Nikolaï Lugansky

Nikolaï Lugansky piano Nikolaï Lugansky takes on Beethoven.

Beethoven Sonata No. 16 Op. 31 No. 1 Sonata No. 30 Op. 109

Schumann Three Fantasiestücke Op. 111, Fantaisie Op. 17

In a few words What is the connection between Schumann's Fantaisie and Beethoven? The former, where you might hear an echo of An die ferne Geliebte, was composed to finance a memorial to the latter, desired by Liszt – who, as the work's dedicatee, would contribute the missing sum from his personal purse. Before tackling it, Nikolaï Lugansky will juxtapose two rarely paired sonatas by the great Ludwig. Namely, the Sixteenth, full of humour though contemporary with the “Heiligenstadt Testament”, and the Thirtieth, whose finale, on which everything rests, varies a kind of sarabande to be played “with the most intimate feeling”. A piece whose full depth the Russian, in the midst of a complete recording for Harmonia Mundi, will explore.

Production Jeanine Roze Production