Nikolai Lugansky, Master Pianist
The master pianist Nikolai Lugansky “is clearly one of those chosen few. [He] possesses one of the most complete and remarkable keyboard arsenals of our day.” — Chicago Classical Review. Mr. Lugansky makes his FCMKC debut in a magnificent tour through the music of Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, and his own transcriptions of Richard Wagner.
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Master Pianist
In a monumental feat of artistry and endurance, the master pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet will bring the 49th Season of the Friends to a magnificent close by performing the complete piano works of Maurice Ravel in one single evening in celebration of the composer’s 150th anniversary of birth. “He makes you listen to music as if you are discovering it Eureka!-style: yes, that’s what the composer must have meant.” — Financial Times
Christina & Michelle Naughton, Master Pianists
The Friends of Chamber Music opens its Master Pianists Series with the duo of Christina and Michelle Naughton. Their ensemble has been hailed as “downright idyllic spontaneity” (Rheinische Post) and in their playing “the textures shimmer like pure gold in bright light, dancing in every conceivable rhythm. They have to be heard to be believed” (The Washington Post). Works by Felix Mendelssohn, Tania Leon, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Jennifer Higdon, Isaac Albéniz, and Sergei Rachmaninoff.