Russian Pianist NikolaÏ Lugansky to Play Kansas City Debut for Harriman-Jewell Series

WHO: NIKOLAÏ LUGANSKY, pianist in recital

PRESENTED BY: HARRIMAN-JEWELL SERIES

WHEN: Tuesday, March 25, at 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: FOLLY THEATER, downtown Kansas City, Mo. (12th and Central Sts.)

TICKETS: $25 or $55 | call 816-415-5025 or visit www.harriman-jewell.org

PROGRAM: works by Schumann, Prokofiev, and Liszt view complete program

HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGES: |
(please credit Xavier Lambours)

Heralded as “Russia’s next great pianist” by BBC Music Magazine, Moscow native Nikolaï Lugansky plays his Kansas City debut recital on Tuesday, March 25, at 7:30 p.m., in the downtown Folly Theater (12th and Central Sts). This Harriman-Jewell Series presentation will feature works by Schumann, Prokofiev, and Liszt.

Already a major artist, Nikolaï Lugansky has been described as “a pianistic phenomenon of exceptional class” by the Netherlands’ NRC Handelsblad and as “riveting” by London’s Telegraph.

Lugansky has been a prizewinner in several international competitions, including the International Bach Competition in Leipzig in 1988, the All-Union Rachmaninoff Competition in 1990, and the Tchaïkovsky International Competition in 1994. He made his American debut at the Hollywood Bowl in 1996 as a part of a tour with the Kirov Orchestra and Valery Gergiev.

Lugansky was born in Moscow into a family of scientists. He studied at the Central School of Music in Moscow, where his principal teachers included renowned pedagogue Tatiana Nikolaeva and the current director of the Tchaïkovsky School of Music in Moscow, Sergueï Dorensky.

An acclaimed recording artist on the Warner Classics label, Lugansky won the Diapason d’Or for his recording of the complete Chopin Etudes in 2000. His next discs of Rachmaninoff Preludes and Moments Musicaux and Chopin Preludes won him a Diapason d’Or in 2001 and 2002 as well. He was awarded the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik and the Echo Klassik 2005 for his recording of Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos 1 & 3, and his recording of Tchaïkovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 for Pentatone Classics won Gramophone Editor’s Choice (February 2004).

Tickets to Nikolaï Lugansky's Kansas City debut recital are $25 or $55; please call the Harriman-Jewell Series at 816-415-5025 (or toll free at 888-528-5521). Tickets and event information are also available at www.harriman-jewell.org. This event is sponsored by the Sanders and Blanche Sosland Music Fund.

Now in its 43rd season, the nationally recognized Harriman-Jewell Series brings acclaimed performers from the worlds of music, dance, and theatre to Kansas City’s downtown venues. In addition to the performances, educational events offer free master classes and lectures to allow area community members and students to view artists in an informal setting.

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