Haydn: The Seven Last Words of Christ Alexei Lubimov & Viacheslav Poprugin

• 1 Introduzione (Maestoso ed adagio) 05:33
• 2 Sonata I, Pater, dimitte illis; non enim sciunt quid faciunt (Largo) 05:39
• 3 Sonata II, Amen dico tibi,hodie mecum eris in Paradiso (Grave e cantabile) 07:21
• 4 Sonata III, Mulier, ecce filius tuus, et tu, ecce mater tua (Grave) 09:20
• 5 Sonata IV, Eli, Eli, lama asabthani (Largo) 07:43
• 6 Sonata V, Sitio (Adagio) 09:02
• 7 Sonata VI, Consumatum est (Lento) 08:14
• 8 Sonata VII, Pater, in tuas manus commendo spiritum meum (Largo) 09:05
• 9 Il Terremoto (Presto e con tutta la forza) 02:22
• Total Runtime 01:04:19

Info for Haydn: The Seven Last Words of Christ

Alexei Lubimov chooses the repertoires he plays and records with the freedom of the inspired musician that he is. This time, the intention came from his encountering the sonority of a particular piano, a tangentenflugel, i.e., a tangent piano (the strings being struck by a metal piece called a ‘tangent’) that, in france, was sometimes called a ‘harmonious, heavenly harpsichord’. And it is the singular sonority of this instrument that made him want to record this keyboard transcription of Haydn’s Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross.

Beyond this encounter, the disc attests to Alexei Lubimov’s incredible force of evocation and amazing sound imagination; he also demonstrates – as if that were necessary – how much the relation between a certain type of writing and a particular instrument can contribute to the comprehension of a work.

Alexei Lubimov, piano

Alexei Lubimov
Born in Moscow, pianist Alexei Lubimov is one of the most strikingly original musicians performing today. His large repertoire combined with his dedication to principle and musical morals make him a notable exception in today’s music scene. Following studies with Heinrich Neuhaus Alexei Lubimov established an early dual passion for baroque music performed on traditional instruments and also 20th century composers such as Schönberg, Webern, Stockhausen, Boulez, Ives, Ligeti, Schnittke, Gubaidulina, Silvestrov and Pärt. He has premiered many contemporary pieces in Russia and founded a music festival there: “Alternativa”. He formed a quartet dedicated to baroque music during the 1970s when international travel became impossible. Performing old and new music well, however, did not stop Alexei Lubimov from being an outstanding performer of classical and romantic repertoire as his many recordings show.

As political restrictions were lifted in Russia during the 1980s, Alexei Lubimov soon emerged among the first rank of international pianists giving concerts in Europe, North America and Japan. He has appeared with such orchestras such as the Helsinki-, Israel-, Los Angeles-, Munich- and St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic in London, Russian National Orchestra, Orchestre Phil. de Radio France, Toronto Symphony and Deutsches Symphonieorchester Berlin under the most important international conductors: Ashkenazy, Järvi, Kondrashin, Hogwood, Mackerras, Nagano, Norrington, Pletnev, Saraste, Salonen, Janovski or Tortelier. He has given historic performances with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Wiener Akademie and the Collegium Vocale Gent.


In the world of chamber music, he performs regularly with famous soloists and ensembles at festivals throughout the world.

In recent seasons he has given concerts with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Russian Natioanl Orchestra in Moscow and the Tonkünstlerorchester (2 concerts in the Great Hall of Vienna’s Musikverein) as well as innumerable solo recitals. He toured with Haydn Sinfonietta playing Mozart concertos and played Mozart with the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana under Robert King, Haydn with the Camerata Salzburg under Sir Roger Norrington in New York, Pärt’s Lamentate with RSO Vienna under Andrey Boreyko at the Musikverein and with the Tampere Philharmonic under John Storgards. Other highlights include performances of Prometeus by Scriabin at the Salzburg Festival and in Copenhagen and performances with the Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment (Beethoven), Munich Philharmonic (Silvestrov), SWR Stuttgart (Pärt), DSO Berlin (Pärt), Danish National Symphony Orchestra (Pärt), Anima Eterna Brugge and Russian National Orchestra. In 2010 he has performed solo and with orchestra in Brussels, Utrecht, Budapest, Lille, London and New York, to name only a few examples. The repertoire ranged from baroque to living composers.

His recordings have been issued on various labels including Melodia, Erato, BIS or Sony featuring the complete Mozart sonatas, Schubert, Chopin, Beethoven and Brahms as well as music of the 20th century. Since 2003 he has recorded regularly for ECM producing some unusual CDs of particular note: “Der Bote,” with music of Liszt, Glinka and CPE Bach alongside John Cage and Tigran Mansurian; Arvo Pärt’s Lamentate with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony, “Messe Noir” with music of Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Scriabin; and “Misteriosos” with music of Silvestrov, Pärt and Ustvolskaya. His recording of Schubert’s Impromptus Op. 90 and Op.142 was released in 2009 by Harmonia Mundi.

Viacheslav Poprugin
was born in 1973 in the city of Khabarovsk, Russia. Primary musical education he obtained at the Topolyok Choir Music School of Khabarovsk thanks to teacher Marina Ternovskaya. Then he studied at Khabarovsk Regional College of Arts under Larissa Tokareva, brilliant pedagogue and researcher, the follower of Heinrich Neuhaus's school. In 2000 he graduated from the Russian Gnessin Academy of Music, where he studied under professor Alexander Alexandrov.

Long term passion for contemporary music has led him to a close collaboration with many composers like E. Denisov, S. Berinsky, A. Raskatov, B. Filanovsky, M. Shmotova etc. Lots of solo recitals and chamber music performances as well as playing with orchestras conducted by V. Verbitsky, V. Yurovsky, V. Titz, S. Malkki provided the musician with a rich artistic experience.

Later musician’s mastery gained from his teachers was re-comprehenced through collaboration with cello-player Natalia Gutman who always seeks for braking paradigms. This creative cooperation began in 1999 and it opened a new period in pianist’s life. Pianist gave many performances on a tour and became well known in different contries and continents. His expression was highly effected by romantic sence of performances made by this unbeated professional duet, which is always welcomed by audience. Unlimited intimacy, which played pivotal role in musician’s nature, gained its ultimate shape recent time. Rare but thought-through programs bear a very specific mood, which is brought naked to the public.

Professional performances go simultaneously with teaching in Viacheslav’s life. Since 1999 he is a docent at the Moscow Conservatoire, where he gives Chamber Music and Piano classes. Many successful ensembles and solo players were graduated under his sensitive supervision. But his “marriage” with music is not one-sided as he is well developed as a sound engineer. In less then ten years he recorded and mastered plenty of albums together with widely known Eggner Trio, Natalia Gutman, Alexey Lubimov etc. His publishing partners to this moment are Gramola, Live Classics and Artservice Music Publishing sound labels.

Nowadays Viacheslav is one of the most prominent professionals who shape the universe of academic music in eyes of audience as it is.

Booklet for Haydn: The Seven Last Words of Christ