Nikolai Lugansky - Beethoven : Piano Sonatas Nos. 7, 14, 22 & 23 (2006)

Nikolai Lugansky is a Russian virtuoso in the grand tradition with a huge tone, a terrific technique, and a taste for the biggest possible repertoire. But while there's no denying that Lugansky can perform anything from Chopin to Rachmaninov to Beethoven, there's also no asserting that Lugansky can interpret everything from Chopin to Rachmaninov to Beethoven. In this disc of two of Beethoven's best-known and two of Beethoven's less-known sonatas, Lugansky turns in tremendously impressive performances of the "Appassionata" and the "Moonlight Sonatas" that don't stand up to concentrated listening and only slightly less impressive performances of the two-movement F major Sonata, Op. 54, and the four-movement D major Sonata, Op. 10/3, that grow shallower the longer they go on. His command of the piano is as complete as the best players in Russian tradition, but the thrills of his virtuosity in the closing movements of the "Appassionata" and the "Moonlight" seem cold compared with the red hot inspiration of the music. And in the elevated lyricism of the F major Sonata and the expansive mastery of the D major Sonata, Lugansky's reserved interpretations belie the depths of the music. Perverse as it may sound, Lugansky might be well served by performing nothing but Bach's partitas, his English and French suites, and particularly his Well-Tempered Clavier for the next few years and then come back to Beethoven. The discipline of counterpoint is a wonderful cure for rampant virtuosity. Warner's sound is lively and bright.