Lucas Debargue

Lucas Debargue’s path to international stardom was far from typical. Born in Paris in 1990, he started piano lessons relatively late, aged 10, then took several time-outs to play bass in a rock band and study literature. Perhaps because his interests are broad, Debargue’s piano playing has a refreshing originality. His 2016 debut album brought a free-wheeling sense of fantasy to Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit, and quirkiness and a pinpoint attention to detail in works by Scarlatti. Debargue would later explore Scarlatti further in a remarkable 2019 quadruple album of the Italian composer’s pocket-sized sonatas. He also likes to take the road less traveled, with recordings of music by Medtner, Szymanowski, and Miłosz Magin filling out a fascinatingly varied discography. Debargue writes his own music, too, and plays jazz for relaxation, making him something of a Renaissance man for the modern era.