Last night we received sad news that Lithuanian legendary organist, pianist and organ restorer Maestro Bernardas Vasiliauskas (April 28, 1938 - February 21, 2022) has passed away. His influence in Lithuanian organ culture has been immense over many decades and his work as the Titular Organist at Vilnius Cathedral since the restoration of Lithuanian Independence in 1990 will always be remembered. Whether he played large concert instruments or accompanied choirs and soloists in village churches it was a pure joy to listen to him and work with him. On top of that he was one of the kindest and well-meaning persons I know which is a rare quality in organ community.
So today I wanted to share with you an excerpt from his last concert which he played on January 15, 2022, just a little over a month ago at Vilnius University St John's church with 3 of his colleagues - Gediminas Kviklys, Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkevicene and myself. This event was dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Vilnius Organ Workshop which rebuilt the organ at this church. In this concert Maestro Vasiliauskas played Ave Maria by Bossi and 5 of the Vesper Voluntaries by Elgar, one of his most favourite composers. Hope you will enjoy Bernardas' rendition of Ave Maria, Op. 104 No. 2 by Marco Enrico Bossi while we remember the life and work of one of the finest organists Lithuania has ever had!
More information about Bernardas Vasiliauskas:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernardas_Vasiliauskas