Indrė Petrauskaitė, pianist

Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in music and who or what have been the most important influences on your musical life and career?

My mother was my first piano teacher, and classical music recordings were available at home, too. I remember when I heard for the first time recordings (vinyl records) of Haydn and Mozart. These were unforgettable moments. Later, during studies in Vilnius and London, I had the most inspiring teachers.

What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?

Since I was young, every performance has been an important event to me. An artist who walks on stage carries great responsibility towards the composer whose music they are performing, and the audience.

Which performances/recordings are you most proud of?

I love recordings in general. The recording format gives the performer a possibility of working further on material in the process of preparing it for release. The final result of a studio recording is not necessarily bound to a particular single evening as live performance is. For this reason, the recording process is the only thing which brings musicians closer to writers or painters. My Liszt Transcriptions recording is an interesting album in this respect. It was recorded in 2007 – almost twenty years ago. It was thought provoking to listen to it again and prepare for release – this project became an adventure à la Alexandre Dumas ‘Vingt ans après’.

I also enjoy the idea that recording is not influenced by your appearance and any other extra details but it is about sound only. I love radio theatre as well. The old, historical recordings are a great source of inspiration. There is something mysterious about recorded sound.

Which particular works/composers do you think you perform best?

I enjoy performing piano concertos. Being ‘in the middle’ of orchestral sound and having ‘dialogue’ with various instruments is fascinating, as otherwise pianists spend so much time on their own. Also I love the piano quintet genre – as arguably it is close to the piano concerto.

How do you make your repertoire choices from season to season?

I realised, I have never jumped into new repertoire without rather long pre-contemplation. For example I have known the Liszt Sonata in B Minor since I was 10 years old or so, through hearing it in concerts and on recordings. I ‘carried’ this work in my mind for very long time – and that decision to learn it is not instant or spontaneous. I learn the new repertoire when it feels right – and when it feels that I am mature enough as an artist.

To be fair – this happened with most of repertoire I have ever learned in the past. I guess this scenario would not be convenient with contemporary music.

Do you have a favourite concert venue to perform in and why?

My favourite concert venue is Philharmonic Hall in my hometown Kaunas in Lithuania. When I was a child, I performed in this venue for the first time Chopin Valse in F minor. Since then, this hall seems to me very special.

What do you do off stage that provides inspiration on stage?

Inspiration is everywhere. Could be art exhibitions, cinema, books, friends, nature – the list is inexhaustible.

What is your most memorable concert experience?

As I love the genre of concerto, it is hard to forget the very first time I played Mozart’s piano concerto with an orchestra at the age of 11. This felt like flying.

As a musician, what is your definition of success?

When one is giving a convincing performance – and this is felt by the audience as well.

What do you feel needs to be done to grow classical music’s audiences?

I do believe arts should be a part of education from the early age.

What’s next? Where would you like to be in 10 years?

Challenging question. I am reading ‘Tales of 1001 Nights’ (Penguin Classics, 2010). There are three volumes – thousands of pages. It’s remarkable that the main protagonist – the story teller Sheherezade while using her imagination, creativity, wit and talent was always able to create ‘tomorrow’ in the most uncertain times.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

To be useful to others.

What is your present state of mind?

Feeling grateful.

Indrė Petrauskaitė recording of Liszt Piano Transcriptions is released on 27 February on the Divien Art label. Find out more here