Nikolai Lugansky

Nikolai Lugansky

Piano

Representation: Benelux

Contact:
E: leontien.vandervliet@interartists.nl
T: +31 6 5 24 68 707

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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 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. […] And Lugansky is masterful in his mastery of time, architecture and expression. 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).

Highlights of the 2025/26 season include collaborations with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen (Rhorer), Orchestre National de Lille (Weilerstein), Oslo Philharmonic (Stutzmann), Bern Sinfonieorchester (Petrenko), Basque National Orchestra (Valčuha), Berlin DSO (Denève), and NDR ElbPhilharmonie Hamburg (Kochanovsky). The season also features tours around the world, including with La Filarmonica della Scala (Chung) in Korea, with Lucerne Symphony (Sanderling) in Italy and two recital tours in China and Italy.

Among recital and festival appearances are engagements at the Tsinandali Festival (Noseda), Esprit du Piano in Bordeaux, Boulez Saal in Berlin, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, Palau de la Musica in Valencia, Wigmore Hall, and the Verbier Festival.

Exclusive artist of Harmonia mundi, Nikolai is enjoying a long-standing collaboration with the label, which has brought him significant artistic recognition - including the Diapason d'Or for ‘César Franck, Préludes, Fugues & Chorals’ (2020), the Choc de l'Année 2023 for ‘Rachmaninov: Études-Tableaux; 3 Pièces’ and the Premio Abbiati del Disco 2024 for solo repertoire for ‘Richard Wagner: Famous Opera Scenes’.

His most recent recording, dedicated to Schumann and released in February 2026, has further consolidated his critical acclaim. His next project with the label, dedicated to Chopin, is scheduled for release in 2027, whilst in September 2026 he will record Rachmaninov’s complete Piano Concertos with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and M° Stanislav Kochanovsky.

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“Every item indeed on this album [Schumann’s recording 2026, ndr] is a fantasy of some sort and Lugansky is a masterly guide to all their delights”

— The Times

“It was impossible not to delight in a performer so clearly at home in his repertoire, and I look forward to his return [at the Wigmore Hall].”

— Nick Boston, Bachtrack

“Lugansky is known for his Rachmaninov, and his control of the gradual crescendo from pianissimo to blazing fortissimo in the opening bars was as meticulous as it was dramatic. Throughout the concerto, tenderness and power were in perfect balance, heartstrings tugged, then jolted by injections of urgent, dazzling virtuosity.”

— Rian Evans, The Guardian

“Russian pianist Lugansky, has developed a huge global reputation in Russian romantic music, and it really did seem as if he was born to play this piece [Rach.Piano Concerto 2]. [...] His deep bass notes at the beginning seemed to issue from the grave, and the contrasting melody was intimate in a way that suggested something painful as much as tender.”

— Ivan Hewett, The Telegraph (Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg / M° Letonja)

“The great architect of this concert is Nikolai Lugansky, who opens with a fine performance of Prokofiev’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 3. [...] the opening Allegro immediately showcases the quality of the soloist’s playing: at times pearly, buoyant, percussive yet never heavy-handed, fluid, suspended between dreamy introspection and motoric violence”

— Patrice Imbaud, ResMusica (Orchestre Philh. de Radio France / M° Peltokoski)

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Season Highlights 26-27

17 June Steinway Piano Gallery Hamburg, Piano Selection for PHIL. Haarlem

18, 19, 21 June NDR Elbphilharmonieorchester Hamburg / M° Kochanovsky

20 and 22 July Verbier Festival

29 July La Roque d'Anthéron

21 September-1 October start residency & TOUR Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia / M° Kochanovsky - Rachmaninov Concerto Cycle

9 October Auditorium Rainier III, Monaco

12 October Wigmore Hall London

14-16 October NDR Radiophilharmonie UK tour / M° Kochanovsky, Rachmaninov concerto no. 1

13 November Kolarac Hall Belgrade

14 November Lisinsky Hall Zagreb

17 November Les Grands Interprètes Toulouse

10 - 11 December SWR Symphonieorchester / M° Valčuha - Brahms concerto no. 1

17 - 22 December Korea recital tour

11 - 30 January US tour (Washington National Symphony Orchestra & recitals in California, Virginia and Colorado)

10 - 13 February Verbier Festival in Shenzhen

16 - 20 February Japan tour

23 February Théâtre des Champs-Elysées Paris Beethoven Series

11 April Concertgebouw Amsterdam Great Pianists Series

14 April Residence Santa Cecilia Rome, Sinopoli Hall