Words Fail: Violinist Yevgeny Kutik
I was only recently introduced to Yevgeny Kutik, yet the Belarus-born violinist is up to his third CD already, with Words Fail (Marquis Classics). Mr. Kutik’s earlier releases focus in large part on Russian repertoire. What I discovered is a passionate musician with a warm, expressive tone in his playing which is perfectly suited to the pieces he’s chosen, yet also has a wide range that he applies to each work’s details. Taking Hans Christian Andersen’s quote, “when words fail, music speaks” as his inspiration, Kutik finds ways to express himself through Romantic works by Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky, surprisingly melodic pieces by Prokofiev, and several contemporary composers whom Kutik either counts as friends and colleagues (Michael Gandolfi, Timo Andres), or has admired for many years (Lera Auerbach). One of the revelations for me is an arrangement of the Adagietto from Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, and Mr. Kutik says that he and pianist John Novacek worked on this piece for two months, giving the piece shape. Yevgeny Kutik is just at the start of his journey, and I look forward to hearing more from him. To hear his story of the music on his CD, as well as his family’s remarkable journey from Belarus to the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts, listen to my conversation which includes excerpts of the music. You’ll be glad you got to know Yevgeny.
Words Fail / Kutik, Novecek
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