Denis Kozhukhin

Friends of Chamber Music, Miami / Haydn, Brahms, Liszt, Prokofiev

“Kozhukhin possesses an impeccable technique. He can play with total accuracy at extreme speeds and tricky passages seem to bring out extra dynamism in his performances. Kozhukhin matches his remarkable technical arsenal with acute musicianship and interpretive depth.

Playing the wonderful-sounding Böesendorfer in the sanctuary of Coral Gables Congregational Church, Kozhukhin opened with a hot-blooded reading of Haydn’s Sonata in D Major. The opening Allegro was invigorating, every note cleanly articulated despite the pianist’s rapid-fire pace and he astutely pointed up Haydn’s minor-key modulations. The Adagio emerged in grave tones but without a trace of heaviness, the pianist shaping the music in long arcs. There was spirit and joy in the Presto finale but also grandeur, the unexpected pauses before the final bars given appropriate weight…

Playing the melody in the left hand against the figures and filigree in the right, Kozhukhin launched the flowing song of Liszt’s Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitide. He brought forth a wide range of dynamics, building the volume and intensity gradually and organically. A score that can sound contrived in less accomplished hands emerged moving and beautiful.”
Miami Herald, November 2014