Sept. 5: Violinist Yevgeny Kutik & Pianist Renana Gutman Presented by the Ravinia Festival – Performing Selections from Kutik’s Celebrated Album Music from the Suitcase
Violinist Yevgeny Kutik and Pianist Renana Gutman
Presented by the Ravinia Festival
Performing Selections from Kutik’s Celebrated Album
Music from the Suitcase
Plus Major Works by Darius Milhaud, Ernest Bloch, and Felix Mendelssohn
Thursday, September 5, 2024 at 7:30pm
Bennett Gordon Hall (in the John D. Harza Building) | Highland Park, IL
“polished dexterity and genteel, old-world charm” – WQXR
Highland Park, IL — On Thursday, September 5, 2024 at 7:30pm, longtime friends and collaborators violinist Yevgeny Kutik, known for his “dark-hued tone and razor-sharp technique,” (The New York Times) and pianist Renana Gutman, will perform at the Ravinia Festival’s Bennett Gordon Hall. The two musicians will perform selections from Kutik’s acclaimed album, Music from the Suitcase, as well as major works by Darius Milhaud, Ernest Bloch, and Felix Mendelssohn.
Recorded in 2014 on Marquis Classics, this year marks the tenth anniversary of Music from the Suitcase. The recording highlights works Kutik and his family found meaningful during their journey to the U.S. from the Soviet Union in 1990. The album’s title refers to an actual suitcase – one of only two pieces of luggage – that Kutik’s mother insisted be filled with old sheet music and brought with them to the U.S.
Most recently, Gutman, who is a Ravinia Steans Music Institute alumna, performed with Kuitk as part of the spring 2024 edition of the Birch Festival – a music and arts festival in the Berkshires of Massachusetts held twice a year* in the fall and spring, of which Kutik is the founding Artistic Director. The Birch Festival is dedicated to promoting and propelling distinct voices in music, bringing world-leading musicians for artist residencies and working in tandem with local business and cultural partnerships.
At Ravinia, Kutik and Gutman will perform an extensive and diverse concert program of selections from Music from the Suitcase, including: Preludes Nos. 10, 15, 16, and 24 from op. 34 (arr. Dmitri Tziganov) by Dmitri Shostakovich; Romance in E-flat major, Op. 44, No. 1 (arr. Henryk Wieniawski) by Anton Rubinstein; and Waltz from Cinderella, Op. 87 (arr. Mikhail Fikhtengolts) by Sergei Prokofiev. The concert will also include Le Boef sur le Toit (The Ox on the Roof) by Darius Milhaud, Violin Sonata in F major by Felix Mendelssohn; and Baal Shem (Three Pictures of Chassidic Life) by Ernest Bloch.
This concert program speaks to Kutik’s appreciation for how music can connect people and cultures alike. Le Boef sur le Toit is especially meaningful for Kutik, as he was introduced to the music of Milhaud through his long time teacher and friend, Roman Totenberg: “I had spent several weeks working on the Brahms Concerto with Mr. Totenberg in painstaking detail, and he could sense I was in desperate need of a ‘fun’ distraction. He suggested the music of Milhaud, with whom Mr. Totenberg had had a particularly close working relationship, even touring South America as a violin/piano duo,” Kutik explains.
“The piece was inspired by Brazilian folk tunes and French nightclub culture. The tunes were so catchy, the extensive bitonal passages and numerous dissonant notes all so blatantly "wrong" sounding--I had never encountered a piece quite like [Le Boef sur le Toit],” Kutik says. ”It's extremely difficult for both piano and violin and I realize now that it provided me the perfect opportunity to continue my growth as a violinist and artist against the backdrop of a fun, light-hearted work.”
Kutik says of the Mendelssohn Sonata: “It is remarkable for a number of reasons but particularly so that it was unpublished for over 100 years, until Yehudi Menuhin discovered it and edited it down. It's a clear demonstration of Mendelssohn's lyric and energetic brilliance and has some very poignant moments. In my opinion, I've always seen parts of it as an exploration of his mixed background - he was baptized as a Lutheran, while his grandfather was one of the most prominent Jewish philosophers.”
Bloch composed Baal Shem Suite: Three Pictures of Chassidic Life, also a tribute piece, in 1923. Dedicated to the composer's mother who passed away two years prior, the three movement work is Bloch’s deeply personal reflection on various Jewish themes.
About Yevgeny Kutik: Violinist Yevgeny Kutik has captivated audiences worldwide with an old-world sound that communicates a modern intellect. Praised for his technical precision and virtuosity, he is also lauded for his poetic and imaginative interpretations of both standard works and newly composed repertoire. Kutik is also Artistic Director and co-founder of The Birch Festival.
A native of Minsk, Belarus, Kutik began violin studies with his mother, Alla Zernitskaya, and immigrated to the US with his family at the age of five. An advocate for the Jewish Federations of North America, the organization that assisted his family in coming to the US, he regularly speaks and performs across the country to promote the assistance of refugees from around the world. Kutik’s discography, all on Marquis Classics, includes The Death of Juliet and Other Tales (2021), Meditations on Family (Marquis Classics 2019), Words Fail (2016), Music from the Suitcase (2014), and Sounds of Defiance (2012). Music from the Suitcase is being developed into an immersive stage and performance production for the 2024-2025 season.
Yevgeny Kutik was a featured soloist in Joseph Schwantner’s The Poet’s Hour – Soliloquy for Violin on episode six of Gerard Schwarz’s All-Star Orchestra, a made-for-television classical music concert series released on DVD by Naxos and broadcast nationally on PBS. In 2021, Kutik made his debut with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra led by Leonard Slatkin, performing the world premiere of Schwantner’s Violin Concerto, an expansion of The Poet’s Hour, written specifically for Kutik. Kutik gave the world premiere of Cântico, a work for solo violin by Andreia Pinto Correia, at the Tanglewood Music Festival in August 2022. The work was co-commissioned for Kutik by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In 2019, he made his debuts at the Kennedy Center, presented by Washington Performing Arts, and at the Ravinia Festival. Kutik made his major orchestral debut in 2003 with Keith Lockhart and The Boston Pops as the First Prize recipient of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition. In 2006, he was awarded the Salon de Virtuosi Grant as well as the Tanglewood Music Center Jules Reiner Violin Prize.
Kutik holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston University and a master’s degree from the New England Conservatory and currently resides in Boston. Kutik’s violin was crafted in Italy in 1915 by Stefano Scarampella.
For more information, please visit www.yevgenykutik.com.
About Renana Gutman: Praised by The New York Times for her “passionate and insightful” playing, Renana Gutman has performed across four continents as an orchestral soloist, recitalist and collaborative artist. She played at venues like The Louvre Museum, Grenoble Museum (France), Carnegie Recital Hall, People’s Symphony Concerts, Merkin Hall (New York), St. Petersburg’s Philharmonia (Russia), Stresa Music Festival (Italy), Ravinia Rising Stars (Chicago), Jordan Hall, Gardner Museum (Boston), Herbst Theatre (St. Francisco), Menuhin Hall (UK), UNISA (South Africa), Marlboro (VT), and National Gallery, Phillips Collection, and Freer Gallery (Washington DC). Her performances are heard frequently on WQXR Young Artists Showcase, NY, WFMT Dame Myra Hess, Chicago, and MPR in Performances Today, MN.
Renana was one of four young pianists selected by the renowned Leon Fleisher to participate in his workshop on Beethoven piano sonatas hosted by Carnegie Hall, where she presented performances of “Hammerklavier” and “Appassionata” to critical acclaim. Her recording of Chopin etudes op.25 will be released soon by “The Chopin Project.” A top prize winner at Los Angeles Liszt competition, International Keyboard Festival in New York, and Tel-Hai International Master Classes, she performed concerti such as Brahms 2nd, Rachmaninoff-Paganini Variations, and Beethoven’s “Emperor” with the Jerusalem Symphony, Haifa Symphony, Belgian “I Fiamminghi”, and Mannes College Orchestra. Her festival appearances included Marlboro and Ravinia, where she collaborated with prominent musicians like pianist Richard Goode, clarinetist Anthony McGill and members of the Guarneri string quartet, to name a few.
Renana joined the piano faculty of Boston’s Longy School of Music of Bard College in the fall of 2019. She had previously been on the piano faculty of the Yehudi Menuhin Music School in the UK. A native of Israel, Renana started playing at the age of six, and soon after, garnered multiple awards and honors. She received scholarships from the America Israel Cultural Foundation, and the Jewish Foundation for the Education of Women. She completed her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at Mannes College of Music, NY, where she studied with Richard Goode. In Israel, her teachers were pianists Natasha Tadson, Viktor Derevianko, and the Israeli composer Arie Shapira. Renana became an American citizen in 2015 and makes her home in Boston, MA. She also pursues her passion for Argentinian Tango, languages, and poetry.
About Ravinia Festival: Ravinia believes in the power of shared, live-music moments to inspire ourselves and the world. Beyond presenting outstanding performances by the world’s greatest musicians, the nonprofit’s mission to develop broader, more diverse audiences and performers in the music industry can be seen through its community engagement and education programs like Reach Teach Play and the Steans Music Institute. Together, Ravinia’s initiatives serve tens of thousands of students, families, and young professional musicians.
The 36-acre park is home to North America’s longest-running outdoor music festival and serves as an enchanting place to experience concerts throughout the summer. Performances range from Yo-Yo Ma to John Legend to the annual summer residency of one of the world’s finest orchestras: the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Guests can bring their own picnics, including food and liquor. A full range of dining options is available at the park, from concession carts to fine dining. Ravinia performances occur rain or shine. Audiences are invited to come early to enjoy various pre-concert activities, including the festival’s sculpture tour, the interactive musical playground KidsLawn, and the Ravinia Music Box.
Ravinia is the only private train stop in Illinois, with Metra’s Union Pacific North line stopping at the Grand Entrance. Since 2021, in collaboration with Metra, all trains on the Union Pacific Line honor Ravinia tickets as train fares; patrons can show their dated concert e-ticket for a free train ride to and from the park on the day of the event. The festival is located about 20 miles north of Chicago at Green Bay and Lake Cook Roads in Highland Park. Onsite parking is limited, and the festival operates a free park-and-ride shuttle bus service to nearby lots along the train line.
The safety of audiences, artists, staff and the community is Ravinia’s top priority. Expert advice guides our safety protocols, which are currently updated to ensure best practices; a variety of specialized programs and technology are engaged to ensure the venue is accessible and safe for all its patrons.
Visit the website for the most up-to-date programming and protocols. Tickets are on sale now.
For Calendar Editors:
Description: Violinist Yevgeny Kutik, described by The New York Times as having a “dark-hued tone and razor-sharp technique,” and pianist Renana Gutman, praised for her “passionate and insightful” performance, are presented as part of the Ravinia Festival on Thursday, September 5, 2024 at 7:30pm. Together, Kutik and Gutman will perform an extensive concert program featuring assorted selections from Music from the Suitcase. Released in 2014 on Marquis Classics, this marks the tenth anniversary of Music from the Suitcas – an album which highlights works Kutik and his family found meaningful during their journey to the U.S. from the Soviet Union in 1990. Their concert program will also include major works by Darius Milhaud, Ernest Bloch, and Felix Mendelssohn.
Concert details:
Who: Violinist Yevgeny Kutik and Pianist Renana Gutman
Presented by the Ravinia Festival
What: Performance of selections from Kutik’s 2014 release, Music from the Suitcase – an album featuring music Kutik and his family found meaningful when traveling to the U.S. from the Soviet Union in 1990.
When: Thursday, September 5, 2024 at 7:30pm
Where: Bennett Gordon Hall (in the John D. Harza Building) | Highland Park, IL 60035
Tickets and information: www.ravinia.org/Online/Article/090524-YevgenyKutik