World-Renowned Pianist Nikolai Lugansky to Perform at USU for Wassermann Piano Series

LOGAN, Utah — The Caine College of the Arts at Utah State University has announced a special performance by world-renowned pianist Nikolai Lugansky as part of the Wassermann Piano Series. This highly anticipated event will take place at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 18 in the Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall.

This performance marks a rare opportunity for Utah audiences to witness a musician of Lugansky’s stature — an artist typically heard in the grand concert halls of Paris, Vienna and Moscow — here in Cache Valley.

Known for his extraordinary depth and versatility, Lugansky’s performance promises to be unparalleled.

“Hearing a piano recital of this caliber goes beyond entertainment. It is a connection with great art, culture, history and humanity, really a spiritually elevating experience,” said Associate Professor of Piano a purely technical perspective, it is dumbfounding in a very different way to experience the pianistic athleticism of someone like Mr. Lugansky, functioning at the very limits of the human nervous system.”

As coordinator of the Wasserman Piano Series at Utah State University, Smith works with artists and agents year-round to bring top international artists to Logan. Sometimes, as in the case of Lugansky, it takes several years before an opportunity arises.

Born in Russia, Lugansky demonstrated extraordinary musical talent from a young age. At just 5 years old, before even learning to read music, he was able to play a Beethoven piano sonata entirely by ear.

Today, Lugansky is celebrated as one of the most gifted and versatile pianists of his generation, renowned for his interpretations of Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Chopin and Debussy. Described by Gramophone as “the most trailblazing and meteoric performer of all,” his performances continue to captivate and inspire audiences worldwide.

Since 1988, he has earned numerous accolades for his recordings and artistic excellence. His most recent album, Richard Wagner, released in March 2024, was recognized as an Editor’s Choice, featured in Gramophone’s Best Classical Albums of the Year, and awarded the Premio Abbiati del Disco 2024 for solo repertoire.

Lugansky is a regular performer at some of the world’s most distinguished festivals, including the Aspen, Tanglewood, Ravinia and Verbier festivals.

He is frequently invited to perform with leading international orchestras, including the Berliner Philharmoniker, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Orquestra Nacional de España.

For his performance at Utah State University, Lugansky will share traditional repertoire of Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Liszt, alongside some of his most recent creative projects — his solo piano transcriptions of opera scenes by Richard Wagner.

These pieces, originally rendered by an entire orchestra with opera singers, hang at the edge of romanticism and harmony. To transcribe them for a single pianist is both an enormous technical and intellectual challenge, as well as an act of appreciation for the music.

For centuries, pianists have brought orchestral and opera music to wider audiences through solo performances, and Lugansky continues this time-honored tradition.

“Presenting Nikolai Lugansky is not only a special event for Utah State University, but also for the state of Utah and our western region,” Smith said.

With Lugansky performing in Cache Valley, patrons can experience world-class musical artistry at a fraction of the cost of attending his performances in major metropolitan venues around the globe.

Smith notes that this event would not be possible without the generosity of The Caine College of the Arts Visiting Artists and Scholars Series, supported by the Marie Eccles Caine Foundation-Russell Family, the Tanner Trust for Utah Universities, other generous donors, and the differential tuition provided by the college’s students.

To purchase tickets and learn more about this event, visit the website.