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Music

The real winner in the Tchaikovsky competition is the man who came last

Lucas Debargue, the 24-year-old French pianist with a riveting backstory, is the only competitor anyone is talking about

18 July 2015

9:00 AM

18 July 2015

9:00 AM

Lucas Debargue, a 24-year-old French pianist, came fourth in the finale of the Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow on 30 June, yet he’s the only competitor anyone is talking about. Why?

The main reason is that they’re riveted by his backstory. Have you noticed how we all say ‘backstory’ these days, instead of boring old ‘background’? It’s defined as ‘the things that have happened to someone before you first see or read about that person in a film or story’.

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