Lukas Geniusas, Piano

Biography

‘Geniušas seems to know how to do everything better than anyone…’
Diapason Jan. 2019

Russian-Lithuanian pianist Lukas Geniušas has firmly established himself as one of the most
exciting and distinctive artists of his generation.

Praised for his ‘brilliance and maturity’ (The Guardian) he gives recitals in the most prestigious
venues all over the world such as the Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Salle Gaveau, Louvre Auditorium, Frick Collection New York, Phillips Collection,Teatro Carlo Felice, Sala Verdi in Milan and the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. He is also regularly invited to festivals including La Roque d’Anthéron, Piano aux Jacobins, Gilmore Keyboard Festival, Rheingau, Verbier, the Ruhr Piano Festival, Schloss-Elmau and the Lockenhaus Music Festivals.

Lukas Geniušas is invited to perform with numerous orchestras including the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre national de Lyon, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony, St Petersburg Philharmonic, Kremerata Baltica, Russian National Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, Warsaw Philharmonic under the batons of conductors such as Valery Gergiev, Mikhail Pletnev, Leonard Slatkin, Charles Dutoit, Andrey Boreyko, Tugan Sokhiev, Saulius Sondeckis, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Antoni Wit, Rafael Payare, and Dmitry Liss, to name but a few.

These aspects of his career are reflected in Lukas Geniušas’ critically acclaimed discography, which includes works by Beethoven, Brahms, Rachmaninov (the complete Preludes); Chopin (Etudes opus 10 and 25), Prokofiev Sonatas (Choc Classica and Diapason d'or) at Mirare and works by Stravinsky, Desyatnikov, and Tchaïkovsky with Aylen Pritchin at Melodiya.

Born in Moscow in 1990, Lukas Geniušas graduated from the Chopin Music College Moscow, in 2008. He is the laureate of several prestigious international competitions, notably Silver Medalist at the 2015 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and at the 2010 International Chopin competition.

Since 2015, Lukas Geniušas has been a featured artist of "Looking at the stars" a philanthropy project based in Toronto, whose purpose is to bring classical music to institutions and organizations (prisons, hospitals and shelters) where people may not have an opportunity to experience it live in a traditional setting.

Known for his innate curiosity and extensive musical interests, Lukas explores a wide range of repertoire, from the baroque to works by contemporary composers. His repertoire spans from Beethoven Piano Concerti through to Hindemith’s Ludus Tonalis and John Adams, as well as a strong interest in Russian repertoire such as Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and, of course, Prokofiev. He is an avid chamber musician and an extremely inquisitive performer and enjoys working on new works by modern composers, as well as resurrecting rarely performed repertoire.

Feb. 2021

Calendar

Repertoire

Please note: this repertoire list is for reference only. The choice of repertoire for a particular project remains at the artist’s discretion.

Solo Repertoire With Orchestra

Ludwig van Beethoven

Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58

Frédéric Chopin

Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11

Sergei Rachmaninov

Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 1

Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30

Camille Saint-Saëns

Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23

Solo pieces

Johann Sebastian Bach

English Suite No. 5 in E minor, BWV 810

Ludwig van Beethoven

Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2, No. 3

Piano Sonata No. 5 in C minor, Op. 10, No. 1

Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major, Op. 106, "Hammerklavier"

Frédéric Chopin

Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23

Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 35, "Funeral March"

Mazurka No. 22 in G sharp minor, Op. 33, No. 1

Mazurka No. 23 in D major, Op. 33, No. 2

Mazurka No. 24 in C major, Op. 33, No. 3

Mazurka No. 25 in B minor, Op. 33, No. 4

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Piano Sonata No. 2 in F Major, KV 280

Piano Sonata No. 5 in G Major, KV 283

Robert Schumann

Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26

Review

Big, big Success

Desert News Salt Lake City

Fri, 2010-07-02

— ''Lukas has had big, big success all over, and he's considered one of the most promising young pianists in Europe.''

Deep Understanding

Music Life Russia

Tue, 2008-07-01

- "With Beethoven's “Hammerklavier” Sonata Lukas demonstrated maturity that is rare for his age, highest level of piano technique, precision and clarity of performance, sense of style, energy and deep understanding of the material"

Sensational

The New Times Russia

Tue, 2008-07-01

- ''Lukas Geniusas has sensational technical ability and an acute sense of style."

Top Virtuoso

Jyllandsposten

Mon, 2011-03-07

He looks like a child with the boyish face, shy eyes and curly hair. But do not be deceived - the 20 year old Lithanian-Russian pianist Lukas Geniusas is already an experienced virtuoso at the piano. Last autumn he won both the 2. Prize and a special prize in the distinguished Chopin Competition. We had proof that Geniusas knows how to interpret Chopin's neckbreaking piano music in Saturday's concert in Diamanten. 24 Etudes - both Opus 10 and 12 were on the programme, and Lukas Geniusas created a brilliant masterpiece out of every etude. In the short span of time - max. 5 minutes for each etude - he created new colours and new atmospheres. From incredible wildness to dreamlike beauty. Everything with a perfect technique. To see him carefully shape his fingers in the slow movements and let them loose in teriffic speed in the faster movements was an impressive sight. His touch was either gentle as an angel's or powerful with an adult pianist's authority. The melodies could be heard clearly and with radiant resonance in the full hall. Second part of the concert was Liszt's immense Piano Sonata in B minor. Geniusas created a drama of the in many ways mysterious sonata. The opening motif sounded dark and dismal. Geniusas attacked the following explosive tones like a lithe cat. He created resonant transitions between the changing atmosperes in the piece. The release came in the last major chords which stood chiseled clearly in the air. Geniusas played three encores.

Rare Breed

Kommersant

Tue, 2011-11-22

«Truth is, Lukas Geniuas belongs to a rare breed of performers: his art has to be taken as a whole, not as a series of details and particulars. His probably most appealing trait is the critical attitude towards the traditional interpretation of musical pieces. The Romantic paradigm and the great concert style it inspired have run out of steam. Mr. Geniuas knows this all too well and places this problem right at the heart of his interpretations While his peers are doing their best to charm everyone around, including the global music industry, Mr Geniuas has embarked on an altogether more serious mission: an agonizing search for a performance style that is fully modern and catching the spirit of the age.»

Discography