On Friday, October 4th, the Great Hall of Sapieha Palace will resonate with the improvisations of pianist and composer Filippos Raskovic in a concert celebrating the release of his latest solo album, “Understone”. The album delves into specific melodic and rhythmic themes, structures, patterns, and harmonies. “Understone” is about unveiling hidden layers that, much like Raskovic’s improvisations, gradually reveal themselves over time.
Raskovic’s music combines elements of gestures, harmony, and repetitive motifs, inspired by the worlds of free improvisation, jazz, and contemporary classical music. During the concert, the acoustics of Sapieha Palace will interact with the timbres of the piano, creating a unique auditory experience that reflects the historical charm of the venue.
Filippos Raskovic is a pianist and composer from Athens, Greece, currently based in Vilnius. He earned his diploma in piano performance at the Maiandrio Conservatory in Athens before pursuing bachelor’s and master’s degrees (with honors) in composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London, studying under Rubens Askenar and Simon Bainbridge, and at CSMA in Zaragoza with José M. Sánchez-Verdú.
As a composer, he often collaborates on interdisciplinary projects with visual artists, focusing on the acoustics of objects and spaces. His recent works include “Nanourisma” for viola and accordion for the Stegi Onassis Foundation, presented at the “Bridge Festival” (2024), and the dance performance “Missing Step” with Olga Kalantzi (2024), developed at the Akropoditi Residency in Syros, Greece. In 2022, in collaboration with the collective UN P R 18T, he presented the performance “POST EUROPEAN RAGEROOM TM“ at the gallery Centrum Berlin, as well as “Viscous Air for 6 Musicians” for the reverberation towers at Hochschule Luzern. Earlier, in 2021, he worked with sculptor D. Tampakis on the performative installation Echo Chambers.
As an improviser, Raskovic self-released his albums “gentle presence” (2020) and “fleeting the floodtide sea” (2023), performing at various international festivals. He has played at venues such as State51 Studios (London), Flatterschafft (Basel), Studium P, SODAS2123, CAC, the National Art Gallery (Vilnius), and Chimères (Athens), among others. He is also a founding member of the “illucid trio” with Kazimieras Jušinskas and Gediminas Stepanavičius, where they explore the boundaries between free improvisation, jazz, and composition.