Debussy: Suite bergamasque Nikolai Lugansky

• Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918): Suite bergamasque, CD. 82:
• 1 Suite bergamasque, CD. 82: I. Prélude. Moderato (tempo rubato) 04:00
• 2 Suite bergamasque, CD. 82: II. Menuet. Andantino 04:01
• 3 Suite bergamasque, CD. 82: III. Clair de lune. Andante très expressif 05:10
• 4 Suite bergamasque, CD. 82: IV. Passepied. Allegretto ma non troppo 03:27
• Total Runtime 16:38

Info for Debussy: Suite bergamasque

The harmonia mundi label's ongoing series of new recordings marking the centenary of the death of Claude Debussy continues with this collection of piano works. Following his acclaimed recording of Rachmaninov's Preludes, Nikolai Lugansky presents a finely nuanced portrait of this composer who was especially fond of traveling. Whether it traverses time (Hommage à Haydn) or the most vividly imagined open spaces, the music in this program is concerned above all with the interplay of light and color.

"Harmonia Mundi's centenary edition of the works of Claude Debussy necessarily includes several different interpretations of his keyboard music, and Nikolai Lugansky's single-disc contribution offers only a selection of well-known pieces, featuring the Suite Bergamasque and including L'Isle joyeuse, the Deux Arabesques, La plus que lente, Jardins sous la pluie, three pieces from Images II, and the Hommage à Haydn. For the most part, this is an album of reflective pieces that don't require a big sound, and the program shows mostly Lugansky's quiet side, emphasizing his polished technique and ability to glide nearly effortlessly over the keys with a delicate touch and warm tone. These qualities were noted in Debussy's own playing, and the restraint and control displayed here gives us an idea of how the composer's contemporaries likely heard his playing. Listeners new to Debussy may try the famous Clair de lune or the Passepied from the Suite Bergamasque, which are among the composer's greatest hits, though the whole album deserves sampling, if only to get an idea of Lugansky's technical flexibility and refined expressions. Highly recommended."

Nikolai Lugansky, piano

Nikolai Lugansky
Concerto highlights in Nikolai Lugansky’s 2013/14 season include his debut with the London Symphony Orchestra (Gianandrea Noseda), and returns to the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra (Jiří Bělohlávek), the Philharmonia Orchestra (Pablo Heras-Casado), St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra (Yuri Temirkanov) and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.

In recital and chamber performances, Lugansky makes his debut at the Berlin Konzerthaus, and performs at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire and the Great Hall of the St Petersburg Philharmonia, Chicago’s Symphony Center, Paris’ Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and in the International Piano Series at the Queen Elizabeth Hall; his chamber music collaborations include performances with Vadim Repin, Mischa Maisky and Alexander Kniazev.

An acclaimed recording artist, Nikolai Lugansky records exclusively for the Naïve-Ambroisie label. His recording of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No.3 and Grieg’s Piano Concerto with the Deutsches-Symphonie Orchester Berlin and Kent Nagano is released in autumn 2013. This release follows on from his first two acclaimed solo recordings - of Liszt and Rachmaninov - for the label; the latter being awarded the “Solo Recording of the Year (20th/21st Century Music)” plaudit at the 2013 Echo Klassik Awards.

This album contains no booklet.