
„Concerto Tradiciónuevo“
Alfred Schnittke
„Gogol Suite“ (arr. Zigmas Čepulėnas)
Pyotr Tchaikovsky
„Waltz of the flowers“
Traditional
„Black cat, white cat“ (arr. Chris Ruebens)
With String Orchestra
Giedrius Kuprevičius
„Nedidelė muzika 4 gitaroms ir styginių orkestrui“
Joaquìn Rodrigo
„Concierto Andaluz“
Patrick Roux
„Concerto Tradiciónuevo“
Chris Ruebens
„Stories of a common man“
With Soloists
Libero Bovio
„Passione“ (arr. Zigmas Čepulėnas)
Eduardo di Capua
„I' te vurria vasà“ (arr. Chris Ruebens)
Salvatore Cardillo
„Core’ngrato“ (arr. Saulius Lipčius)
Ernesto De Curtis
„Tu, ca nun chiagne“ (arr. Sergej Krinicin)
Salvator d’Esposito
„Anema e core“ (arr. Zigmas Čepulėnas)
Manuel De Falla
„Siete canciones populares españoles“ (arr. Jonas Tamulionis)
Rodolfo Falvo
„Dicitencello vuie“ (arr. Zigmas Čepulėnas)
Maria Grever
„Te quiero dijiste“ (arr. Saulius Lipčius)
„What a difference a day made“ (arr. Saulius Lipčius)
Agustín Lara
„Granada“ (arr. Zigmas Čepulėnas)
Ernesto Lecuona
„Malaguena“ (arr. Sergej Krinicin)
„Noche Azul“ (arr. Chris Ruebens)
Manuel Maria Ponce
„Estrellita“ (arr. Sergej Krinicin)
Algimantas Raudonikis
„Svaja“ (arr. Chris Ruebens)
„Mylimos akys“ (arr. Chris Ruebens)
Giocchino Rossini
„La Danza“ (arr. Zigmas Čepulėnas)
Enrico Toselli
„Rimpianto (serenata)“ (arr. Chris Ruebens)
Francesco Paolo Tosti
„Marechiare“ (arr. Saulius Lipčius)
Traditional
„Vieni sul mar“ (arr. Saulius Lipčius)
With another instruments
Max Bruch
„Kol nidrei“ (4 gitaroms ir kontrabosui) (arr. Zigmas Čepulėnas)
Giocchino Rossini
„La Danza“ (4 gitaroms ir kontrabosui) (arr. Zigmas Čepulėnas)
Chris Ruebens
„I guess I’ll sleep on it“ (4 gitaroms ir kontrabosui arba 4 gitaromis ir kontrabosui, trimitui)
„Summer dance“ (4 gitaroms ir kontrabosui, trimitui)
Traditional
„Black cat, white cat“ (4 gitaroms ir kontrabosui arba 4 gitaromis ir kontrabosui, trimitui) (arr. Chris Ruebens)
Antonio Vivaldi
„Winter“ (for 4 guitars and violin) (arr. Baltic Guitar Quartet)
„Serenata“ (arr. Sergej Krinicin)
Adios Nonino by Astor Piazzolla
"Summer dance" - Chris Ruebens
