Painting pictures at the keyboard: Nikolai Lugansky on Rachmaninov

Nikolai Lugansky

By Mark Pullinger, 26 January 2023

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“Rachmaninov tells us about himself, let’s say his soul, and this is very hopeless, very dark”

Danny Riley, 28th October

From fulfilling funerary functions, to eulogising friends and fellow artists, or lamenting the waste of war: here are some of the finest examples of music written in mourning.

Routes beyond: Junyan Chen on curating Leeds Chamber Series

Lawrence Dunn, 14th October

Award-winning pianist Junyan Chen talks about curating this year’s Leeds International Chamber Series, making new arrangements of repertoire, and the importance of chamber music for pianists.

Why Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances triumphed in 2023

Tristan Labouret, 9th January

The work most frequently performed in concert in 2023, Rachmaninov’s masterpiece owes its popularity to specific circumstances, but also to much deeper reasons.

Eclectic programming of a restless spirit: Conrad Tao

Kurt Gottschalk, 3rd November

Ahead of his concert at 92NY this December, Conrad Tao discusses Rachmaninov’s lush harmony, and the parallels between his music and classic songwriting of Billy Strayhorn and Harold Arlen.

Rachmaninov and the voice

Roy Westbrook, 1st April

Many of Rachmaninov's works were written for himself to play at the piano, but he was also a considerable composer for the voice, covering everything from intimate songs to operas and liturgical choral music.

Day of Wrath: Rachmaninov and the Dies irae

Mark Pullinger, 1st April

The demonic Dies irae motif haunts many of Rachmaninov’s compositions – but what meaning did this Catholic hymn have for the Russian composer?

Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.