Bartók Piano Concerto No. 3 / Liverpool Philharmonic / Kahchun Won

Denis Kozhukhin

Next Concerts

Nov 30, 2022

Verbier-Elmau Festival – Solo recital

Elmau, GERMANY - Verbier-Elmau Festival

SCHUMANN “Kinderszenen”
SCHUBERT Sonata B flat major D 960

Dec 08, 2022

Gulbenkian Orchestra

Lisbon, PORTUGAL - Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation - Grand Auditorium

SCHUMANN Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 54

w/ Gulbenkian Orchestra
Giancarlo Guerrero , conductor

Reviews

December 8th, 2018

“[…] Wong was joined by pianist Denis Kozhukhin for a spellbinding performance of Bartók’s Piano Concerto no.3. The playing throughout was assured and effortless and the interpretation restrained but never dull. Both pianist and conductor treated the musical details with such utter respect, and executed them with such precision, one could not fail to be drawn into this thoroughly engaging performance. In all three movements Wong balanced the orchestra to sheer perfection, the soloist always to the fore and never overpowered. The first movement was impressive in its range of dynamics, creating light and shade. It was full of drama: conductor and pianist had the same vision, each episode had its own character – individual, vivid and enchanting. The second movement was atmospheric, moody, ethereal. In the chordal textures of the piano writing the balance between the hands was exquisite, the melody projecting with crystal-clear clarity. Kozhukhin was completely lost in the music, in the birdsong, in the reverie he’d created. There was gentle and effective use of Rubato, which added another dimension to this reading. Without a chance to breathe, they launched straight into a strongly rhythmic final movement. Full of bold colours, this astutely phrased finale was simply dazzling.

Grieg’s “Spring” from Lyric Pieces, was given as encore. The phrasing was simple and delicate, and the judiciously balanced hands allowed the bell-like tone of the melody to carry with purity. […] ”

Read full review on bachtrack.com

Video

Brahms: Fantasies No. 1 in D minor

In the Press

Denis Kozhukhin was the soloist for the Prom 8 at the Royal Albert Hall, performing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.2 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under their principal guest conductor, Dalia Stasevska. The concert took place on July 20th, and the program also included works by Jóhann Jóhannsson, Hildur Guðnadóttir, and Tchaikovsky.

You can listen to the BBC Radio broadcast of the concert HERE

REVIEW by Seen and Heard International:

“As a performance, this Rachmaninov was a meeting of souls between Kozhukhin and Stasevska.”
“No doubting the fluency of Kozhukhin, nor the ideal pacing; the BBC Symphony Orchestra was on its best behavior, too, with a notably expressive first horn solo from Nicholas Korth in the first movement.”

“The finale was high-voltage, but not just super-virtuoso, but notable for the amount of detail (particularly woodwind) audible from the orchestra.”

“An encore, after the rapturous ovation accorded to Kozhukhin, was inevitable, and it could hardly have contrasted more (although still staying with Russia); the chorale-like ‘Mama’, No.4 from Tchaikovsky’s 1878 Children’s Album.”

REVIEW by Telegraph:

“Then, as the final soft chord hung on the air, the Russian pianist Denis Kozhukhin launched into the familiar sequence of swelling chords that begins Rachmaninov’s 2nd Piano Concerto. This famous opening can sometimes be indulgently slow, but Kozhukhin remembered that it is only an introduction, not the main event, and brought us quickly to the main melody, while on the podium, Stasevska stood poised like a relay runner ready to take over. That combination of eager sensitivity and intelligence marked the whole performance, and it made the piece seem young and vital, rather than the sumptuous, over-upholstered star vehicle it can so easily become.”

REVIEW by The Arts Desk:

“The pianist was Denis Kozhukhin, who did not take a heroic, look-at-me approach but played with humility and sensitivity. His restraint was compensated for by Dalia Stasevska, who was flamboyance itself, living every moment of the piece, as she did later with Tchaikovsky. The slow movement was pitched to perfection, bookended by Richard Hosford’s gorgeous clarinet solo and Kozhukhin’s magical placement of the final notes.”