Denis Kozhukhin

BBC Symphony Orchestra / Martyn Brabbins / Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.2

“This was remarkable; a performance of such rare quality it is difficult to light on vocabulary that might define the experience.

It might be said that soloist Denis Kozhukhin’s performance of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No 2 was powerful, or characterful, or emotional, or personable, or (as was certainly the case) that it was all of the above.

There could be some mileage in recounting the audience’s stunned reaction as Kozhukhin wrestled with and overcame passage after furious passage, gathering tension as he went by virtue of the sheer physical strain required to realise the notes Prokofiev put on the page.

Kozhukhin should also be praised for adding stresses and quirks to the second movement, showing it to be something approaching the scherzo claimed by its title; for his phrasing in the Intermezzo which confirmed that short, fast notes do not necessarily signify lighthearted frivolity; and in particular for the terrifying sorrow he conveyed in the melody which dominates the closing movement.”
The Scotsman, December 2011

“The performance of Prokofiev Two by the amazing pianist Denis Kozhukhin with the BBC SSO and conductor Martyn Brabbins was more than an astonishing performance: it was an account that made total sense of the piece, and was completely revealing of the music itself – always the ultimate test of a great version…

The performance was dynamite: explosive and volatile, with phenomenal playing from Kozhukhin, but all within a lucidly defined context and structure.

Everything locked into place, from the tiny opening cell to the huge frame of the four-movement monster. The event was an exemplar of its type; nothing less than that.”
Herald Scotland, December 2011

Utah Symphony Orchestra / Garry Walker / Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.1

“Kozhukhin’s dazzling performance showed that he isn’t just another hotshot with lightning-fast fingers, but a savvy musician worth keeping an eye on. He paired phenomenal speed with crystal clarity and graceful phrasing. Garry Walker and the orchestra did a splendid job matching Kozhukhin’s dynamism in this exuberant concerto, which charges forward without pause and culminates in an exhilarating burst of musical adrenaline.”
– The Salt Lake Tribune

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra / Xian Zhang / Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3

“On the basis of this performance of the Third Concerto, a thrilling journey is on the cards, for it was the Prokofiev that towered above anything else in this programme…
Where the Prokofiev was concerned, Kozhukhin’s fiery, firm-handed presence was the defining factor in shaping a performance of extraordinary power and drive. There was subtlety in the shading of its bittersweet lyricism, and lustre in its flamboyant hard-bitten irony.
Kozhukhin’s BBC series looks set to be unmissable.”
– The Scotsman

“Tackling all five Prokofiev Piano Concertos in one season is a hefty ask for any pianist, let alone a 25-year old who is having to learn most of them from scratch. But judging by Thursday’s first instalment of the cycle the BBC SSO has chosen well.

The first is often characterised as the cheeriest of the lot, but as in all Prokofiev there’s a sense that things aren’t quite as they seem. Denis Kozhukhin went for that sardonic smirk below the breezy surface: lyricism laced with steel, articulation precise enough to honour Prokofiev’s love of classical clarity and suitably throwaway to avoid sounding earnest. Earlier, he described the piano’s relationship with the orchestra in these concertos as a fight, but his playing steered more toward cheeky understatement than machismo or patriotic grandstanding.”
– The Herald

Recital at Montreux Chateau de Chillon / Haydn, Brahms, Liszt

“He excelled himself in Brahms’ superb sonata no.1, which is played all too rarely. Polyphony, power, touch; everything was there. With its plaintive melody, thundering depths, and crystal-clear counterpoint in the upper voices, the first movement flew by, bouncing around like a jack-in-a-box. Kozhukin evoked both intimacy and majesty, driving the Andante with fantastic phrasing, intelligence and purity, and infusing the finale with a touch of Beethoven. This repertoire was clearly made for him.”
— Concertclassic.com

MDR Musiksommer / Haydn, Brahms, Liszt

“Kozhukhin began with the dramatic and beautiful sounding Haydn sonata in E flat major… Kozhukhin showed himself to be a romantically minded pianist, concentrating on the emotional expressiveness of the piece.”
— Thüringische Landeszeitung

Juventus Festival / Haydn, Brahms, Liszt

“The audience was blown away by the Russian pianist Denis Kozhukhin. He is the ridiculously talented winner of the Queen Elizabeth Competition, one of the most prestigious in the world. The audience, hearing his virtuosity, the brilliance with which he interpreted his program and three encores without a score, was dazzled by his talent.”
— La Voix du Nord

Santander Summer Festival / Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1

“Denis Kozhukhin delivered a version of this beautiful score which was exceptional for its clarity of concept, the deepening of the composer’s ideas, and the mighty technical and expressive ability, which was demonstrated at all times without any difficulty.”
– Eldiariomontanes.es