Rūta Rikterė and Zbignevas Ibelhauptas Piano Duo
The Ruta and Zbignevas Ibelhauptas Piano Duo was formed in 1989. Both performers received their graduate and postgraduate education at the Lithuanian Academy of Music.
A laureate of international competitions, the Ruta and Zbignevas Ibelhauptas Piano Duo has participated regulary in various musical projects in Lithuania and abroad. They have given many recitals in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, France and Latvia, and have appeared at many international festivals in Russia, Ukraine, Poland ("Warsaw Autumn", "Silesian Days of Contemporary Music"), Slovenia (Ljubljana Summer Festival) and Germany (Klassik im Grünen). They have also played with the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra, the Lithuanian Chamber, the Lithuanian National Symphony, and the Lithuanian State Symphony orchestras conducted by Saulius Sondeckis, Juozas Domarkas, David Geringas, Arturo Tamayo, Pavel Berman, Jose Serebrier and Robertas Šervenikas. Their concerts have been broadcast by Lithuanian National TV and Lithuanian and European radio stations.
Their vast repertoire includes compositions for two pianos and pieces for four hands, from baroque to modern music. Ruta and Zbignevas Ibelhauptas often collaborate with contemporary Lithuanian composers and have inspired numerous new works.
In addition to giving concerts, they teach piano and piano duet at the Lithuanian Academy of Music. In 1999, the Academy conferred on each of them the title of Associate Professor. In 1997, Ruta and Zbignevas Ibelhauptas were honoured with the National Prize of Lithuania.
In 2011, Zbignevas Ibelhauptas was elected as rector of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.
Lithuanian Composers
Vaclovas Augustinas
Gloria for soprano, chorus, two pianos and percussion
Vytautas Bacevičius
The Seventh Word Op. 73
Osvaldas Balakauskas
Studi sonori
“Movimenti-2” for two pianos and phonogram
Vytautas Barkauskas
Allegro brillante for 2 pianos, Op. 107 / 10'
Winter 1982, cycle for piano 4 hands, Op. 66 / 7'
Vidmantas Bartulis
I like Chopin for two pianos and orchestra
Todes-fuge
Zita Bružaitė
Novelette
“At a Gallop” for 2 pianos and phonogram (2004)
Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis
Organ Prelude
Canon
Vytautas Germanavičius
Moving in Crystals
Bronius Kutavičius
The Little Performance for actor, two violins and two pianos
Dispute with an Unknown Person
Crane Dances
Little Boat of Gilija
Algirdas Martinaitis
Clavier of the Life-giving Water
Rytis Mažulis
“Twittering Machine” for 2 pianos and phonogram (1986)
Remigijus Merkelys
Seventh Heaven for two pianos and orchestra (2002)
Onutė Narbutaitė
Climber
Loreta Narvilaitė
“Call-Light” for 2 pianos and phonogram (2000)
Gintaras Sodeika
Sound Ontology No.2
Force majeure for two pianos and orchestra
Iodio for three pianos (2002)
Giedrius Svilainis
Trupantis miestas for soprano and two pianos
Stasys Vainiūnas
Music for two pianos and string quartet
Kristina Vasiliauskaitė
Spring Sketch
Works with Orchestra
Johann Sebastian Bach
Concerto for two pianos in C minor, BWV 1060
Concerto for two pianos in C Major, BWV 1061
Concerto for two pianos in C Minor, BWV 1062
Béla Bartók
Concerto for two pianos, percussion and orchestra
Benjamin Britten
Scottish Ballad for two pianos and orchestra Op. 26
Raimo Kangro
Concerto for two pianos and chamber orchestra Op.22
Bohuslav Martinů
Concerto for two pianos and orchestra
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in E major
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in F major, KV 242
Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in E flat major, KV. 365
Francis Poulenc
Concerto in D minor for Two Pianos and orchestra
Camille Saint-Saëns
Le Carnaval des animaux for Two Pianos and Orchestra
Alfred Schnittke
Concerto for One Piano Four Hands
Kazimierz Serocki
Forte e piano
Oratorios Cantatas Mass
Carl Orff
Carmina Burana
Piano Four Hands
Johannes Brahms
Ungarische Tänze / Hungarian Dances
Variations on the theme by Schumann in E flat Major, Op. 23
Liebeslieder op. 52 a
Muzio Clementi
Sonata in C Major
Sonata in E flat Major
Claude Debussy
Petite suite
Antonín Dvořák
Slavonic Dances Op. 46, 72
Edvard Grieg
Suite Peer Gynt
Norwegian Dances / Norwegische Tänze Op. 35
Paul Hindemith
Sonata
Arthur Honegger
Pastorale d’Ete’
Chant de joie
Francis Poulenc
Sonata
Sergei Rachmaninov
6 pieces Op. 11
Italian Polka
Franz Schubert
Grand Sonate in B major Op. 30
Fantasie in F minor Op. 103
Deux marches carasteristiques Op. 121
Allegro (Lebenssturme) op. 144
Divertissement in E minor Op. 63
Robert Schumann
Spanish Love Songs op. 138
Pictures from the East Op.66
Igor Stravinsky
Petrushka
5 Easy Pieces
Two Pianos
John Adams
Hallelujah Junction
Johann Sebastian Bach
Two Fugues from the Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080
Béla Bartók
Seven Pieces from Mikrokosmos
Sonata for 2 pianos and percussion
Suite Op. 4b
Two Pictures Op.10
Johannes Brahms
Variations on the theme by Haydn in B flat major op. 56 B
Sonata in F Minor Op. 34a
5 Waltzes
Benjamin Britten
Introduction and Rondo alla Burlesca Op. 23 No.1
Mazurka Elegiaca “In memoriam I. J. Paderewski” op. 23 nr. 2
Frederic Chopin
Rondo in C Major
Muzio Clementi
Two sonatas
George Crumb
Otherwordly resonances (2002)
Claude Debussy
En blanc et noir
Lindaraja
Leonid Desiatnikov
Du coté de chez Swann
Manuel de Falla
Ritual Fire Dance
Jean Françaix
Huit danses exotiques
Edvard Grieg
Altnorwegische Romanze mit Variationen Op. 51
Paul Hindemith
Sonata
Arthur Honegger
Partita
Eugeniusz Knapik
Tha'Munnot waste no time
György Ligeti
Three Pieces
Franz Liszt
Concerto pathetique
Reminiscences de Don Juan
Reminiscences de Norma
Witold Lutosławski
Variations on a theme of Paganini
Frank Martin
Etudes
Overture and Foxtrot
Bohuslav Martinů
Three Czech dances
Olivier Messiaen
Visions de l`Amen
Darius Milhaud
Suite Scaramouche
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Sonata in D major KV 448
Francis Poulenc
Sonata (1953)
Capriccio
Sergei Rachmaninov
Symphonic dances Op. 45
Suite No. 2 op. 17
Suite Fantaisie-tableaux, No.1 Op.5
Maurice Ravel
Introduction and Allegro
Rhapsodie Espagnole
La Valse
Bolero
Max Reger
Variations on a theme by Beethoven op. 86
Camille Saint-Saëns
Variations on a theme by Beethoven
Schubert-Prokofiev
Waltzes
Robert Schumann
Andante and Variations Op. 46
Dmitri Shostakowitsch
Concertino Op. 94
Igor Stravinsky
Concerto for two solo pianos
Sonata
Concert at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall, 04 09 2014
RICHARD WAGNER – Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman) Overture;
ARNOLD BAX – Moy Mell;
FERENC LISZT – Symphony Poem „Preludes“;
GUSTAV HOLST – „Mars“, „Venus“, „Mercury“, „Jupiter“ from „Planet Suite“, op. 32;
MAURICE RAVEL – La Valse
Concert in the Festival “Music of Changes”, 9th of October, 2009
“Tone Ontology”
PETER EÖTVÖS
”Cricket Music” (1970)
JONAS TAMULIONIS
“The Sea” for flute quartet (1995)
RIMANTAS BUDRIŪNAS
“Laumžirgiai” for flute quartet and phonogram (2009)
LINAS RIMŠA
“Not 4 Flutes Only” for flute quartet and phonogram (2006)
YEN KLARK
“TRK’s “ for flute quartet and phonogram
VYTAUTAS V. JURGUTIS
“G.A.L. House” for 3 flutes and phonogram (1997)
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OSVALDAS BALAKAUSKAS
“Movimenti 2” for 2 pianos and phonogram (2006)
ZITA BRUŽAITĖ
“At a Gallop” for 2 pianos and phonogram (2004)
LORETA NARVILAITĖ
“Call-Light” for 2 pianos and phonogram (2000)
GINTARAS SODEIKA
“Sound Ontology No.2” for 2 pianos and phonogram (1998)
RYTIS MAŽULIS
“Twittering Machine” for 2 pianos and phonogram (1986)
Rūta and Zbignevas Ibelhauptas (pianos)
The Lithuanian Flute Quartet: Giedrius Gelgotas, Lina Baublytė, Fausta Drulytė, Albert Stupak
Concert at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall, December 9, 2009
SERGEI PROKOFIEV
Excerpts from the ballet Cinderella
SERGEI RACHMANINOV
Suite No. 2, Op. 17
DARIUS MILHAUD
Scaramouche, suite for two pianos, Op. 165b
MANUEL INFANTE
Andalusian Dances
Recital at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall, 12 03 2008
O SANCTA SIMPLICITAS!
ALGIRDAS MARTINAITIS Clavier of the Life-giving Water
OSVALDAS BALAKAUSKAS Movimenti-2
BRONIUS KUTAVIČIUS Dispute with an Unknown Person
GEORGE CRUMB Otherworldly resonanses
JOHN ADAMS „Hallelujah Junction“
Concert at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall, 13 12 2008
PAUL DUKAS
Music from the ballet La Péri
BOHUSLAV MARTINŮ
Concerto for two pianos and orchestra (Lithuanian premiere)
IGOR STRAVINSKY
Suite from the ballet The Firebird
ALBERTO GINASTERA
Dances from the ballet EstanciaSoloists RŪTA and ZBIGNEVAS IBELHAUPTAS (piano duo)
Conductor OLIVIER GRANGEAN (France)
Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra
Concert in the 16th International Contemporary Music Festival ”Gaida”, October 28, 2006
E. Varese “Deserts” (with video by Bill Viola)
A. Jasenka Symphony No. 3, “Title: 0/1” (premiere)
O. Balakauskas “Movimenti II” for two pianos and orchestra (premiere)
H. Lachenmann “Schreiben”
Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Rūta and Zbignevas Ibelhauptas (piano duo), Conductor Robertas Šervenikas
Recital in the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall, March 10, 2004. ”Variations for two pianos”.
C.Saint-Saëns – Variations on a Theme of Beethoven;
R.Schumann - Andante and variations, op.46;
J.Brahms – Variations on a Theme of Haydn, op.56b;
A.Martinaitis – Clavier of living water, variations for two pianos and synthesizer;
W.Lutosławski - Variations on a Theme of Paganini
Concert with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra in the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall (conductor David Geringas), 2002
C. Maria von Weber Overture Oberon
F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Concerto for two pianos and orchestra No.1 in E major
P. Tchaikovsky Symphony in E flat major
Contemporary Music Festival "Gaida", October 13, 2002
R. Merkelys Seventh Heaven for two pianos and orchestra
Recital at the Thomas Mann International Festival in Nida, July 19, 2002
Sergej Rachmaninov 6 morceaux op. 11
Concert in the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall, May 11, 2001
B. Bartok Concerto for two pianos, percussion and orchestra
C. Orff Carmina Burana
Participated Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Kaunas State Chorus, conductor Juozas Domarkas, percussionists Saulius Astrauskas, Zenonas Bagavičius, singers Irena Zelenkauskaitė, Andris Veismanis, Giedrius Žalys.
Recital in the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall, November 6, 2002
P. Hindemith Sonata
W. A. Mozart Sonata in D major, KV 448
F. Liszt Concerto Pathetique
F. Chopin Rondo in C major op. 73
G. Sodeika Sound Ontology No. 2
Recital in the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall, 2001
J. Brahms Sonata op.34 a
B. Kutavicius Little Boat of Gilija
Crane Dances
Dispute with an Unknown Person
Concert with the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra in the Warsaw Opera Theatre (Warsaw Autumn Festival), 2000
K. Serocki Forte e piano
Recital in the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall at the Vilnius Festival, June 9, 2000
Olivier Messiaen Visions de l’Amen (1943)
Sergej Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances Op. 45 (1940)
Concert with the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra in the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall, March 8, 1999
J.S. Bach Concerto in C major (BWV 1061)
R. Kangro Concerto for two pianos op.22 No 1
A. Schnittke Concerto for one piano four hands
W. A. Mozart Concerto for two pianos and orchestra in E flat major, KV. 365
Recital in the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall, April 30, 1999
C. Debussy En blanc et noir
A. Honegger Partita
J. Francaix 8 danses exotiques
F. Poulenc Sonata
D. Milhaud Scaramouche
Modern Music Festival in Katowice (Poland), October 19, 1998
Osvaldas Balakauskas Studi Sonori
Gintaras Sodeika Sound Ontology No.2
Vytautas Germanavičius Moving in crystals
Onutė Narbutaitė Climber
Ligeti György Three Pieces
Knapik Eugeniusz Tha'Munnot waste no time
Bronius Kutavičius Dispute with an Unknown Person
Recital in the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall, dedicated to the 125 th anniversary of S.Rachmaninov, April 17, 1998
S. Rachmaninov 6 morceaux Op. 11
Suite Fantaisie-tableaux, No. 1 Op. 5
Suite No. 2 Op. 17
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While listening to them play, one can sense links between music and other arts. And, at the same time, there is no doubt that it is music that is the central part of their existence.
E. Gedgaudas, Lietuvos rytas, 2002
It seems that the duo has recently begun looking for a new and even more creative approach towards the piano duo repertoire, which, as often as not, features batteries of virtuoso effects. This is apparent from their sound culture, which has visibly improved over the last few years; from their emotional sensation and dynamic scale, both of which have been enriched with more gradations; and from their changed perception of linkages between a certain epoch and their own conception.
V. Markeliūnienė, 7 meno dienos, 2002
This ensemble regulary presents both classical compositions that have not been performed in Lithuania before and new opuses by Lithuanian composers. Constantly striving for high standarts, these skilful pianists have inspired many Lithuanian composers to write music for them.
K. Firkavičiūtė, Lietuvos rytas, 2001
One could not help but listen to these brilliant artists,whose buoyant playing not only reached the listeners' ears but also touched their hearts.
Ulrich Jess, Nordfriesische Nachrichten, 2001
Serocki "Forte e piano" was the highlight of the evening, and this was mainly due to the soloists (Zbignevas and Ruta Ibelhauptas) and the conductor (A.Tamayo).
Ewa Szczecinska, Ruch muzyczny, 2000
Naturnah ist auch die Inspiration des virtuosen Vortragsstücks Vijoklis (die deutsche Übersetzung “Ranken” ist falsch, gemeint ist “Kletterpflanze”!), 1988 für das fantastische Klavierduo Ruta und Zbignevas Ibelhauptas geschrieben.
Lutz Lesle, CD Onute Narbutaite, June Music. Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, 1/2003
As always, it was intriging to watch this harmonious and productive interaction of the performers (so different from each other), that determines the special character of this ensemble. Both pianists are worthy of solo programmes, and this potential of theirs stands the ensemble in good stead for achieving high artistic level.
Edmundas Gedgaudas, Lietuvos Rytas, 2000
The duet did not lack the freedom and inventiveness to reveal the depths of Rachmaninov’s music. Each time Ruta and Zbignevas joined their different (but diligently fostered) touches we could hear a ritch and colourful scale of piano timbres. The pianists undoubtedly showed that they are stylish and tasteful masters of colour.
Vytautė Markeliūnienė, 7 meno dienos, May 8, 1998
We know that, speaking about performers, the word ‘creative work’ should be used carefully, but there are exceptions. If it is apparent that these pianists feel the flow of sounds, the spirit and the style of the composition, this exception is possible and maybe even desirable. This is a creative work because where there is power of intuition, temperament and sensation of form there is no place for mediocrity. This is creative work, because the music unfolds fully and vivaciously and the listener listens to the original, not to a copy. This is creative work, because magic words to opuses by different composers are found.
Edmundas Gedgaudas, Lietuvos Rytas, April 22, 1997
…The first piano ‘covers’ the other with a never-ending carillon of cords and splendid rhythms and with constantly approaching rhythmic canons. This musical veil can sometimes be like a dewdrop – impressionistic and transparent, and the performers know how to depict it. Harmony and togetherness, life and thought pulsate while Ruta and Zbignevas play music by French composers. This is true not only for Messiaen’s Visions de l’Amen. Debussy and Ravel are still ringing in my ears too.
Zita Kelmickaitė, 7 meno dienos, 1996
