Press
Debut Solo CD Reflections
“artistry of poetic and observant sensitivity … a musician with a keen ear for colour and structure … vital glowing performances … illuminating and nuanced … Vitkauskaite finds a fine balance between lyricism and buoyancy [in the Beethoven], applying judicious flexibility to lines while maintaining narrative cohesion. The dotted rhythms and knotty harmonic twists in the second movement’s march have a welcome experimental edge and the pianist exudes celebratory zest in the finale … Vitkauskaite caresses and animates every phrase [in the Guastavino].” [COMPLETE REVIEW]
— Donald Rosenberg
“Vitkauskaite’s performance of each of the score’s five movements [of Ravel’s Miroirs] comes alive with scintillating pianism and a kaleidoscope of colors. Listen, for example to the peaks of foam that aerate the surface of her Une barque sur l’océan, or to the tintinnabulations of her La vallée des cloches, in which she so effectively differentiates her touch and pedaling to simulate the varying tolling, chiming, and tinkling bell sounds—a remarkable display of technique and sensitivity to Ravel’s brilliant tone painting…
Vitkauskaite’s reading of the piece [Beethoven Op. 101]…leaves no doubt that she is a Beethoven interpreter of penetrating insight. Her phrasing breathes in a way that makes Beethoven’s rising and falling gestures sound truly conversational…
Rasa Vitkauskaite captures the grotesqueries of Liebermann’s gothic wardens of evil with both chilling and mischievously wicked effect…
The Sonata in G Minor by Argentinean composer Carlos Vicente Guastavino (1912– 2000) is a work I’d not previously heard. Despite its having been written in 1945, its first two movements are ear-caressing, somewhat nostalgic-sounding music of extraordinary beauty in an autumnal Romantic style that bears more than a passing resemblance to the late piano pieces by Brahms. In contrast, the third movement is in a much more modernistic and virtuosic style that momentarily channels Rachmaninoff and sounds like it comes from or belongs to a different work. The entire sonata, by the way, lasts fewer than 10 minutes. Nonetheless, enough of its Romantic impulses and gorgeous piano writing come across in this deeply felt performance by Rasa Vitkauskaite to motivate me to explore more of this fascinating composer’s music.
All around, this is a most intelligently programmed and beautifully realized recorded debut recital, complete with copiously footnoted booklet analyses of each work authored by Vitkauskaite and Jan Swafford. Ongaku’s impressive recorded sound from the Rogers Center for the Arts at Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, completes the package for this enthusiastically recommended release.”
— Jerry Dubins
“Vitkauskaite has established an enviable reputation as an intelligent performer who injects insight into every note and whose phrasing is nigh on perfect… When you listen to Une barque sur l’océan for example you can hear how precise her playing is and how it enables the notes to illustrate to perfection the watery nature embodied in the piece. It is breathtakingly beautiful and it is all you can do not to hear it again immediately… However, all of [the movements of Miroirs] are just as ravishingly beautiful…
[in Beethoven, Vitkauskaite] shows that she can voice every emotion and every state inferred from gentle lullaby-like phrasing to volcanic outbursts… I don’t own another account of this sonata that I would place above this one…
This is an extremely satisfying and thrillingly executed programme which should encounter no difficulties in finding its way onto the shelves of many music-lovers around the world. It is a well constructed and thoughtful programme that will educate as well as please any listener.” [COMPLETE REVIEW]
— Steve Arloff
“artistry of poetic and observant sensitivity … a musician with a keen ear for colour and structure … vital glowing performances … illuminating and nuanced … Vitkauskaite finds a fine balance between lyricism and buoyancy [in the Beethoven], applying judicious flexibility to lines while maintaining narrative cohesion. The dotted rhythms and knotty harmonic twists in the second movement’s march have a welcome experimental edge and the pianist exudes celebratory zest in the finale … Vitkauskaite caresses and animates every phrase [in the Guastavino].” [COMPLETE REVIEW]
— Donald Rosenberg
“Vitkauskaite’s performance of each of the score’s five movements [of Ravel’s Miroirs] comes alive with scintillating pianism and a kaleidoscope of colors. Listen, for example to the peaks of foam that aerate the surface of her Une barque sur l’océan, or to the tintinnabulations of her La vallée des cloches, in which she so effectively differentiates her touch and pedaling to simulate the varying tolling, chiming, and tinkling bell sounds—a remarkable display of technique and sensitivity to Ravel’s brilliant tone painting…
Vitkauskaite’s reading of the piece [Beethoven Op. 101]…leaves no doubt that she is a Beethoven interpreter of penetrating insight. Her phrasing breathes in a way that makes Beethoven’s rising and falling gestures sound truly conversational…
Rasa Vitkauskaite captures the grotesqueries of Liebermann’s gothic wardens of evil with both chilling and mischievously wicked effect…
The Sonata in G Minor by Argentinean composer Carlos Vicente Guastavino (1912– 2000) is a work I’d not previously heard. Despite its having been written in 1945, its first two movements are ear-caressing, somewhat nostalgic-sounding music of extraordinary beauty in an autumnal Romantic style that bears more than a passing resemblance to the late piano pieces by Brahms. In contrast, the third movement is in a much more modernistic and virtuosic style that momentarily channels Rachmaninoff and sounds like it comes from or belongs to a different work. The entire sonata, by the way, lasts fewer than 10 minutes. Nonetheless, enough of its Romantic impulses and gorgeous piano writing come across in this deeply felt performance by Rasa Vitkauskaite to motivate me to explore more of this fascinating composer’s music.
All around, this is a most intelligently programmed and beautifully realized recorded debut recital, complete with copiously footnoted booklet analyses of each work authored by Vitkauskaite and Jan Swafford. Ongaku’s impressive recorded sound from the Rogers Center for the Arts at Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, completes the package for this enthusiastically recommended release.”
— Jerry Dubins
“Vitkauskaite has established an enviable reputation as an intelligent performer who injects insight into every note and whose phrasing is nigh on perfect… When you listen to Une barque sur l’océan for example you can hear how precise her playing is and how it enables the notes to illustrate to perfection the watery nature embodied in the piece. It is breathtakingly beautiful and it is all you can do not to hear it again immediately… However, all of [the movements of Miroirs] are just as ravishingly beautiful…
[in Beethoven, Vitkauskaite] shows that she can voice every emotion and every state inferred from gentle lullaby-like phrasing to volcanic outbursts… I don’t own another account of this sonata that I would place above this one…
This is an extremely satisfying and thrillingly executed programme which should encounter no difficulties in finding its way onto the shelves of many music-lovers around the world. It is a well constructed and thoughtful programme that will educate as well as please any listener.” [COMPLETE REVIEW]
— Steve Arloff
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Digital single Liszt/Weber Polonaise brillante
“…carefree, sparkling, brilliance… bejewelled articulation… This is a wonderful reading”
— Colin Clarke
“…scintillating soloist…dispatching its many challenges with apparent ease and dance-like grace. She is a young artist to watch.”
— Ronald E. Grames
“…plays up a storm”
— Jerry Dubins
“Vitkauskaite’s plangently played Polonaise brillante – as arranged by Liszt – is a spirited and aristocratic jeu d’esprit carried off with style.
The Lithuanian-born Rasa Vitkauskaite, who is the pianist of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, provides a two page note, for the Weber-Liszt Polonaise brillante. Her writing is equally in-depth yet approachably rewarding.”
— Rob Barnett
“…carefree, sparkling, brilliance… bejewelled articulation… This is a wonderful reading”
— Colin Clarke
“…scintillating soloist…dispatching its many challenges with apparent ease and dance-like grace. She is a young artist to watch.”
— Ronald E. Grames
“…plays up a storm”
— Jerry Dubins
“Vitkauskaite’s plangently played Polonaise brillante – as arranged by Liszt – is a spirited and aristocratic jeu d’esprit carried off with style.
The Lithuanian-born Rasa Vitkauskaite, who is the pianist of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, provides a two page note, for the Weber-Liszt Polonaise brillante. Her writing is equally in-depth yet approachably rewarding.”
— Rob Barnett
CD American Tribute
“I just listened to the recording and it’s astounding! … Thanks for creating such a gem. … Jonathan Cohler brings to the music the most unusual combination of dramatic power, dazzling virtuosity and exquisite intimacy. And Rasa Vitkauskaite is the perfect partner to tie together all of these elements into a meaningful whole. I cannot imagine a more thoughtful rendering of Liquid Ebony.”
— Dana Wilson
“Jonathan Cohler and pianist Rasa Vitkauskaite do a remarkable rendition of my pieces as well as the ones by the other distinguished American composers on the project.
This is a CD every clarinetist should have in their collection!”
— Paquito D’Rivera
“Rasa Vitkauskaite, a native of Lithuania, balances Cohler’s brilliant voice with a certain gravitas and polished technique; this is a very good team. The recorded sound is especially notable, with excellent perspective and sense of depth. This is a highly rewarding hour plus of music-making, to which I will certainly return long after reviewing duties are done.”
— Peter Burwasser
“I just listened to the recording and it’s astounding! … Thanks for creating such a gem. … Jonathan Cohler brings to the music the most unusual combination of dramatic power, dazzling virtuosity and exquisite intimacy. And Rasa Vitkauskaite is the perfect partner to tie together all of these elements into a meaningful whole. I cannot imagine a more thoughtful rendering of Liquid Ebony.”
— Dana Wilson
“Jonathan Cohler and pianist Rasa Vitkauskaite do a remarkable rendition of my pieces as well as the ones by the other distinguished American composers on the project.
This is a CD every clarinetist should have in their collection!”
— Paquito D’Rivera
“Vitkauskaite’s plangently played Polonaise brillante – as arranged by Liszt – is a spirited and aristocratic jeu d’esprit carried off with style.
The Lithuanian-born Rasa Vitkauskaite, who is the pianist of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, provides a two page note, for the Weber-Liszt Polonaise brillante. Her writing is equally in-depth yet approachably rewarding.”
— Rob Barnett
CD Romanza
“I would be remiss if I did not praise the first-rate playing of pianist Rasa Vitkauskaite, whose refined musicianship and collaborative skill are more than amply demonstrated on this CD. The recording quality itself is excellent: very smooth, well balanced and faithful to the sounds of both clarinet and piano. Also worth mentioning is the extensive booklet (English only, and 35 pages!) written by the performers, which is thoroughly researched and provides not just program notes, but new, insightful information about some of the works.”
— Jane Ellsworth
“Vitkauskaite is very much his [Cohler’s] equal, rendering the music with the poise, prowess, and expressive nuance of an experienced soloist.”
“beautifully put together transcriptions … radiant tones … Vitkauskaite takes full advantage of the opportunities for virtuosity. [Cohler] and Vitkauskaite play this Classically grounded modern sonata [Prokofiev] with a robust approach and consummate virtuosity.”
— Maria Nockin
“…pianist Rasa Vitkauskaite is well-attuned to Schumann’s idiom.
I must mention the 36-page booklet that accompanies this CD. … Cohler (and, for Guastavino, Vitkauskaite) provides extraordinarily detailed and well-researched notes that go well beyond the basics…”
— Fanfare, Richard A. Kaplan
“I would be remiss if I did not praise the first-rate playing of pianist Rasa Vitkauskaite, whose refined musicianship and collaborative skill are more than amply demonstrated on this CD. The recording quality itself is excellent: very smooth, well balanced and faithful to the sounds of both clarinet and piano. Also worth mentioning is the extensive booklet (English only, and 35 pages!) written by the performers, which is thoroughly researched and provides not just program notes, but new, insightful information about some of the works.”
— Jane Ellsworth
“Vitkauskaite is very much his [Cohler’s] equal, rendering the music with the poise, prowess, and expressive nuance of an experienced soloist.”
“beautifully put together transcriptions … radiant tones … Vitkauskaite takes full advantage of the opportunities for virtuosity. [Cohler] and Vitkauskaite play this Classically grounded modern sonata [Prokofiev] with a robust approach and consummate virtuosity.”
— Maria Nockin
“…pianist Rasa Vitkauskaite is well-attuned to Schumann’s idiom.
I must mention the 36-page booklet that accompanies this CD. … Cohler (and, for Guastavino, Vitkauskaite) provides extraordinarily detailed and well-researched notes that go well beyond the basics…”
— Fanfare, Richard A. Kaplan
CD Rhapsodie Française
“…definitive interpretations… The success of the collaboration of these two world-class artists is unquestionable and on vivid display throughout this CD. The duo’s performances achieve an ideal blend of elegance, delicacy, and joie de vivre. The listener is struck by the easy virtuosity and inherent musicality of every performance, and by the sensitivity and subtlety of Cohler and Vitkauskaite’s ensemble work.
…flawless performances … dazzling … impetuous charm with sensitivity and grace … sparkling … a CD worthy of any collection.”
— Thomas Josenhans
“The collaboration is excellent… Vitkauskaite makes the most of them [the piano parts] with subtle musicianship and exceptional skill… Cohler and Vitkauskaite’s commitment to each work makes this recording not only a great model for younger players, but an enjoyable disc to pop in at home.”
“…clearly in a special class… Ms. Vitkauskaite displays a musical mentality that belies her youth; she is never a mere “accompanist,” but a true collaborator, making even the contest pieces sound like miniature chamber works. She and Cohler sound as though they’ve been playing together for years…”
— Richard A. Kaplan
“…definitive interpretations… The success of the collaboration of these two world-class artists is unquestionable and on vivid display throughout this CD. The duo’s performances achieve an ideal blend of elegance, delicacy, and joie de vivre. The listener is struck by the easy virtuosity and inherent musicality of every performance, and by the sensitivity and subtlety of Cohler and Vitkauskaite’s ensemble work.
…flawless performances … dazzling … impetuous charm with sensitivity and grace … sparkling … a CD worthy of any collection.”
— Thomas Josenhans
“The collaboration is excellent…Vitkauskaite makes the most of them [the piano parts] with subtle musicianship and exceptional skill…Cohler and Vitkauskaite’s commitment to each work makes this recording not only a great model for younger players, but an enjoyable disc to pop in at home.”
“…clearly in a special class… Ms. Vitkauskaite displays a musical mentality that belies her youth; she is never a mere “accompanist,” but a true collaborator, making even the contest pieces sound like miniature chamber works. She and Cohler sound as though they’ve been playing together for years…”
— Richard A. Kaplan
Setting Sun and Glorious Chamber Music
“Thunderous applause from a standing audience Saturday evening responded to the final sounds of this season’s Music for Peace concert series at Harvard Epworth Church. Chamber Music Boston’s programming and superb playing married to an important cause at the 1890s Richardson Romanesque Church as cerulean light filled the altar window at sunset.
[…] The highly expressive clarinetist Jonathan Cohler collaborates and records frequently with poetic pianist, Rasa Vitkauskaite; cellist Sebastian Bäverstam brought his unique sensitivity and spirit.
[…] Vitkauskaite’s wonderfully melodic touch anchored the trio [Beethoven’s Trio in B-flat Major, Opus 11], while Cohler and Bäverstam projected verve and warmth.
[…] Cohler, Buswell, and Vitkauskaite brought great vitality in their reprise of the work [Bartok’s Contrasts].”
— Julie R. Ingelfinger
“Thunderous applause from a standing audience Saturday evening responded to the final sounds of this season’s Music for Peace concert series at Harvard Epworth Church. Chamber Music Boston’s programming and superb playing married to an important cause at the 1890s Richardson Romanesque Church as cerulean light filled the altar window at sunset.
[…] The highly expressive clarinetist Jonathan Cohler collaborates and records frequently with poetic pianist, Rasa Vitkauskaite; cellist Sebastian Bäverstam brought his unique sensitivity and spirit.
[…] Vitkauskaite’s wonderfully melodic touch anchored the trio [Beethoven’s Trio in B-flat Major, Opus 11], while Cohler and Bäverstam projected verve and warmth.
[…] Cohler, Buswell, and Vitkauskaite brought great vitality in their reprise of the work [Bartok’s Contrasts].”
— Julie R. Ingelfinger
Music for Peace presents
Chamber Music Boston
- Jonathan Cohler, clarinet
- James Buswell, violin
- Sebastian Bäverstam, cello
- Rasa Vitkauskaite, piano
Bruch Eight Pieces, Op. 83
Beethoven Trio in B-flat Major, Op. 11
Stravinsky L’histoire du soldat
Bartók Contrasts
Stravinsky Petrushka with Boston Philharmonic Orchestra
“…pianist Rasa Vitkauskaite captured the tortured puppet’s soul in well-shaped phrases.” [COMPLETE REVIEW]
— Zoë Madonna
“The second tableau, in Petrushka’s Room, featured pianist Rasa Vitkauskaite’s firm but flexible characterization of the title puppet.” [COMPLETE REVIEW]
— Jeffrey Gantz
“…pianist Rasa Vitkauskaite captured the tortured puppet’s soul in well-shaped phrases.” [COMPLETE REVIEW]
— Zoë Madonna
“The second tableau, in Petrushka’s Room, featured pianist Rasa Vitkauskaite’s firm but flexible characterization of the title puppet.” [COMPLETE REVIEW]
— Jeffrey Gantz
ClarinetFest 2009 Recital
“Jonathan Cohler’s recital … was, as usual, musically sensitive and technically phenomenal; his wonderful pianist, Rasa Vitkauskaite, is also a fine artist, one to keep a close eye on.”
— Jane Ellsworth & Mary Kantor
“Jonathan Cohler’s recital … was, as usual, musically sensitive and technically phenomenal; his wonderful pianist, Rasa Vitkauskaite, is also a fine artist, one to keep a close eye on.”
— Jane Ellsworth & Mary Kantor
