Music on Thursdays
Christine Buras, soprano
Gabija Butkute, piano courtesy of the Royal Academy of Music |
Supported by: Leatherhead Concert & Arts Society |
Programme
Charles Koechlin (1867-1950) Sept Chansons pour Gladys Op 151 (1935) 1 M'a dit Amour Said love to me 2 Tu croyais le tenir You thought you held him 3 Prise au piège Caught in the trap 4 La Naïade The naiad (water nymph) 5 Le Cyclone The cyclone 6 La Colombe The dove 7 Fatum Fate Judith Weir (b1954) Master of the Queen's Music Text: Anon, 15th-16th century A Spanish Liederbooklet (1998) I Romance de fonte-frida II Romance de rosa fresca III Seranilla de la zarzuela |
Robert Schumann (1810-1856) Text: Adelbert von Chamisso (1830) Frauenliebe und -Leben, Op 42 (1840) Seit ich ihn gesehen Since I saw him Er, der Herrlichste von allen He, the noblest of all Ich kann's nicht fassen I cannot grasp or believe it Du Ring an meinem Finger Thou ring on my finger Helft mir, ihr Schwestern Help me, Sisters Süßer Freund, du blickest Sweet friend, you gaze in wonder upon me An meinem Herzen, An meiner Brust At my heart, at my breast Nun hast du mir den ersten Schmerz getan Now you have caused me pain for the first time Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Abendempfindung an Laura, K 523 (1787) |
Christine Buras
American soprano Christine Buras is a versatile and experienced performer of a wide range of repertoire including early music, opera, art song, and new music.
Her operatic experience includes Theodora (Handel’s Theodora) for Benslow Opera; Belinda (Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas) for Indiana University; Blonde (Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Tina (Jonathan Dove’s Flight), and Abigail (Robert Ward’s The Crucible) for Royal Academy of Music Opera Scenes; and Susanna (Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro), Mademoiselle Silberklang (Mozart’s Der Schauspieldirektor), and Anne Trulove (Stravinsky’s The Rakes Progress) for Indiana University Opera Scenes. She is looking forward to her Royal Academy Opera debut this autumn as Suor Dolcina and La Prima Sorella Cercatrica in Puccini’s Suor Angelica. Christine particularly enjoys performing oratorio, and recently had the privilege of performing Mozart’s Exsultate, Jubilate in St Martin-in-the-Fields. Her repertoire also includes major works by JS Bach, Haydn, Handel, Rossini, Schubert, and Mozart.
Christine completed her Masters of Music at Indiana University’s prestigious Jacobs School of Music where she studied with mezzo-soprano Mary Ann Hart, prior to which she received her BA (with honours) in Music History and Theory from the University of Chicago. She is currently a student of Julie Kennard and James Baillieu at the Royal Academy of Music and is grateful for the generous support of the Josephine Baker Trust and the William Gibbs Educational and Religious Trust.
When she’s not singing, Christine enjoys reading, swimming, and cooking elaborate dinner parties.
Her operatic experience includes Theodora (Handel’s Theodora) for Benslow Opera; Belinda (Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas) for Indiana University; Blonde (Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Tina (Jonathan Dove’s Flight), and Abigail (Robert Ward’s The Crucible) for Royal Academy of Music Opera Scenes; and Susanna (Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro), Mademoiselle Silberklang (Mozart’s Der Schauspieldirektor), and Anne Trulove (Stravinsky’s The Rakes Progress) for Indiana University Opera Scenes. She is looking forward to her Royal Academy Opera debut this autumn as Suor Dolcina and La Prima Sorella Cercatrica in Puccini’s Suor Angelica. Christine particularly enjoys performing oratorio, and recently had the privilege of performing Mozart’s Exsultate, Jubilate in St Martin-in-the-Fields. Her repertoire also includes major works by JS Bach, Haydn, Handel, Rossini, Schubert, and Mozart.
Christine completed her Masters of Music at Indiana University’s prestigious Jacobs School of Music where she studied with mezzo-soprano Mary Ann Hart, prior to which she received her BA (with honours) in Music History and Theory from the University of Chicago. She is currently a student of Julie Kennard and James Baillieu at the Royal Academy of Music and is grateful for the generous support of the Josephine Baker Trust and the William Gibbs Educational and Religious Trust.
When she’s not singing, Christine enjoys reading, swimming, and cooking elaborate dinner parties.
Gabija Butkute
Gabija Butkute was born in Vilnius, Lithuania, and graduated from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. She is currently a student of Michael Dussek and Andrew West at the Royal Academy of Music, studying for her second Master’s Diploma in Piano Accompaniment.
Gabija has a broad background as a soloist and collaborative pianist, with both singers and instrumentalists. She has gained numerous national awards in her home country as well as international prizes including “International Franz Chopin Piano Mini Competition” (Lithuania, 1st Prize), “International St Vainiunas Piano Competition” (Lithuania, Special Prize), ”International Competition of Singers and Accompanists“ (Lithuania, 2nd Prize and Special Diploma), 4th Competition of Accompanists to win an award funded by V Landsbergis (Lithuania, 1st Prize) and prizes from competitions in Finland, France, and Czech Republic. In 2013 she was awarded the Ludmilla Andrew Prize for Russian Song, the Marjorie Thomas Art of Song Prize, and the Sidney Kenneth Brindle Award. In addition, Gabija has participated in various master classes given by Helmut Deutsch, Wolfgang Holzmair, Peter Eicher, Christopher Elton, Lev Natochenny, T Grub, Nina Seriogina, Igor Lazko, Eleonora Tkach, Petras Geniusas, and Tony Legge.
Gabija enjoys performing the art song and she is delighted to be a member of the Royal Academy’s Song Circle. She is also grateful for the support of Lithuania's Saulius Karosas Charity and Support Foundation.
Gabija has a broad background as a soloist and collaborative pianist, with both singers and instrumentalists. She has gained numerous national awards in her home country as well as international prizes including “International Franz Chopin Piano Mini Competition” (Lithuania, 1st Prize), “International St Vainiunas Piano Competition” (Lithuania, Special Prize), ”International Competition of Singers and Accompanists“ (Lithuania, 2nd Prize and Special Diploma), 4th Competition of Accompanists to win an award funded by V Landsbergis (Lithuania, 1st Prize) and prizes from competitions in Finland, France, and Czech Republic. In 2013 she was awarded the Ludmilla Andrew Prize for Russian Song, the Marjorie Thomas Art of Song Prize, and the Sidney Kenneth Brindle Award. In addition, Gabija has participated in various master classes given by Helmut Deutsch, Wolfgang Holzmair, Peter Eicher, Christopher Elton, Lev Natochenny, T Grub, Nina Seriogina, Igor Lazko, Eleonora Tkach, Petras Geniusas, and Tony Legge.
Gabija enjoys performing the art song and she is delighted to be a member of the Royal Academy’s Song Circle. She is also grateful for the support of Lithuania's Saulius Karosas Charity and Support Foundation.
Concert at Home
If you cannot be with us at the lunchtime concert
you can enjoy a similar Concert at Home by clicking the buttons below:
you can enjoy a similar Concert at Home by clicking the buttons below:
We open this week with Sandrine Piau singing the first of Koechlin's Sept Chansons pour Gladys - M'a dit amour, Love said to me. Although the full cycle is listed on the video only this first song is available online.
Schumann's Frauenliebe und -Leben is available online in several versions. I have chosen a 1966 recording of the complete cycle with Helen Watts accompanied by pianist Geoffrey Parsons.
Geoffrey Parsons is also the accompanist on Barbara Bonney's performance of Abendempfindung an Laura. You will find the full text under the "show more" tab, with an English translation below that:
