Nikolai Lugansky Recital: Janacek/Prokofiev/Liszt/Rachmaninov/Chopin

Review In 29:4, I reviewed a Warner CD of Nikolai Lugansky playing four Beethoven sonatas. While I noted his flawless execution, I concluded that this was Beethoven as seen through the eyes of a Russian romantic, which was not surprising for an artist who had cut his teeth on Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Prokofiev. As if by special request, here came this DVD of Lugansky playing works by two of those composers, Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff, plus works by other composers I would expect to be right up his alley--Chopin, Liszt, and Janá?ek. Musically, this is a well-chosen and beautifully played recital. The program is sufficiently varied to hold one's interest and to highlight Lugansky's strengths, which are a steel-trap technique, pearl-perfect runs, flowing legato, and a commanding presence that does not impose itself in intrusive displays of showmanship. In other words, what we have here is a serious artist, giving his very best, which is considerable, before an appreciative and well-behaved audience. The videography, on the other hand, is questionable. What is it with this recent trend towards black? Lugansky is filmed wearing black on an almost completely black stage. The result is that his black shirtsleeves, which extend down to his wrists, blend in with the black background, too often making it appear as if two severed hands are moving over the keys. It reminded me of a 1946 Hollywood horror classic, The Beast with Five Fingers, starring Peter Lorre, in which he plays personal secretary to a famous concert pianist. When the pianist dies, leaving the secretary out of his will, Lorre takes revenge by cutting off one of the dead pianist's hands. Unfortunately for Lorre, the severed hand takes on a life of its own, and ends up pursuing and killing him. I may not have all the details quite right, but the visual effect in this Lugansky DVD dredged up recollections of that disembodied hand in the movie. This is what can happen when videographers and producers of DVDs decide to get artsy-fartsy in filming musical recitals. For Lugansky's playing, I would recommend this release. You can always listen to it with the picture turned off. Luckily, the audio feed going to your speakers is independent of the video feed going to your TV or computer monitor. -- Fanfare, Jerry Dubins, Jan-Feb 2010 Product Description Nikolai Lugansky is one of the most talented pianists of his generation. The announcement of his concerts always fills in the most prestigious venues