Nikolaï Lugansky

Nikolai Lugansky is a pianist who combines elegance and grace with powerful virtuosity, a true embodiment of the great Russian piano tradition on the international stage. A recognized master of the Russian repertoire and late Romanticism, Lugansky is particularly acclaimed for his interpretations of Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Chopin, and Debussy. The recipient of numerous awards for his recordings and artistic excellence, he collaborates regularly with conductors of the calibre of Kent Nagano, Yuri Temirkanov, Manfred Honeck, Gianandrea Noseda, Stanislav Kochanovsky, Vasily Petrenko, Lahav Shani and 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.

Described by Gramophone as “the most trailblazing and meteoric performer of all”, Nikolai Lugansky is a pianist of extraordinary depth and versatility. He is invited by 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.

In 2023, he celebrated the 150th anniversary of Rachmaninov’s birth by performing cycles of monographic programs at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris and the Wigmore Hall in London, along with other performances throughout Europe, including at the Konzerthaus in Vienna and Berlin, the Bozar in Brussels, the Rudolfinum in Prague and the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

“Lugansky’s mastery of the piano is outstanding: over the years, his sonority has broadened and become denser, his palette of sounds even more diverse as his stature as a musician has asserted itself. […] He is in the moment and in the projection of that moment into the greater whole of a work that he makes accessible: he hears everything and lets us hear it without explaining it, letting the music happen without interfering.” (Bachtrack).

This past season’s highlights included orchestras such as the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo (Dutoit), the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (Denève), the NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover (Kochanovsky), the Brussels Philharmonic (Ono), the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France (Peltokovsky), the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchester (Valčuha), the Philharmonia London (Rouvali), the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo (Alsop) and recitals at the Teatro alla Scala, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Wiener Konzerthaus, Wigmore Hall, Seoul Arts Center, Zurich Tonhalle, Oxford Piano Festival, Piano à Lyon, among many others.