LUCAS DEBARGUE
A revelation at the Tchaikovsky Competition just ten years ago, with unparalleled curiosity and freedom of expression, Lucas Debargue continues to amaze with his ambitious repertoire choices. His latest project features Gershwin, with variations on the famous Summertime. Scarlatti, Liszt, and Beethoven’s renowned Moonlight Sonata complete the programme.
Programme
DOMENICO SCARLATTI (1685–1757)
Selection of keyboard sonatas
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor Op. 27 No. 2 “Moonlight”
Interval
FRANZ LISZT (1811-1886)
Ballade No. 2 in B minor S. 171
GEORGE GERSHWIN (1898-1937)
Variations on Summertime (arr. L. Debargue)
Lucas Debargue plays Franz Liszt: Sonata in B Minor, S. 178 at Verbier Festival
A meteor: that is how one might describe the man who, since his remarkable Fourth Prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition in 2015, has never ceased to renew himself. Initially responsible for the rediscovery of Medtner, his Fauré record has earned him definitive recognition from his peers. He has chosen three Sonatas by Scarlatti, combining the art of purity with dazzling virtuosity, before performing Liszt’s second Ballade, inspired by the myth of Hero and Leander, in which the pounding of the keyboard represents the movement of the sea. The reputation of the ‘Moonlight Sonata’ is well known. And while its first movement, a blend of Sturm und Drang spirit and operatic melody, certainly has something to do with it, the diabolical Finale, which seals the work’s fate with the most implacable concision, is not to be outdone. But the rarity of the program lies in these Summertime variations, personally arranged by Lucas Debargue — a standard that Gershwin is said to have composed by blending blues and gospel influences with a Ukrainian melody.