Houston Symphony Orchestra / Jakub Hrůša / Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.2

Denis Kozhukhin

Next Concerts

Apr 1, 2026

Athens State Symphony / Megaron Spring Festival

Athens, Greece

Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.4 in G minor, Op.40
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor, Op.30

– Kornilios Mihailidis (conductor)

Venue: Megaron Athens Concert Hall, Athens

Link to the performance

Apr 10, 2026

Barcelona Symphony

Barcelona, Spain

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.2 in G minor, Op.16

– Stephanie Childress (conductor)

Venue: L’Auditori, Barcelona

Link to the performance

Reviews

November 25th, 2014

“Kozhukhin is not only a genius musician, but also a brilliant performer. To watch him play is to be consumed by the music yourself in a totalizing wave. Shifts from ardent lines to chords ablaze with the disharmony that made this concerto so controversial at the beginning of the century were surprisingly fluid. Kozhukhin, rising from his bench to pull chords off the keyboard, shaking hair loose from a small pony tail, would, in an unbroken turn, become small against the piano, hunching his back as if in line with a poignant decrescendo.

In an act of magnanimity, Kozhukhin gave in to the audience’s standing ovation and calls for an encore. He chose an arrangement of Gluck’s “Dance of the Blessed Spirits” from the opera Orfeo ed Euridice. It should have been a stark change from the explosive concerto, but, profoundly, it felt like a demurely fitting resolution… To say it was breathtaking is an understatement.”
Bachtrack, October 2014

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