Denis Kozhukhin

A powerful Kozhukhin for a brilliant Rachmaninov festival

“The Russian pianist, mentored by Dmitri Bashkirov, presented from the very first moment what his interpretative basis would be. On one hand, a bright, shimmering, majestic sound, overflowing with energy and with the power to solve the chords and octave passages so characteristic of this Second Piano Concerto. On the other hand, an expressive elegance that allowed him to delve into the slow passage of the second movement of the Concerto with a contemplative romantic poetry, beautiful in diction and elegant in the line.”

“Kozhukhin’s temperamental pianism could be reminiscent of Ashkenazy’s, express the magic surrounding Eliso Virsaladze’s versions and even bring us closer to that majestic vision that pianists like Trifonov, Berezowsky, Toradze and Yuja Wang have presented us.”

“Memorable reading of Piano Concerot No. 4 –with the very well-measured orchestral balance–, this interpretative courage and the technical complexities required by this orchestral page came together in a version full of fervor and energy. From Kozhukhin we are captivated by the roundness of sound – a fact closely linked to Bashkirov – but also by the romantic conception and not at all sweetened when facing the slow passages. His articulation has an exact precision (brilliant the last movement) and the vigorous, emboldened conception of this Fourth Piano Concerto, which seduced us by a wide range of sound dynamics achieved with a notorious synchronization with the Barcelona Symphony (conducted by Matthias Pintscher).”

“The Piano Concerto No.1, a seductive work that has a final movement of great technical demand, was brilliant, with a Kozhukhin of millimetric precision in the attacks, very elegant in the phrasing and posing a Rachmaninoff of a great strength, but never overwhelming. His pianism went through a multitude of registers, although the colours he obtained in the third movement seduced us by the explosiveness in the attacks and a volume that transported us to some of his Preludes or Tableaux-Etudes.”

“Fantastic the Barcelona Symphony, as it was on Sunday morning the passionate version that Kozhukhin offered us of the famous and much feared (with permission from the fourth in the series) Piano Concerto No. 3.The Russian pianist was eloquent, determined to continue a vigorous reading and with solo passages full of jumps, octave sequences and chords drums rising grandly throughout the room of the Auditorium. A very powerful version -which reminded us of the legendary Arcadi Volodos – and which maintained a constant magnetism throughout the performance. Kozhukhin never gave up on his momentum, with a good orchestral ensemble, conducted by Kazushi Ono, offering beautiful dialogues with the musicians of the orchestra.”

Read Full Review On RevistaMusical.cat

Denis Kozhukhin receives two OPUS KLASSIK nominations

The Grieg Mendelssohn Album is one of Gramophone’s Best New Classical Albums for September

Denis Kozhukhin’s new album with a selection Grieg’s Lyric Pieces and Mendelssohn’s Lieder ohne Worte is one of Gramophone’s “Best New Classical Albums for September!
Read the full review here.

2018-2019 Season Kick-off

17/18 season

Denis Kozhukhin started the 17/18 season with his debut with NHK Symphony Orchestra led by Paavo Järvi, performing Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 4, followed by his return to Philharmonia Orchestra performing the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini under Santtu-Matias Rouvali.

The month of October brought also debuts with Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, performing Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No.2, and with Estonia National Symphony playing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3.
Denis appeared in recital at the Concertgebouw Masterpianisten Series, in Brussels as Flagey Artist in Residence, as well as within the Schloss-Elmau series and at the Louvre Auditorium in Paris.

Most recent highlights include the performance of Beethoven Piano Concerto No.4 with the Hungarian National Philharmonic in the tribute to maestro Zoltán Kocsis, and the return to Houston Symphony under Andrés Orozco-Estrada, performing both Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Lutoslawski’s Variations on a Theme by Paganini.
Upcoming engagements will see Denis returning with BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Alexander Vedernikov, performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1, and with Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in his second collaboration with maestro Jaap van Zweden.

Denis will also appear alongside Julian Rachlin, Andreas Ottensamer and Nicolas Altstaedt at the Wiener Musikverein, as well as forming duo with Janine Jansen in Verbier.

Debut with the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle

Denis Kozhukhin steps in with the London Symphony Orchestra, performing Bartok’s Piano Concerto No. 2, under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle, on July 11th & 12th at the Barbican Center.

These concerts follow successful debuts with Staatskapelle Berlin performing Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.1 under maestro D. Barenboim, and with Orchestra de la Suisse Romande under maestro K. Yamada performing Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major, the return to Philharmonia Orchestra under Maestro Y. Temirkanov performing Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2, and recitals at the Klavier-Festival Ruhr and the Boulez Saal.

Debut with Staatskapelle Berlin under maestro Daniel Barenboim

Denis Kozhukhin replaces Lang Lang, performing Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Staatskapelle Berlin under the baton of maestro Daniel Barenboim, on June 5th & 6th at the Philharmonie and Konzerthaus respectively.
He will also appear at the Boulez Saal on June 4th performing with musicians from the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra and the Barenboim-Said Akademie.

These concerts follow successful debuts with Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra performing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 under maestro Jaap van Zweden, and with San Francisco Symphony under maestro Orozco-Estrada performing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No.2.

The months of April/May have also brought appearances with the Oslo Philharmonic/V. Petrenko, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic/Weilerstein, MDR Sinfonieorchester/K. Järvi, Czech Philharmonic/Weilerstein, and HR-Sinfonieorchester/Orozco-Estrada at the Wiener Musikverein.