Project “Sea in the Forest”

Petras Geniušas – piano (Lithuania)
Liudas Mockūnas – saxophone (Lithuania)

The program features improvisations based on the works of the renowned Lithuanian composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (1875–1911).
The project is dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

The concert is held within the framework of the ERASMUS+ program.

“Sea in the Forest”

In 2011, two prominent Lithuanian artists — Petras Geniušas (classical piano) and Liudas Mockūnas (saxophone, improviser and multi-instrumentalist) — joined forces in a polystylistic project titled “Sea in the Forest”.
The project is inspired by the work of one of Lithuania’s greatest composers and painters of all time, Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (1875–1911).

The poetic title combines references to Čiurlionis’s symphonic poems and to the rich system of musical and visual symbols that characterize his art.
Two musicians from different generations and musical worlds use Čiurlionis’s music as a source of inspiration, diving into a “sea” of individual experience and stylistic interpretation.

The musical dialogue between these two virtuosos is based on improvisations over Čiurlionis’s piano works, merging elements of romanticism, impressionism, contemporary classical music, jazz, and free improvisation.
The result is a continuous musical language — a labyrinth of styles from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, where, wandering through time and genre, the artists find one another again through Čiurlionis and his music.

Petras Geniušas (piano)

Among Lithuanian classical musicians, Petras Geniušas stands out for his exceptional versatility and wide-ranging musical curiosity.
His concert repertoire spans from English virginalists to the avant-garde, jazz, and electronic soundscapes infused with world and ethnic influences.

Having mastered an extensive range of classical, romantic, and contemporary piano works, he is in constant demand as a soloist with Lithuanian symphony and chamber orchestras and is also a distinguished chamber musician.
He has collaborated with such legendary artists as Mstislav Rostropovich, Yehudi Menuhin, Raimundas Katilius, Alexander Kniazev, David Geringas, Virgilijus Noreika, Vytautas Juozapaitis, and many others.

Geniušas is also an active participant in jazz and cross-genre projects, performing with leading Lithuanian jazz figures such as Vladimir Čekasin, Petras Vyšniauskas, and Vladimir Tarasov — collaborations that have significantly influenced his artistic outlook.

He received his classical education at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (under Professor Jurgis Karnavičius) and at the Moscow Conservatory (under Professor Vera Gornostaeva).
Currently, as a professor at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, he shares his experience with the younger generation of pianists and regularly conducts masterclasses across Europe and Asia.

In recognition of his artistic achievements, he was awarded the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts (1992), the WIPO Creativity Award (2004), and the Medal “Carry Your Light and Faith” from the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture (2011).

Liudas Mockūnas (saxophone)

Liudas Mockūnas is one of the leading figures on the European jazz scene.
His artistic interests center on improvisational and experimental music.

In 2004, Mockūnas and Stefan Pasborg’s group Toxikum received the Danish Music Award, and for the album Toxikum he was also honored with the Vilnius Jazz Prize (2006), the Birštonas Jazz Prize (2008), the Golden Disc of the Lithuanian Musicians’ Union (2008), and the Golden Cross for Best Music in Lithuanian Drama Theatre (2011).

Beyond improvisational and avant-garde music, Mockūnas performs contemporary academic repertoire as both soloist and chamber musician, with works by Lithuanian and European composers.
He has appeared as a soloist with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra and serves as an associate professor at the Lithuanian Academy of Music, teaching free improvisation and jazz saxophone.

Mockūnas is also a co-founder of the Lithuanian Jazz Federation, the record label NoBusiness Records, and the Improvised Music Program at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.