Standing ovations for Denis Kozhukhin’s Debut at Carnegie Hall

Denis Kozhukhin

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London, United Kingdom

Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major

Venue: Royal Albert Hall

News

February 17th, 2014

On 13 February, Denis Kozhukhin made his stunning concerto debut at Carnegie Hall in New York. Performing the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra and Temirkanov, the New York Times commented:

“There was plenty of brilliance and dazzling passagework in his account of Tchaikovsky’s First Concerto. Yet this was a performance that highlighted the music’s Romantic musings, poetic lyricism and fanciful flights. The finale was especially good, played with refreshing lightness and bite, like a real Russian dance… The audience gave Mr. Kozhukhin a standing ovation.”

Earlier that week, Kozhukhin also received huge critical acclaim for both his solo recital debut at the Zurich Tonhalle and his recital debut at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw’s Master Pianists Series. Describing his recital at the Tonhalle, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung remarked that “this was a performance entirely free of showmanship, but full of energy, expression and structure” and “had the audience jumping from their seats.” Kozhukhin’s performance at the Concertgebouw similarly earned him a rarely-given 5 star review in the Volkskrant.

Video

Brahms: Fantasies No. 1 in D minor

In the Press

“Ravel’s Concerto in G takes us to completely different worlds. From that suggestive, almost hypnotic evocation of Debussy, we move on to a piece full of vitality, smiles, light-heartedness and, as its author intended, fun. Exultant fun from beginning to end, with hardly any respite, barely in the second movement, which never ceases to smile charmingly, albeit in a calmer way. Music that fits like a glove to the vitalistic nerve of the French maestro, who put all the rhythmic voltage into a vibrant accompaniment for the Russian soloist Denis Kozhukhin, who in turn demonstrated his excellent level once again.

As has been appreciated on previous occasions, the Russian’s sound is beautiful and has sufficient presence, although it does not dazzle. He shades beautifully and handles the pedal with general restraint, only occasionally overstepping that balance. He translated the fast-paced score apolloniously and with impeccable momentum, with a good dose of panache and fantasy, very successful realisation of the music’s jazzy resonances, and enviable intensity, connecting very well with the baton in a reading in which the rhythmic energy shone through.”

Read full interview on Scherzo