PROGRAMME:
Alexander Scriabin
Piano Sonata No. 2 in G-sharp minor, Op. 19
Five études, Op. 8
Piano Sonata No. 3 in F-sharp minor, Op. 23
César Franck
Prélude, Fugue et Variation (arranged by Harold Bauer)
Claude Debussy
Estampes
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Eight preludes, Op. 8
Performed by Nikolai Lugansky (piano)
"Lugansky is not just the greatest Russian pianist of our time, he is one of the true great artists of the age we live in” (Le Monde).This ecstasic response from the authorative French newspaper are more than mere words: for many years Nikolai Lugansky has appeared at the world's greatest concert venues and he has been a prize-winner at prestigious competitions (the All-Union Competition, the International Bach Competition in Leipzig and the International Tchaikovsky Competition), he has twice been the recipient of an ECHO Klassik award for his recordings, is a participant at the prestigious festivals of Verbier, La Roque d'Anthéron, Nantes, the Ruhr Piano Festival and the BBC Proms. Despite such international acclaim, Lugansky remains a modest person. The pianist says "Pasternak's phrase 'to be famous isn't attractive' is a defacto moment for me".