Schubert - Szymanowski Lucas Debargue

• Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Piano Sonata No. 14 in A Minor, D. 784:
• 1 Piano Sonata No. 14 in A Minor, D. 784: I. Allegro giusto 10:55
• 2 Piano Sonata No. 14 in A Minor, D. 784: II. Andante 03:46
• 3 Piano Sonata No. 14 in A Minor, D. 784: III. Allegro vivace 04:54
• 4 Piano Sonata No. 13 in A Major, D. 664: I. Allegro moderato 08:27
• 5 Piano Sonata No. 13 in A Major, D. 664: II. Andante 05:18
• 6 Piano Sonata No. 13 in A Major, D. 664: III. Allegro 07:28
• Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937): Piano Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 21:
• 7 Piano Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 21: I. Allegro assai 09:24
• 8 Piano Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 21: II. Allegretto tranquillo 13:42
• 9 Piano Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 21: Fuga - Allegro moderato 03:49
• Total Runtime 01:07:43

Info for Schubert - Szymanowski

On his new recital he recorded a monumental but rarely-performed work: Karol Szymanowski’s Sonata No. 2 (1911) and two so-called ‘little’ sonatas by Schubert: D664 in A major and D784 in A minor. “I am feeling like a very deep duty is to go as deep as possible in some pieces that are very well known by the musicians and the audience, like the Schubert sonatas – mostly the A major one – but also to give the opportunity to some audiences to get to know some pieces that they don’t have the opportunity to hear very often”, says Debargue

Lucas Debargue s third recording presents sonatas by Franz Schubert and polish composer Karol Szymanowski (1882 1937). Besides recording Schubert's famous Sonatas No.13 & No.14 the pianist continues to dedicate his musicianship to composers and works left in the shadow and presents Karol Szymanowski

I think it makes more sense to devote myself to an astonishing but little-known work, than it does to focus on pieces that people have heard too often. Lucas Debargue about Nicolai Medtner s piano sonata, recorded on his last release Lucas Debargue has always been far off the beaten track, starting with his unusually late musical career to his interpretation of works where he widens the boundaries of the norm.

„Anyone who complains about uniformity in today s music business will find the greatest pleasure in Debargue. He is different.“ (NDR, Germany)

„Lucas Debargue takes the music beyond the accepted norm, questioning the status quo with a fresh perspective“ (San Francisco Classical Voice)

„Debargue is fantastically gifted: original, not tamed by any academicism, eccentric to the point of being mannered, but also thrilling as a result of his very personal tone.“ (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)

Lucas Debargue, piano

Lucas Debargue
In 2015 the French pianist Lucas Debargue became the most talked-about artist of the 15th International Tchaikovsky Competition.

Despite being placed 4th, his muscular and intellectual playing, combined with an intensely poetic and lyrical gift for phrasing, earned him the coveted Moscow Music Critics’ Award as ”the pianist whose incredible gift, artistic vision and creative freedom have impressed the critics as well as the audience”. He was the only musician across all disciplines to do so. Soon after the competition Debargue was signed by Sony Classical, and recorded a live recital for his debut release with music by Ravel, Liszt, Chopin and Scarlatti in his native city of Paris.

Debargue was born in 1990 in a non-musical family. In 1999 he settled in Compiègne, about 90km north of Paris and began his initial piano studies at the local music school at the age of 11.

At 15 Debargue ceased piano studies having found no musical mentor to help him share his passion with others and having become frustrated at playing solely for himself. He began to work, successfully for his Baccalaureate at a local college and joined a rock band. At 17 he relocated to the capital to study for a degree in Arts and Literature at Paris Diderot University and, remarkably, ceased playing the piano altogether for three years.

In 2010 he was asked to play at the Fête de la Musique festival in Compiègne, and this marked his return to the keyboard. Shortly after he was put in touch with his current mentor and guide, the celebrated Russian professor Rena Shereshevskaya, who is based at both the Rueil-Malmaison Conservatory and the École Normale de Musique de Paris ‘Alfred Cortot’. Seeing in Debargue a future as a great interpreter, Professor Shereshevskaya admitted him into her class at the Cortot School to prepare him for grand international competitions. It was at the age of 20 when Debargue started formal piano training.

Only four years later he entered the Tchaikovsky Competition in 2015, and the world instantly took note of a startling and original new talent. “There hasn’t been a foreign pianist who has caused such a stir since Glenn Gould’s arrival in Moscow, or Van Cliburn’s victory at the Tchaikovsky Competition,” said The Huffington Post.

A performer of fierce integrity and dazzling communicative power, Debargue draws inspiration for his playing from many disciplines, including literature, painting, cinema and jazz. The core piano repertoire is central to his career, but he is also keen to present works by lesser-known composers such as Nikolai Medtner, Samuel Maykapar and Nikolai Roslavets.

Booklet for Schubert - Szymanowski