On December 4th, I was thrilled to make my debut at the iconic Wigmore Hall in the heart of London, performing a lunchtime recital featuring works by Rachmaninoff and Rameau, with an encore by my fellow countryman, Ciurlionis. It was an incredible experience and I felt over the moon to have such a supportive and attentive audience! 🤩
Preparations began in September, with the first performance of the programme taking place in mid-October at Charlton House (London). In total, I gave seven performances of the same programme before walking onto the Wigmore stage—and what a journey it has been!
The highlight of the programme was Rachmaninoff's 1st Sonata, a piece I had long wanted to play. I only dared to go ahead with it after my initial choice, Chopin’s Preludes, was rejected due to someone else performing them just a few days earlier. Looking back, I feel lucky to have been put in this situation—the preparation of this monumental work turned out to be one of the most exciting challenges I’ve ever taken on. 🤪
In preparation for the concert, I played this sonata to quite a few people. Foremost among them was my professor Christopher Elton, who was an enormous help throughout the process. Later to Yevgeny Subdin and Rustem Hayroudinoff, as well as, Gabriela Montero and Benedetto Lupo. Receiving comments and tips from these stellar musicians has been both humbling and inspiring.
Among the 7 performances, I gave 2 house concerts, 4 recitals, and 1 last-minute concert. The first house concert was at Ian McKellen's home. Ian is a dear friend and someone I greatly admire, both as an artist and as a person. The second house concert was hosted by pianist Imogen Cooper, an extraordinary figure in the world of classical music who does so much for young musicians. Other performances took me to the Manchester Bechstein Centre, Kidbrooke Park Music Festival, Razumovsky Academy, and, most memorably, to Howden Minster.
It has been such an exciting and rewarding journey—something I will look back on, remind myself of, and probably pinch myself a little too, just to make sure it all really happened! Moments like these remind me why I am so lucky to be doing what I do, and inspire me to keep working, practicing, and exploring endless musical endeavors.
Mr Christopher Axworthy has attened the concert and has written a beautiful article about this lunchtime recital, you can read it and see some pictures from the concert here: https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2024/12/04/kasparas-mikuzis-at-the-wigmore-hall-masterly-playing-of-fluidity-and-ravishing-beauty/
Also, here is a link to my instagram post about the concert(s): https://www.instagram.com/p/DDWq5riA_AO/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==