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Nikolai Lugansky's barnstorming performance of Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto is the centrepiece of the Philharmonia's end-of-season concert.

The RPO, in great form under Petrenko, deliver exciting Auerbach and propulsive Elgar, with Lugansky shining bright in Rachmaninov. 

Nikolai Lugansky demonstrates variety and depth, with lyrical melodies, ringing bells and crazy virtuosity in a captivating all-Rachmaninov recital at Wigmore Hall. 

Challenged with a demanding programme of Beethoven, Franck and Rachmaninov, the Russian pianist gave proof of his personal, telluric approach to intense repertoire.

Rimsky-Korsakov and Rachmaninov may be bread-and-butter repertoire for pianist Nikolai Lugansky and conductor Tugan Sokhiev, but the stellar presentation at this Berlin Philharmonic concert was Chausson's Symphony in B flat major.

In an all-Russian matinee, the Philharmonia presents excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s ballet that lack a dance element, but Rachmaninov’s First Piano Concerto soars.

Stanislav Kochanovsky, Nikolai Lugansky and the Belgian National Orchestra impress with an all-Russian triple bill.

In the second concert in the Orchestre de Paris' Rachmaninov Weekend, Nikolai Lugansky and Behzod Abduraimov take up the piano concerto baton... with greater success than Saturday's programme.

Nocturne may not be your dreamlike, moonlit summer night stroll, but quite a grim-visaged journey, threateningly dark with the occasional shaft of light piercing through in powerful, sonorous tutti.

The Oslo Philharmonic and Vasily Petrenko with Nikolai Lugansky bring Delius, Grieg and a sublime Sibelius Fifth Symphony to Sage Gateshead.

Dutoit, Lugansky and the HK Phil perform at their finest in famous French and Russian repertoire.

The muscular piano playing of Nikolai Lugansky could not save the Russian National Orchestra’s shoddy Enescu and Prokofiev.

In his Wigmore Hall recital Nikolai Lugansky surveys the Russian seasons and explores Polish dance rhythms.

In the American heartland, a persuasive evening of musical diplomacy from the St Petersburg Philharmonic.

The St Petersburg Philharmonic make their contribution to Sage Gateshead's year long theme of dance, delighting a sold-out Hall One with their luxurious sound.

An impressive programme from the RSNO at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall which only took off during Mahler's mighty First Symphony. 

The RSNO continues its cycle of Prokofiev’s Piano Concertos to celebrate its 125th season, coupled with some Russian fairy-tale magic and a rare outing for Rachmaninov’s Third Symphony.

Thrilling Franck, good clean fun in Rimsky-Korsakov and an impressive Berliner Philharmoniker debut from Nikolai Lugansky in Rachmaninov's Paganini Rhapsody.

Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony turn their attention to Shostakovich's Eighth Symphony in their ongoing series “Shostakovich Under Stalin’s Shadow”. 

Osmo Vänskä returns to conduct the NSO for restrained Brahms and a very pleasing Beethoven. 

Though the Budapest Festival Orchestra’s programme used all the traditional ingredients for a concert of Russian music, it improved the recipe considerably with very special flavours.

I’m not sure where Sinbad was sailing to in the St Petersburg Philharmonic’s Prom last night, but he sure wanted to get there in a hurry. A frenetic – and thrilling – performance of Scheherazade displayed great impetuosity. 

The Philharmonia's rich strings shine in an ultimately incosistent evening of Romantic classics.

Works of Chopin and Tchaikovsky on this concert displayed the two faces of Romantic music – the quiet intimacy of the individual and the expressive power of the whole. 

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra presented not one but two gigantic works of Tchaikovsky in a packed Town Hall in Leeds.

Sunshine bursts forth as Pablo Heras-Casado conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra, featuring pianist Nikolai Lugansky, in a Sunday matinée concert of Beethoven and Mendelssohn at the Southbank Centre.

RSNO music director Peter Oundjian conducted his orchestra in three contrasting pieces, joined for Beethoven's Emperor concerto by Nikolai Lugansky.

The Théâtre des Champs-Elysées invited Yuri Temirkanov’s Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra to celebrate Beethoven and the Napoleonic wars in a heroic program: the Piano Concerto no. 5 in E flat major “Emperor” and the Symphony no. 3 in E flat major “Eroica”.

A combination of Russian and English masterpieces formed the fourth concert of the London Symphony Orchestra’s 110th season. Three of the pieces were written and/or performed during the Second World War, whilst the remaining piece – Prokofiev’s magnificent Piano Concerto no.

In the relatively recent past, Russian pianist Nikolai Lugansky has featured impressively as an RSNO guest in concertos by two of his countrymen (Rachmaninov and Prokofiev). I was therefore very much looking forward to hearing him in the more intimate, less gladiatorial setting of an Edinburgh International Festival morning Queen’s Hall recital.

This evening’s Prom programme by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra was ambitious in its musical and conceptual scale: one of the most demanding piano concertos in the repertoire, a fate-laden symphony, and as if that were not enough, an orchestral account of the beginnings of the universe.

It can be a strange experience to listen to Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto no. 2 without the visuals of Celia Johnson’s doe-eyed sadness and Trevor Howard’s tortured half-smile to go with it, so synonymous is the work with Brief Encounter, Noël Coward’s celebrated paean to 1940s English morality and thwarted love.

Who knew glaciers were so musical? Arensky Glacier, named for the composer of this all-Russian programme’s opener, flows south from Beethoven Peninsula into the north end of the Antartic’s Boccherini Inlet. There is nothing chilly, however, about the 1894 Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky by Anton Arensky (1861–1906).

One of the delights of instrumental recitals is their unpredictability. There is an element of challenge that all types have in common, however.

Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition is an incredibly popular work – and with good reason. Tonight, this exciting piece was combined with works by two other Russian greats: Rimsky-Korsakov’s Russian Easter Festival Overture and Tchaikovksy’s Piano Concerto no. 1, played by Nikolai Lugansky.

"A composer's music should express the country of his birth.." (Rachmaninov)Had Debussy adhered to his programme partner’s dictum, he might have struggled to write Images (1905-1912).

Paul Wittgenstein (brother of famous philosopher Ludwig) was a well-known pianist before he lost his arm in the First World War. Instead of quitting music, he perfected his left hand skills and commissioned a few composers, including Britten, Hindemith, Prokofiev and R. Strauss to write pieces for him.

The Robeco Summer Concerts at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam have for years now allowed lovers of classical music to still enjoy live music in the middle of summer when most orchestras are travelling or on a break. This year’s line-up is as impressive as ever, with many international orchestras gracing Amsterdam with their presence.