Nikolai Lugansky
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 K. Nagano, Y. Temirkanov, M. Honeck, G. Noseda, S. Kochanovsky, V. Petrenko, L. Shani, and he is invited by leading international orchestras, including the Berliner Philharmoniker, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Netherlands 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 interferingBachtrack
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.
Highlights of the 2025/26 season include collaborations with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen (Rhorer), the Orchestre National de Lille for the Ravel anniversary (Weilerstein), the Oslo Philharmonic (Stutzmann), the Bern Sinfonieorchester (Petrenko), the Basque National Orchestra (Valčuha), the Berlin DSO (Denève), and the NDR ElbPhilharmonie Hamburg (Kochanovsky). The season also features tours around the world, including with La Filarmonica della Scala (Chung) in Korea, with the Lucerne Symphony (Sanderling) in Italy and a recital tour in China and Italy.
Among recital and festival appearances are engagements at the Tsinandali Festival (Noseda), the Esprit du Piano in Bordeaux, the Boulez Saal in Berlin, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, the Wigmore Hall, and the Verbier Festival.
Lugansky is Harmonia Mundi's exclusive artist. His Rachmaninov: 24 Preludes (2018) received rave reviews while César Franck, Préludes, Fugues & Chorals CD (2020) won the Diapason d'Or.
His latest recording Richard Wagner was released in March 2024 (Editor's Choice for May and included in The Best Classical Albums of the Year by Gramophone) and won the Premio Abbiati del Disco 2024 for solo repertoire. His album Rachmaninov: Études-Tableaux; 3 Pièces, was awarded with Choc de l'Année 2023 (Classica) and Gramophone Editor's Choice (March 2023).
Among the other awards for his many previous recordings: Diapason d’Or (Rachmaninov's Piano Sonatas) and Gramophone Editor’s Choice (Grieg and Prokofiev with Kent Nagano and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin).
