Grieg: Piano Concerto; Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No 3 Nikolai Lugansky, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin/Kent Nagano Naïve AM 210

Grieg Prokofiev Nikolai Lugansky
    
Artist: Nikolai Lugansky, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Kent Nagano, Edvard Grieg, Sergei Prokofiev
Genre: Classical
Label: Naïve

Russian pianist Nikolai Lugansky won the silver medal at Moscow's Tchaikovsky Competition in 1994 (when no gold was awarded),
and made his Dublin debut as recently as last January. Given his reputation as something of a Rachmaninov specialist, you might expect Prokofiev to fare better than Grieg in his new coupling of popular concertos. And that's exactly how it turns out. Musically, Prokofiev flows under Lugansky's fingers in ways that Grieg doesn't – the playing
in the Grieg concerto only shines in the busy bounce and glitter of the finale. Lugansky's playing is enhanced by the fresh perspectives that Kent Nagano secures from the players of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. url.ie/8fjv

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan is a music critic and Irish Times contributor