Vidmantas Bartulis wrote the Concerto for piano and symphony orchestra in 1994, when he went to Canada for six months to live with his childhood friend, violinist Atis Bankas. It is one of such his works that are full of the most unexpected twists of musical thought – the main part of this Concerto, which lasts about 20 minutes, is somewhat reminiscent of Frank Zappa's orchestral music, while the finale is a evident stylisation of Philip Glass. As the fellow composer Mindaugas Urbaitis said: it's like coming home after a hard day's work, curling up in an armchair and turning on a favourite TV series. Or: this is what Lithuanian weather is like these days – after heavy rain and winds, the sun suddenly comes out. Music critics were confused after the premiere: is it a joke or is it serious? Well, probably a "serious joke"... The very end of the piece is also very unexpected, when listeners are struck with that feeling of "what happened there?" (Perhaps somewhat similarly enigmatic is the Music Information Centre Lithuania‘s recently published piano piece by Faustas Latėnas, 47 Microgames and Three-part Fugue.)

The digital edition of Bartulis's sheet music contains the piano part of the finale of this Concerto (with a few bars of the finale's introduction). It can be played on solo piano, as in the original version the orchestra only doubles, and adds timbral colouration to the piano part of this finale. This version can be played from the very beginning, or from (1) or (2) rehearsal marks. The whole Piano Concerto could probably go into Bartulis' "I Like..." series of works and could be called "I Like F. Zappa", and this finale (if played from the mark (2)) could safely be called "I LIke P. Glass". (Although here he is only stylising the music of both of them, not directly quoting it.)

This version can be performed in concert halls as an encore number, but it is also suitable for music lovers, for "home music-making". Because it is quite simple. But very beautiful.

Linas Paulauskis