Denis Matsuev
biography
“For here is a virtuoso in the grandest of Russian traditions who returns us
to the great days of Emil Gilels… He literally possesses the sort of technique
which begins where others end” Gramophone
“Perhaps he is the new Horowitz” London Times
Denis Matsuev has become a fast-rising star on the international concert stage since his triumphant victory at the 11th International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1998, and is quickly establishing himself as one of the most sought-after pianists of his generation.
Laureate of prestigious Shostakovich Prize in Music and State Prize of Russian Federation in Literature and Arts Mr. Matsuev has appeared in hundreds of recitals at the most prestigious and legendary concert halls throughout the world.
Mr. Matsuev collaborating with the world's best known orchestras, such as the New-York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony, National Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, WDR Symphony Cologne, BBC Symphony, Philharmonia orchestra of London, Verbier Festival Orchestra FilarmonicadellaScala, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de Paris, OrchestrePhilharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic and the European Chamber Orchestra; he is continually re-engaged with the legendary Russian orchestras such as the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Mariinsky Orchestra and the Russian National Orchestra.
Denis Matsuev appears regularly with the most prominent conductors on the stage today, including LorinMaazel, Valery Gergiev, Zubin Mehta, MarissJansons, Yuri Temirkanov, Kurt Masur, PaavoJarvi, Leonard Slatkin, Myung-Whun Chung, Antonio Pappano, SemyonBychkov, Ivan Fischer and Adam Fisher, GianandreaNoseda, Jukka-PekkaSaraste, James Conlon, Vladimir Spivakov, Mikhail Pletnev, Vladimir Fedoseyev, TuganSokhiev and others.
Mr. Matsuev is a frequent guest of World's famous musical festivals such as Ravinia Festival and Hollywood Bowl in the United States, BBC Proms and Edinburgh International Festival in Great Britain, Schleswig-Holstein, Rheingau, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden in Germany, Chopin Festival in Poland, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and Mito Festival in Italy, Les Choregiesd'Orange and Festival de la Rogue d'Antheron in France, Verbier and Montreux Festivals in Switzerland, Enescu Festival in Romania, Budapest Spring Festival in Hungary, Athens and Epidaurus Festival in Greece and Stars of the White Nights Festival in Russia.
Highlights of upcoming seasons include appearances with the London Symphony Orchestra, Verbier Festival Orchestra and Zurich Opera House Orchestra with Valery Gergiev, Chicago Symphony Orchestra with James Conlon, AccademiaNazionale di Santa Cecilia and Antonio Pappano, Philharmonia of London and Leif Segerstam, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra with PaavoJarvi, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Yuri Temirkanov, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and Krzysztof Urbanski, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra with Manfred Honeck, Rotterdam Philharmonic, WDR Symphony and Oslo Philharmonic with Jukka-PekkaSaraste, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and James Gaffigan, NHK Symphony and Philadelphia Symphony with GianandreaNoseda.
Denis Matsuev also will appear with recitals at most prestigious concert halls of North America including Carnegie Hall, Martin Theatre of Chicago in frames of Ravinia Festival, Eglise de Verbier in frames of Verbier Festival, Theatre des Champs Elysees in Paris, Finnish National Opera House, Hercules Hall in Munich, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam among others.
In December 2007, Sony BMG released a disc featuring Mr. Matsuev entitled Unknown Rachmaninoff, which has received strong positive reviews praising his execution and creativity.
Denis Matsuev's recital at Carnegie Hall in November 2007 was recorded and will be released in 2009 as an album entitled Denis Matsuev - Concert at Carnegie Hall. The New York Times praised his performance, writing, “…his poetic instincts held fast in tender moments, with trills as thrillingly precise as one might ever hope to hear.”
In December 2009, the new Mariinsky Label released Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 3, which Denis Matsuev recorded with Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra in the Mariinsky Concert Hall in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Over the past five years, Denis Matsuev has collaborated with the Sergei Rachmaninoff Foundation and its president Alexander Rachmaninoff, the grandson of the composer. Mr. Matsuev was chosen by the Foundation to perform and record unknown pieces of Rachmaninoff on the composer's own piano at the Rachmaninoff house “Villa Senar” in Lucerne. This unique program has been in high demand around the world.
After his triumphal appearance at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Michael Church of The Independent wrote: “Matsuev spent the first half of his concert proving he had an artistic hot-line to his great predecessor… He has the rare gift of letting notes expand in a surrounding stillness.”
In October 2008, at the personal invitation of Alexander Rachmaninoff, Denis Matsuev was named Artistic Director of the Sergei Rachmaninoff Foundation. As part of this partnership, he will perform in a series of gala concerts in some of the most prestigious concert halls throughout Europe and the United States.
Mr. Matsuev is Artistic Director of three important International Festivals: Annecy Festival Estival& Academies in Annecy, France, “Stars on Baikal” in Irkutsk, Siberia, and “Crescendo,” a series of events held in many different international cities, such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Tel Aviv, Kaliningrad, Paris and New York City.
These remarkable festivals present a new generation of young musicians by featuring gifted soloists from around the world performing with the best Russian orchestras. The “Crescendo” festival has had incredible resonance in Russia and abroad. Additionally, Mr. Matsuev is the president of the charitable Russian foundation “New Names” that supports children music education in regions of his native Russia.