Sonata Alšauskaitė
Sonata Alšauskaitė (b. 1982) started her piano studies at the M. K. Čiurlionis Art Gymnasium with the teachers L.Jakniūnienė and A.Jurgelionis. Since 2000 she has been studying at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, now continuing her postgraduate studies here with Prof. Petras Geniušas. The performer has attended master classes held by Prof. N.Seriogina (Russia), Prof. J.Godziszewski (Poland), Prof. C.Benson (Great Britain) and Prof. V.Gornostajeva (Russia).
While still at school, Sonata Alšauskaitė participated and won many international competitions, among them: Virtuosi per musica di pianoforte (1995, Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic), Carl Czerny (1997, Prague), A.Rubinstein (1999, Paris) and Konzerteum (1999, Athens). In 2003 she won the International M.K.Čiurlionis Piano and Organ Competition in Vilnius.
Sonata has been giving many concerts in Lithuania and abroad. With concerts she visited Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Great Britain, Sweden, Czech Republic and other countries. In 1998 in Vienna, Bösendorfer hall, the young pianist had her recital. She was hailed as “the young virtuoso” and “pianist knowing no technical difficulties” by the press.
The repertoire of Sonata Alšauskaitė includes most famous opuses by Western European and Russian classical composers: concertos, solo and chamber compositions. She has many times performed P. Tschaikovsky’s I, S. Rachmaninov’s II and L. van Beethoven’s III concertos for piano and orchestra together with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by R.Šervenikas, J.Domarkas and J.Salwarowski (Poland) and with the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra conducted by G.Rinkevičius. The pianist has also played with Prague Philharmonic (conducted by T. Hanuš), Lithuanian Chamber (conducted by S. Sondeckis), Lithuania Minor Orchestras (conducted by S. Domarkas and M.Pitrėnas), participated in St. Christopher Summer (Vilnius), Thomas Mann (Nida), Druskininkai Summer, Sugrįžimų Festivals. She has received grants from several funds, the International Yamaha Fund (2002) among them.
Sonata Alšauskaitė has been also giving many concerts as a performer of chamber music. The piano trio she founded (Sonata Alšauskaitė (piano), Ieva Žygaitė (violin) and Povilas Jacunskas (cello)) won the Grand Prix at the Competition for Young Lithuanian Chamber Ensembles Pavasario sonata in 2000. The performer has also given concerts together with R. Kalnėnaitė (cello), I.Armonaitė-Galinienė (violin), D.Galvydytė (viola) and other artists.
Lithuanian Composers
Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis
Preludes: in F minor, VL 197; in D minor, VL 294; in G major, VL 338
"The See", cycle of small landscapes, op.28, VL 317
Fugue in B flat minor, VL 345
Anatolijus Šenderovas
M.K.Ciurlionis' Sketches
Vladas Švedas
Pathetic Concerto for two pianos and percussion Nr. 5
Chamber Works
Ludwig van Beethoven
Sonata for cello and piano No.5 in D major, op.102 No.2
Johannes Brahms
Trio for clarinet (violin), cello and piano in A minor, op.114
Sonata for cello and piano No.1 in E minor, op.38
Cesar Franck
Sonata for violin and piano in A major
Felix Mendelssohn
Piano trio No.1 in D minor, op.49
Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Piano trio in A minor, op.50
Works for piano solo
Isaac Albeniz
Cordoba, from Cantos de Espana
Johann Sebastian Bach
Toccatas for piano: in F sharp minor, BWV 910; in D minor, BWV 913
French Suite No.5 in G major, BWV 816
Well Tempered Clavier, Book I: in C major, BWV 846; in C minor, BWV 847; in D minor, BWV 851; in E flat major, BWV 852; in E flat minor, BWV 853; in E minor, BWV 855; in A flat major, BWV 862; in A minor, BWV 865; in B minor, BWV 869
Well Tempered Clavier, Book II.: in C major, BWV 870; in E flat major, BWV 876; in F sharp minorl, BWV 883; in B minor, BWV 893
Ludwig van Beethoven
Sonata for piano No.3 in C major, op.2 No.3
Sonata No.8 in C minor, op.13 (Pathetique)
Sonata No.9 in E major, op.14 No.1
Sonata No.17 in D minor, op.31 No.2 (Tempest)
Sonata No.21 in C major, op.53 (Waldstein)
Sonata No.23 in F minor, op.57 (Appassionata)
Sonata No.28 in A major, op.101
Johannes Brahms
Klavierstücke op.119
Frederic Chopin
Sonata for piano No.2 in B flat minor, op.35
Ballade No.4 in F minor, op.52
Andante spianato et Grande polonaise brillante, op.22
Etudes op.10: No.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10,12
Etudes op.25: No. 4, 6, 8, 9,1 1, 12
Nocturne in E flat major, op.55 No.2
Claude Debussy
"Children's Corner "
Joseph Haydn
Sonata in C minor, Hob16, No.20
Jānis Ivanovs
Variations in E minor
Franz Liszt
Sonata in B minor
Hungarian Rhapsody No.10 in E major
Gnomenreigen, etude
Konzertetüde for piano in D flat major
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Sonata No.17 in D major, KV 576
Sergei Prokofiev
Sonata No.7 in B flat major, op.83
Toccata in C major op.11
Sergei Rachmaninov
Etudes-tableaux op.39: No.5 in E flat minor; No.9 in D major
Preliudes op.23, No. 2 - 5
Maurice Ravel
Une barque sur l'océan, arranged for piano
Pavane pour une Infante defunte
Domenico Scarlatti
Sonates: in E major, K.380; in D minor, K.9
Franz Schubert
Impromptu op.90, D.899
Robert Schumann
Fantasiestücke op.12
Fantasie in C major, op.17
Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Valse sentimentale, for piano (or violin and piano) in F minor, op.51/6
Works for piano and orchestra
Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor, op.37
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No.8 in C major, KV 246
Piano Concerto No.20 in D minor, KV 466
Sergei Rachmaninov
Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor, op.18
Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Piano Concerto No.1 in B flat minor, op.23
PROKOFIEV, SONATA No.7
A. Shenderov, Amber Palace
F. Chopin Andante Spianato I Polonesa
"Dear Sonata, My sincere congradulation on your very fine performance. This was the best Schumann Fantasy I have heard in years. You seem to have on excellent teacher."
Prof. Paul Badura-Skoda. Prague, Nov. 29, 1997
"Aufgefallen als einfühlsame Begleiterin war während des Konzertes bereits Sonata Alšauskaitė am Klavier. So war man auf ihr solistiches Können gespannt und man wurde wahrlich nicht enttäuscht. Sie interpretierte ausgesprochen intelligent den ersten Satz der Beethoven – Klaviersonate op. 31 Nr.2, d-Moll und verlieh diesem dämonischen Satz Leidenschaft, Mystik und Dramatik. Ein sehr anspruchsvolles Stück war auch die "Etude Tableaux, op. 39" es-Moll, von Sergei Rachmaninow, der sie pompösen und überschwenglichen Glanz verlieh. Am Ende des Konzertes spielte sie noch die "Toccata op. 11", d-Moll von Sergei Prokofiew. Sie gilt als ausgesprochen schwierig, schien aber für die jubge Pianistin kleinerler Schwierigkeiten zu besitzen. Brilliant wie virtuos gelang ihr die Interpretation."