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Evelina Puzaite was born and educated in Vilnius, Lithuania, where she studied at the M K Ciurlionis Art High School. She is the recipient of many musical awards, most notably first prizes in Paris, Israel, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London (which included a period with Joan Havill) and Oxford. Music festivals and orchestras, trusts, funds and foundations throughout the world are also high on her list whilst her repertory is growing by leaps and bounds. 6 February 2007 at the Wigmore Hall found her choosing music by Mozart, Rachmaninov and Liszt.

One of Mozart's mature Sonatas -- D major K576 -- the two outside fleeting movements framing the most moving of central ones, found Puzaite at her most relaxing. Evelina favours a lyrical concept with an essential singing line highlighting the true inspirational qualities of the composer's genius. What I missed most were the slight slowings of answering figures -- what has been fairly accurately described as rubato pinpointings -- to the main commentary which, if skilfully handled, provide the required contrasts to the text without disrupting musical continuity. The slow movement was finely done with poignancy and heart-felt phrasing successfully moulded together at a perfectly chosen tempo, but the brilliant Finale -- like the opening movement -- contained slight slips of concentration through head movements in various directions that distracted from artistic aims and some clarity of phrase endings.

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