D. Shostakovitch - Prelude & fugue N°24 d minor
W.A.Mozart - Fantasie en c minor K457
L.van Beethoven - 32 Variations

Intermission

F.LISZT - Works from ANNEES DE PELERINAGE

• Spozalizio (2ème année)
• Soneto 47 del Petrarca(2ème année)
• Soneto 104 del Petrarca(2ème année)
• Soneto 123 del Petrarca(2ème année)
• Venezia e Napoli:
• 1 – Gondoliera
• 2 – Canzona
• 3 – Tarantella

MŪZA RUBACKYTĖ

“An artist of phenomenal powers who must be counted among the most gifted pianists of our time”, claimed the American “Fanfare” magazine, reviewing one of the recent recordings by the Lithuanian-born pianist Mūza Rubackytė. It is through her definitive recordings of Liszt, Schubert, Scarlatti, Brahms and Čiurlionis for Melodia, Hungaroton, Marco Polo and Lyrinx that Mūza Rubackytė has made a name for herself in the West. Praised for the extraordinary sensitivity and technical finesse and named “one of the greatest Liszt players alive”, she is now being discovered by still wider audiences as a dazzling concert performer and recitalist as well.

Upon graduation from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, where she received excellent training under such experts of the Russian piano school as Yakov Flier, Bela Davidovich, and Mikhail Voskresensky, she won the All-Union Competition in St. Petersburg, which named her one of the Soviet Union’s best pianists. She travelled the length and breadth of the country, often performing during the luncheon breaks at steel mills and factories and appearing with all levels of orchestras – from Uzbekistan to the great ensembles of Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Vilnius. The positive side to this “restricted musical life” allowed her to build over 30 different recital programs and polish 35 major piano concertos. There was a negative side too: despite all her winning accomplishments including the Grand-Prix of the famous International Liszt-Bartok Competition, Budapest, in 1981, she was constantly denied of visas and passports to fulfil the multitude of contracts offered to her in the West. The welcome arrival of perestroika in 1989 and Lithuanian independence in 1991 motivated a move to Paris where she entered the prestigious Paris International Piano Competition “Les Grands Maîtres Français” and won First Prize overwhelmingly.

Now a resident of Paris, Mūza Rubackytė travels extensively, giving recitals and orchestral concerts under such noted maestri as Leonard Slatkin, Gerhardt Zimmermann, Peter Bay, Uriel Segal, Stefan Lano and Krzysztof Penderecki among others, throughout Europe, USA, South America, Asia, and returning triumphantly to Moscow, St. Petersburg and Lithuania for engagements. Heard frequently on Radio France, Radio Classique and TV, and proficient in five languages, this “Grand Maître” is comfortable during her continental tours at such venues as Wigmore Hall (London), Beethoven Haus-Bonn, Salle Gaveau (Paris), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam) and other major concert venues. Besides her active concert career. she is also a teacher and jurist throughout many of Europe’s piano master courses and competitions. She often serves as a cultural ambassador of Lithuania, representing her native country on various politically significant occasions and devotedly promoting its music of the past and today. In 1998, Lithuania honoured her together with the late Sir Yehudi Menuhin with the prestigious “Legion of Merit” award for their extraordinary musical and cultural accomplishments.

Mūza Rubackytė has recently made covers of “Piano World” (Holland) and “Piano Magazine” (France), and continues to draw accolades for her latest SACD release on Lyrinx of the complete three volumes of Liszt’s Années de Pelerinage. Through her drive, discipline, natural talent, and affection for the keyboard, Mūza Rubackytė has certainly earned the name that many critics have given her as “The Magnificent Mūza”.