Early Connections with a National Genius
There is unquestionably no pianist today with a greater command or deeper experience of the musical oeuvre of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis than Mūza Rubackytė. Since her professional debut at the tender age of seven, she has captivated audiences with her virtuoso renditions of canonical titans like Liszt and Shostakovich. Yet, closest to her heart seem to be the unique and multifaceted works of Čiurlionis, of which she is a vigorous and tireless enthusiast.
From the elegant interior of a Paris apartment, once home to composer Berlioz, she reflects on her life-long connection with Čiurlionis:
“I grew up in a musical family. My father was an opera singer, and my mother was a concert pianist, as was my aunt. The music of Čiurlionis was all around me as a child. My mother also taught piano, and her students would play it too, as would my mother. His paintings also were all around our walls. On top of that, I am an alumna of the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art in Vilnius. So, as you can see, his touch and influence was everywhere for me formatively.”
The Life and Work of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis
Next year will mark 150 years since Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis was born in Senoji Varėna, a picturesque country village in the south of Lithuania. From these humble beginnings, he went on to become arguably one of Lithuania’s most important artistic visionaries. In his tragically short life (he died of pneumonia in 1911 at 35), he created over 400 musical pieces and 300 works of art. Although still largely an unknown figure in the world’s concert halls, his musical legacy remains both vast and distinctive.
If we were to trace how his music progresses, ebbing and flowing through the tributaries of his prodigious imagination, we would see it evolving from its early forms, so reminiscent of the Romantic lyricism of Chopin. Then, through the subtle interplay between sound and vision, it transforms, ultimately resting upon an engagement with the pure possibilities of sound through atonality. This reflects his growing interest in abstraction that is also evident in his later paintings. These later tone poems are also an expression of the more metaphysical interests like astrology and theosophy, which preoccupied him throughout his life. Indeed, these interests were shared by a number of his contemporaries, including Scriabin.
On the trajectory of his musical oeuvre, Rubackytė, has much to say.
“Indeed, I do feel that he is indebted to the work that came before him, particularly his string quartet, which I transcribed for piano and recorded because of its extraordinary beauty. This piece, like his piano sonata from his student years, shows a strong classical influence. His musical legacy is fascinatingly eclectic, especially in his later works. During this final period, his compositions moved away from tonality into more experimental territory. It’s remarkable how, in such a brief span, his musical journey encompassed everything from classical traditions through modernism and ultimately into what could be described as cosmic music.”
A Synthesis of Sound and Vision
It is his visionary, syncretic approach, where painting and music complement and collide, that gives his work its richness, as Rubackytė explains:
“In our gymnasium (secondary school), we were fortunate to have professors who explained his artwork through a musical lens. They would analyze his paintings in great detail, drawing connections between visual art and music, noting how many paintings are structured like sonatas or fugues. As a musician myself, these parallels between music and visual art were particularly meaningful to me.”
As Maestra Rubackytė goes on to note, Čiurlionis would often explicitly use terms from musical composition in his works directly, or make less direct visual allusions:
“The structure of the fugue is beautifully represented in his painting of 1908, aptly titled ‘Fugue.’ Just as in music, where you have different melodic layers, the painting depicts trees arranged in overlapping stretta. These parallel layers create a visual counterpoint, much like the interweaving voices in a musical fugue. During my studies, this correspondence between musical composition and pictorial structure was made remarkably clear, helping us understand the deep connection between these two art forms. Interestingly, he made this very link between art and music a central point of his composition, creating the first abstract painting even before Kandinsky. Some recent academic research suggests that Čiurlionis may have directly influenced Kandinsky, with whom he had some interactions in St. Petersburg.”
With such an eclectic body of work, it can be hard to attribute Čiurlionis’s oeuvre to any single artistic style, as Rubackytė acknowledges:
“That’s a complex question. His genius spanned multiple disciplines, bridging both painting and music, and despite his brief life, he delved deeply into astrology, history, philosophy, and writing, alongside his artistic pursuits. In painting, his legacy is perhaps more clearly defined. In 2018, during a major exhibition at the Musee D’Orsay celebrating the centenary of Baltic independence, titled ‘Wild Souls,’ his work was showcased alongside other Baltic Symbolist and Art Nouveau pieces. I believe this placement within the Symbolist movement best captures his artistic direction.”
Lithuanian Heritage – Folk Elements and National Identity
What is clear is that his genius was deeply informed by his homeland, Lithuania. And, in his music, this legacy is mostly clearly pronounced in the traces of local folksongs that emerge. It is this characteristically Lithuanian flavour that draws Rubackytė to his work:
“One can find strong local folk elements in his work, particularly in his harmonies and the distinctive intervals he employs in his nocturnes and preludes. The Lithuanian character of his music is unmistakable – it’s profound, contemplative, and mystical, with a deep connection to nature. This mysticism stems from our pagan heritage; after all, Lithuania was the last pagan nation in Europe, and we maintain this special relationship with the natural world to this day. You can see this cultural continuity even in our naming traditions – we still give names that reference natural elements like the sun, thunder and dew. These customs reflect the enduring roots of our identity. When I play Čiurlionis’s music I feel that I am communicating with this essence of our collective culture.”
Sharing Čiurlionis with the World – One Performance at a Time
Although much of his art is rooted in local inspiration and sources, Čiurlionis’s music is able to touch the hearts of a truly global audience. As Maestra Rubackytė reflects:
“I consider it my mission to share this music with the world. In all my courses and performances, I include either a short piece by Čiurlionis or perform his works as encores. The response is invariably the same – people are amazed they hadn’t discovered him sooner. Musicians often request the scores, eager to explore his work further. His music is remarkably accessible, touching both heart and mind, and never fails to astonish listeners.
I’ve been organizing the Vilnius Piano Festival in Lithuania since 2009, and this year’s 9th biennial festival has been scheduled for November. During the two-week festival, I ask all participating international pianists to perform a piece of their choice from Čiurlionis’s repertoire. I first implemented this initiative in 2011, during the anniversary celebrations of his work. The response from my colleagues has been overwhelming – they’ve been delighted to discover his music, and many have incorporated it into their own performances and teaching.”
Upcoming 150th Anniversary – Commemorating the Master
Mūza Rubackytė’s work of introducing the enigmatic genius of Čiurlionis continues apace in 2025, which will mark his 150th birth anniversary. In commemoration, a concert will be held in Paris in the coming year. As Mūza explains, this is not her first such performance, and she has a tried and trusted formula in place:
“I carefully curate the program because audiences need to be guided on this musical journey – otherwise, the works might remain inaccessible to them. I typically begin with more approachable pieces and gradually develop the musical narrative alongside the audience. The programming approach varies: when I’m incorporating his work into an existing recital of other composers, I have a narrower framework. However, for dedicated performances, like my 2018 recital at the Musée d’Orsay, I can present his complete artistic evolution, from Romanticism through to atonality. This creates quite a positive sensation among the audience, as they come specifically to discover his work, rather than to hear standard repertoire like Chopin. You see, there are two types of audiences: those who come to hear familiar composers and receive Čiurlionis as an unexpected gift, and the connoisseurs who attend specifically to explore his musical world. Currently, I always have a lot of scores on my piano, and that’s the way I like to approach such recitals. I will whittle down until I have what I believe to be the best representation of his repertoire.”
No doubt, the audiences that night will be left in little doubt of the genius of either Čiurlionis or Rubackytė.
A Unique Artistic Legacy
All that is left is for the Maestra to sum up what it is that she believes makes Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis so unique:
“It’s a rare privilege to be able to simultaneously engage with an artist through both their music and paintings – to listen while viewing the artwork, and to view while listening to the compositions. It’s remarkably rare to encounter an artist who achieved such mastery in both mediums, creating a perfect diptych of visual and musical expression. I would encourage people to explore this dual experience – to discover how his artistic vision manifests in both sight and sound, each medium enriching and illuminating the other.”
