(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Russian-American violinist Yevgeny Kutik will perform selections from his most recent album, “Music from the Suitcase,” a collection of Russian rarities, as well as Cesar Franck’s towering Sonata in A, in a program called “From Russian with Love” at the Hudson Opera House on Saturday April 18, 2015, at 7pm, as part of the inaugural Classics on Hudson season. Kutik will be accompanied by Dina Vainshtein on piano.

Hailed for his dazzling command of the violin, the 29-year-old Kutik has captivated audiences worldwide with an old world sound that communicates a modern intellect. Praised for his technical precision and virtuosity, he is also lauded for his poetic and imaginative interpretations of both standard works and rarely-heard repertoire. The New York Times has commented on his “old-fashioned rhapsodic style…magnified by [his] rich, sweet tone.”

“Music from the Suitcase” is a collection of Russian treasures Kutnik discovered in a stack of old scores his mother brought to America when the family decided to leave their home city of Minsk, in what is now Belarus and where Kutnik was born. The gems he unearthed include rarely performed short works for violin and piano by prominent composers alongside delightful discoveries by contemporary composers that remain virtually unknown in the West. Many of these Russian “miniatures” had never been recorded, including a waltz from Prokofiev’s “Cinderella” and Andrei Eshpai’s Rhapsody “Hungarian Waltzes.”

“From Russia with Love” is a musical journey that entwines Kutnik’s family history with his cultural heritage, and pairs the evening with César Franck’s Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano, widely considered one of the finest sonatas for violin and piano ever written.

Pianist Dina Vainshtein has performed extensively throughout North America, Europe and her native Russia. She is the recipient of a Special Prize for Best Collaboration from the 1998 Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow and prizes from Austria’s 1997 Schubert and Music of Modernity International Competition and the 1993 All-Union Russian Piano Competition. She has served as a collaborative pianist for the studios of renowned pedagogues Donald Weilerstein, Kim Kashkashian and Miriam Fried, as well as for Walnut Hill School and the New England Conservatory; she continues to work closely with many young rising artists.

Tickets are $20 ($18 Members); to purchase call (518) 822-1438 or visit Hudson Opera House.

About Classics on Hudson

Classics on Hudson seeks to enrich the cultural life of the greater Hudson community by presenting concerts that span the classics to the contemporary, performed by internationally celebrated artists. We serve to promote understanding and enjoyment of music through educational and concert experiences for audiences of all ages.

About Hudson Opera House

The Hudson Opera House offers a year-round schedule of arts and cultural programming in the former Hudson City Hall, which houses New York State’s oldest surviving theatre. Ongoing programs include concerts, readings, lectures, exhibitions, theater and dance presentations, after-school programs, workshops, classes, and community arts events like the annual Winter Walk on Warren Street.