Chicago Classical Review“Nikolai Lugansky is clearly one of those chosen few. […]the Russian pianist possesses one of the most complete and remarkable keyboard arsenals of our day. He brought massive sonority and faultless technique to the concerto’s daunting demands, encompassing the stormy eruptions of the opening movement as well as the optimistic energy of the finale.”
The Herald Scotland“No matter how many times you have heard it; no matter which recordings you possess; no matter your favourites, Rachmaninov’s own performance included; nothing I have heard in any version of this awesome concerto could eclipse the astounding performance on Saturday from Lugansky. Lugansky found all the passion and strong poetry in the piece, tempered it with his own elegance of delivery…This was a performance in a million…”
The Guardian“Nikolai Lugansky is a pianist with everything impressively under his command. His dazzling technique is exceptionally secure, balanced and beautifully articulated. The direction and structure of his interpretations is judged to a nicety.”
Palm Beach Daily News“…a perfection of sonority and drive. The performance crackled with electricity and the audience leapt to is feet in one of those rare standing ovations.”
The Aspen Times“Lugansky’s magic Tuesday leavened his muscular power by never letting the music get heavy, with a touch that avoided tipping his astonishing technical mastery over into brittleness.“
The pianist Nikolai Lugansky is renowned for his interpretations of Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Chopin and Debussy. He has received numerous awards for recordings and artistic merit.
He collaborates regularly with conductors of the calibre of Kent Nagano, Yuri Temirkanov, Manfred Honeck, Gianandrea Noseda, Stanislav Kochanovsky, Vasily Petrenko, Lahav Shani. He is invited by leading international orchestras, including the Berliner Philharmoniker, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Orquestra Nacional de España.
In 2023, he celebrated the 150th anniversary of Rachmaninov’s birth by performing all of the Russian composer major solo works in a three-concert cycle at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris and the Wigmore Hall in London, along with other individual performances throughout Europe, including at the Konzerthaus in Vienna and Berlin, the Bozar in Brussels, the Rudolfinum in Prague and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. The performances have been a great success with audiences and critics alike, where “Lugansky’s command of the piano is exceptional…. He is masterful in his knowledge of tempo, structure and expression” (Bachtrack).
In the summer he returned to the US to perform Rachmaninov concertos with the Cleveland Orchestra with Stanislav Kochanovsky and at the Colorado Music Festival with Peter Oundjian.
During this season, he will perform with the Orchestre National de Lyon, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Dortmunder Philharmoniker, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Grazer Philharmoniker, the Orchestra of the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo and the Gulbenkian Orchestra, among others.
He will also undertake several tours, including one in Asia in December 2023, in the Canary Islands in January 2024, in the UK with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg and in Italy with Vadim Repin in February 2024.
Described by Gramophone as “the most trailblazing and meteoric performer of all,” Nikolai Lugansky is a pianist of extraordinary depth and versatility. He appears at some of the world’s most distinguished festivals, including the Aspen, Tanglewood, Ravinia and Verbier festivals. Chamber music collaborators include Vadim Repin, Alexander Kniazev, Mischa Maisky and Leonidas Kavakos.
Nikolai Lugansky has won several awards for his many recordings. His recital CD featuring Rachmaninov’s Piano Sonatas won the Diapason d’Or, whilst his recording of concertos by Grieg and Prokofiev with Kent Nagano and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin was a Gramophone Editor’s Choice.
Lugansky has an exclusive contract with Harmonia Mundi and his Rachmaninov 24 Preludes, released in April 2018, met with enthusiastic reviews. His recording César Frank, Préludes, Fugues & Chorals (2020) won the Diapason d’Or.
His latest recording, Rachmaninov: Études-Tableaux; 3 Pièces, was awarded by Gramophone Editor’s Choice (March 2023) and described “as one would dream of hearing them all the time” (The OBS).
2023-2024
