Prokofiev wrote his Piano Concertos with a keen awareness of his own prowess as a pianist, but the Second, in its revised version, is in a virtuoso league of its own, even for him. It is stupendously difficult, with a cadenza – really, more of a fantasia – that effectively takes over the first movement. Step forward Denis Matsuev, who is no stranger to the weight-lifting end of the repertoire, and he took its extremes in his stride. ...

Denis Matsuev is the ideal pianist to perform Tchaikovsky’s music for keyboard. The Russian married technical brilliance with emotional intimacy to bring out the tonal colours in his compatriot’s works. ...

Nach dem tatsächlich rekordverdächtig kurzen Umbau gesellte sich der Klavierhüne Denis Matsuev auf die Bühne, um die ebenso unbekannte wie brillante Partitur des Konzerts für Klavier und Orchester Nr. 2 G-Dur zu bändigen. Und wie er die halsbrecherischen Schwierigkeiten meisterte! Matsuev ist völlig zu Unrecht in Deutschland eher unbekannt. In Russland jedoch und insbesondere in der pianistischen Hochburg Moskau hat man ihm spätestens seit seinem grandiosen Sieg beim XI. ...

5 STARS ‘Denis Matsuev can be electrifying, as parts of the present disc prove. The Rachmaninov offers one of the finest performances of the first movement available.’ ...

Nel villaggio tradizionale Drvengrad fatto costruire da Emir Kusturica dal 14 al 17 luglio si è tenuto l’XI Festival della musica russa Bolshoj. Denis Matsuev, che ha partecipato al festival, ha invitato Kusturica a partecipare al festival “Stelle del Bajkal” ad Irkutsk e ha rilasciato un’intervista esclusiva a Sputnik Serbia. ...

Under their Music Director Alexander Sladkovsky, the Tatarstan NSO host seven annual festivals in Kazan, attracting some of Russia’s finest musicians; the opening concert attracted Yuri Bashmet and Olli Mustonen. This year’s festival marking Rachmaninov is taking place during the World Cup in Russia of which Kazan is one of the host cities. This naturally adds to the glamour of the event. ...

Der in Irkutsk geborene Denis Matsuev ist nicht nur einer der weltbesten Pianisten, sondern auch eine Schlüsselfigur im russischen Musikleben ganz allgemein. In Luzern spielte er das A-Dur Konzert von Liszt, zusammen mit der Sächsischen Staatskapelle Dresden unter ihrem Chefdirigenten Christian Thielemann. Dieser umrahmte das Konzert mit Ouvertüren eines Vorgängers an der Spitze des Orchesters, Carl Maria von Weber. ...

Le pianiste Denis Matsuev ouvrira la saison 2018-19 du TCE avec un récital qui, assure-t-il, promet d’être des plus passionnés. Le secret de son énergie inépuisable (256 concerts par an!) réside tant dans le rythme effréné de sa vie moscovite que dans l’aura du lac Baïkal, où il s’échappe deux fois par an pour un rituel revigorant… ...

With Russian soloist Denis Matsuev at the keyboard of a glorious sounding Steinway and Thielemann holding the baton I especially enjoyed the stormy feel and brisk tempo of the opening movement Adagio sostenuto assai which all combined to create remarkable drama. In my notebook I wrote a single word, ‘Phew!’ Throughout this commanding account I was immediately struck by the power and drama of the playing, it was real edge of the seat stuff. Matsuev’s pianism is remarkably strong, assured and often exhilarating. ...

This was a pair of concerts of Rachmaninov’s piano concertos commemorating the 145th anniversary of the composer. It also was uniting two musicians who are intrinsically linked by their association with Rachmaninov’s music. Denis Matsuev is among the finest Russian pianists, and since winning the Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in 1998, he has developed a formidable reputation for his charitable activities, including appointment as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. ...

Lundi 26 mars 2018, jour d’abstinence. Je veux dire que je me privai de musique la journée entière pour avoir le soir les oreilles fraîches et la fringale aiguisée. J’arrivai de bonne heure au Théâtre des Champs Elysées : une des plus belles salles de Paris avec son style Art-Déco, son plafond de Maurice Denis et la netteté particulière de son acoustique. Les plus âgés avaient réservé à l’orchestre et les plus jeunes aux balcons. ...

The superb Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (BRSO) has had an annual residency at Lucerne’s Easter Festival since 2004. Two years prior to that, Mariss Jansons had taken over the reins from Lorin Maazel as Chief Conductor, and he stands as a true measure of the festival’s standard of excellence, the venue being the stunning Jean Nouvel-designed hall on the shores of Lake Lucerne. ...

Having performed in venues across the world, including the Royal Festival Hall, Concertgebouw, and Carnegie Hall, Russian pianist Denis Matsuev arrives in Hong Kong this month to perform a cycle of the Rachmaninov piano concerti. Denis’ journey to the great stages of the world began as a child, where he was immersed in a musical household. ...

From the opening, fanfare-like Vivace, Matsuev was in complete control, and used his instrument’s full range in the extensive cadenza (a recollection of the movement’s themes), which made the nocturne-like Andante cantabile second movement all the more effective as he demonstrated wonderfully reflective playing. ...

Wie Denis Matsuev (1975) het Tweede Pianoconcert van Sergei Prokofjev hoort spelen weet het zeker: dit is een meesterwerk. Het gaat misschien wat ver om te beweren dat Prokofjev dit werk speciaal voor Matsuev heeft geschreven – hij schreef de eerste drie van zijn vijf concerten in eerste instantie voor eigen gebruik. Maar voor elke uitvoering van het tweede concert deed de pianist Prokofjev toch wel even een schietgebedje. ...

Se dovessi fare una classifica dei compositori classici, questi due sarebbe senz’altro fra i primi cinque. Mi affascinano per il loro modo unico di usare la melodia, per la profondità e la peculiarità del loro linguaggio musicale. Credo che entrambi siano autori romantici. Sebbene Beethoven sia un compositore appartenente all’epoca classica, la sua Sonata op. 31 n.2, che eseguirò, è musica puramente romantica. Čajkovskij è un grande compositore romantico, sottile, malinconico, contemplativo. I due vivono in periodi storici diversi, ma hanno una nota romantica in comune. ...

L’unica cosa in comune tra Andrea Lucchesini e Denis Matsuev, due artisti diversi sotto ogni aspetto, è la passione per il calcio. ...

Scelgo la musica con cui mi sento in relazione in quel momento. Ho bisogno di provare affetto, connessione mentale ed emotiva con la musica che suono. Chimica unica. Se non provo questi sentimenti per una musica, non la suonerò sul palco. Al contrario, se i desideri del pubblico e i miei sentimenti interiori verso una certa musica coincidono, allora la aggiungerò volentieri al mio repertorio. Mi piace anche suonare opere che non sono molto famose ma allo stesso tempo assolutamente fenomenali, come il Secondo e il Terzo concerto di Čajkovskij, o il Concerto n. 4 di Rachmaninov. Molta musica classica geniale non è ancora abbastanza conosciuta, così cerco di modificare la situazione. ...