Contrary to some critics,
I do not find Lugansky’s Prokofiev playing
too steely or aggressive, at least on
the evidence of this excellent recital.
Yes, it is forthright and direct, refreshingly
so, and he does pick fairly swift tempi.
But it displays fantasy and imagination
which, allied to superb virtuosity,
is thrilling to hear.
Taking the relatively
un-familiar Fourth Sonata first
is to illustrate this in spades. The
Sonata is subtitled ‘From old notebooks’
and does indeed consist mainly of recycled
material. But Prokofiev’s ingenuity
with the themes, and the sonata form
itself, makes for interesting listening.
Lugansky obviously adheres to Prokofiev’s
sostenuto marking in his relaxed
treatment of the first movement, letting
things unfold gradually. Thus, when
the tension really does begin to rise
(say at around 3’14) we feel the contrast
in emotional temperature. The movement
is full of subtly shaded nuances and
lets Prokofiev’s unique melodic style
properly shine through.
Similarly, he takes
the composer’s serioso marking
to heart in the second movement, where
the sombre mood is helped along by the
restrained use of the pedal. As the
polyphonic texture grows ever more complex
(particularly around 1’49) Lugansky
expertly disentangles the lines with
almost classical precision. I like his
treatment of one of Prokofiev’s favourite
figurations at 3’07 (I call it his ‘Moonlight
Sonata’ device) and the whole movement
emerges as one of the composer’s most
lyrical inspirations. Even in the difficult
toccata-like finale, where Lugansky
shows us his real virtuoso stripes,
he finds space for delicate contrast
at 1’13, where he really does observe
the marking of dolce e semplice.
He is up against much
stiffer competition in the Sixth
Sonata, the first of the so-called
War Sonata trilogy. But even here I
find the playing wholly convincing,
with a real Russian ‘edge’ that has
an authentic feel to it. He takes the
famous opening theme (or, perhaps more
accurately, motive) strongly and swiftly,
but all the while one feels the underlying
rhythm and structure. He may miss the
element of sheer fantasy that informs
my favourite reading, that of Ivo Pogorelich
on DG (coupled, with typical idiosyncrasy,
with Ravel’s Gaspard) but he
is much better recorded, with a finer
instrument. He misses none of the sarcasm
of the third movement waltz, and I’ve
never experienced a finale with more
visceral excitement, even in Kissin’s
superb RCA Carnegie Hall debut set.
This must be the fastest on disc, but
has phenomenal accuracy and articulation.
The Romeo and Juliet
selection is far from a filler, and
is in fact the longest item on the disc
at 30 minutes. Even though one misses
the variety of orchestration, these
pieces are cunningly picked and work
well on the piano. They fit Lugansky’s
approach perfectly, whether it be the
playfulness of the ‘Minuet’ or the grandiose
thundering of the famous ‘Montagues
and Capulets’. It is an interesting
and worthwhile listen, and contains
many of the elements found in Prokofiev’s
most characteristic piano writing, not
least these two sonatas.
The instrument is in
excellent shape and the recording, though
a tad close, captures everything with
superb clarity and detail. You may have
other Sixths, but playing of
this quality is always worth hearing.
Tony Haywood
Nikolai Lugansky (piano) 
