Nikolai Lugansky Dazzles During Grieg's Piano Concerto
The San Francisco Symphony presents a soul-stirring program of Bartok, Greig and Saint-Saens as part of their 2018/19 season programming, welcoming Russian piano icon Nikolai Lugansky to the hallowed stage of the Davies Symphony Hall. The powerhouse performer possesses an extraordinary depth and versatility, drawing the proud Russian sound from finger tips possessed of a powerful and dynamic key touch, fervent passion and technical mastery.
The evening begins with Bartok's Dance Suite, a symphonic celebration of the union of the cities of Buda and Pest that's filled with soaring Wallachian, Hungarian and Arabic melodies. Lugansky will then take to the stage to perform Grieg's ever popular Piano Concerto. Written in 1868, the piece demands immediate attention with the opening thunder of the timpani, which drives forwards with pace and energy before submitting to a sublime Adagio and rousing finale. The program concludes with Saint-Saens classic romantic Symphony No. 3, which weaves together virtuosic piano passages, lush orchestral arrangement and the formidable sound of the pipe organ.
