Gabrielé Sutkuté in ‘Some a chanted evening.’ Astonishes and bewitches at the Landsdowne Club.

Even the cats came out to see what was going on !Was it just a coincidence that the first piece on the programme is from the folk song ‘A farmers wife had lost her cat ‘ this one seemed very much at home to me and a very fortunate cat indeed.

Haydn to cherish,Scriabin to ravish,Liszt to astonish ,Rameau to admire but above all Debussy and Ravel to seduce.
Kapustin to leave us breathless.At only 24 hours notice (substituting an indisposed colleague ) this young Lithuanian beauty took Bluthner at the Lansdowne by storm at the start of their season and of of her professional career that is heading for the heights in the fast lane .

I can do no better than quote from Elena Vorotko’s review of a performance that Gabrielé gave recently for the Keyboard Trust of which she is c/o artistic director:

Gabrielé Sutkuté at Steinway Hall for the Keyboard Trust

‘Passion and power with Gabrielė’s complete technical freedom, acute musical intuition and impeccable sense of style that made her performance an exhilarating experience for the audience.Haydn’s Fantasia in C major, the main theme of which is a folk song ‘the farmer’s wife had lost her cat’.This was masterfully played with an impish sense of humour, stylishly articulated and with great rhythmic drive.’ ‘In Scriabin’s 2nd Piano Sonata Gabrielė found yet another, totally different soundscape. A warmer and more velvety sound created mesmerising moments of delicate lyricism.The powerful and unpredictable second movement was brilliantly executed, with great ease and yet total involvement in the musical narrative.’’In Ravel’s ‘Oiseaux Tristes’ and ‘La Valse’ she created much more transparent, ‘glassy’ sonorities, so well suited for French repertoire. With a perfect sense of musical timing she achieved a moving rendition of the saddest of birds. La Valse showed off her total command of the instrument in this fiendish and highly complex virtuosic arrangement of a large scale orchestral work.’

Her Rameau and Liszt were new additions to her repertoire for me.The beauty of these miniature tone pictures by a genius almost three centuries before the so called ‘impressionists’ always astonishes.What a wonder ‘Les Tendres Plaintes’ is when played with such ease and colour not intimidated by a style of concealed passion and drive but consumed by it and transmitted with musical integrity and inspiration and dare I add ‘authenticity!’The gentle awkward steps of Les Cyclopes designed to bring a smile not a frown to our face.

Of course her intelligent musicianship brought us two of Liszt’s Venezia e Napoli with the Canzone linked as it is to the Tarantella by the composer himself but rarely even noticed by virtuosi anxious only to show off their wares.A ravishing Canzone full of Italian fervour and Latin seduction linked by the pedal to the Tarantella that was not only astonishing for it subtle refined virtuosity but above all for the beauty of the central mellifluous outpouring .In such a masterly way it gradually unwound into show stopping pyrotechnics of unheard of virtuosity that could turn the seemingly refined nobility of the day into a hysterical mob rushing to the piano to grab any souvenir that they could cherish in their dreams.

I have heard Gabrielé play many times during her student days at the RAM and RCM and admired the Lithuanian school of playing that is of well oiled ease where sounds are always liquid and beautiful and never hard or ungrateful.Milda Daunoraité ,Rokas Valuntonis and Ignas Maknickas are the other three pianists who have appeared on the scene in London all demonstrating this purity of sound and natural way of playing the piano .It was infact exemplified also in the Hungarian School in particular of Geza Anda.It is early training and discovery that is so important ,fundamental I would add,and is the basis of a life of dedication to which can be added to these first foundations later a more intensive study of interpretation and performance practices as one aims for artistic heights.Gabrielé I have heard in much of this repertoire and also a masterclass on the Grieg Piano concerto with Inna Falik’s (https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/03/10/inna-faliks-love-of-life-the-extraordinary-story-of-a-great-artist-told-with-masteryintelligence-and-beauty/).

It led to a public performance in one of the major halls in London. https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/03/22/gabriele-sutkute-plays-grieg-with-the-ymso-under-james-blair-at-cadogan-hall/

All masterly performances including her triumph at the RCM when she was awarded their highest honour of the Chappell Gold Medal .A distinguished jury of Alex Ullman ( Britten Fellowship holder and winner of both Liszt International Piano Competitions), Deniz Gelenbe and Diana Ketler had no hesitation in awarding her the top prize for a performance of Franck /Bauer that was truly memorable.

Her performances have always been impeccable of an intelligence with a refined musical palette but there were moments when one felt she could sit back and be an observer rather than always be in the driving seat.Now having finished her studies and embarking on the first steps alone of the hazardous path of a solo career she has found those moments .It was with Debussy’s beguiling ‘La plus que lente’ that she allowed the music to flow of it’s own evolution with sumptuously subtle sounds and ravishing rubato.As the sounds enveloped us all another cat was seen to take a peek into the ballroom.Enticed no doubt by the scene of decadence and the sight of desolate birds lost in the atmosphere of fluidity and luminosity that Gabrielé was evoking with such kaleidoscopic artistry.

They left in a hurry as the distant rumblings of menace and insinuating decadence gradually spun out of this brilliant Bluthner piano.The daring virtuosity of Gabrielé ignited the atmosphere with the rather evil smell of an époque that was to lead to unheard of evil and terror.Glissandi in all directions spun from her fingers as the cauldron of sounds built to boiling pitch that finally had to be switched off as abruptly as possible so as not to contaminate the world again.A stunning performance of devilish virtuosity and brilliance where the tension was only released with one of Kapustin’s Jazz Etudes played as I imagine only Oscar Peterson could have matched.

Exhilaration ,virtuosity and charm cleansed the air and allowed us to cheer this beautiful young artist on her journey reaching for the heights.

Gabriele Sutkuté at St Marys Refined musicianship and artistry