What set of qualities beholds the expression "larger than life" evades straightforward conception. Like "love" and "beauty", "larger than life" appears a phenomenon that inexplicably yet most definitely presents itself upon the right and only the right occasions. Still if one can attribute to the phrase a personality that can instantly sweep a place, a force that attracts both admiration and excitement, to this, one must count Denis Matsuev. ...

Due to current circumstances it is impossible to hold our competition as it was previously stated. That is why Moscow Philharmonic Society and I decided to reschedule the contest to the last decade of August 2020 in Moscow. The format and concert venues of the competition remain the same as they were originally designated. All applications that have already been submitted to the competition remain valid. At the same time, we continue to receive new application from all over the world, because we are well aware that in these difficult days, many people did not have the opportunity to record their performance and submit the necessary documents. Please, apply and send video with your performance. We are waiting for you here in Moscow this August. ...

Unfortunately I won’t go to my American tour this time, because today in the morning the temperature’s risen sharply, my throat’s started to ache. You know how rarely I cancel my concerts, how important it is for me to be able to go on stage every day and meet my audience all over the world. Until the last moment, I hoped that three days of concerts with V. Gergiev and my favorite New York Philharmonic orchestra at Lincoln center in the United States would take place, no matter what. But today my doctor diagnosed acute pharyngitis and forbade a long flight, as there is a high risk of complications, especially on eardrums, which can have really heavy consequences in future for my health. Once again, I apologize to the American public and look forward to meeting them in February 2021. ...

Unfortunately, I have to announce that my concerts in Bologna and Rome are rescheduled for the nearest future due to coronavirus 2019-nCoV outbreak in Italy. Concerts’ organizers and I are concerned about this situation, so it was decided that these concerts won’t take place in February as it was planned before. Once again I want to underline, that we do not cancel these concerts, we just reschedule them. I will inform you about new dates in the nearest future. I wish all patients full recovery, wish healthy ones-not to get sick, and wish scientists – to find a cure as soon as possible. Listen to classical music as the most effective way to boost your immune system and mood! ...

P. I. Tchaikovsky 1&2 piano concertos recording performed by Denis Matsuev and Mariinsky orchestra under baton of Valery Gergiev is now in The 50 greatest Tchaikovsky recordings list according to The Gramophone. ...

Un monument de musique classique pour les difficultés techniques qu’il exige, interprété par le génie Denis Matsuev. Le Troisième Concerto pour piano de Rachmaninov (1909) est considéré comme un Everest tant pour ses difficultés techniques que pour les extraordinaires nuances d'expression qu'il exige de son interprète. ...

Als 15-Jähriger war er 1991 ausgezogen, um sein Stipendium am Moskauer Konservatorium anzutreten. Mit großem Widerwillen. Fast 5200 Kilometer von seiner Heimat entfernt, für den jungen Denis ein schrecklicher Gedanke. Doch der Teenager aus Irkutsk, einer Universitätsstadt im Südsibirischen Gebirge, kommt auf seine Kosten. Der Professor outet sich als großer Fußball-Fan, diskutiert mit dem glühenden Spartak-Anhänger jedes Mal die Ergebnisse der Fußballspiele. Ein Spektakel sei der Fußball, eine Show, erzählt der mittlerweile 44-Jährige in einem Interview. „Sie spielen für das Publikum, besonders Spartak Moskau – ich spiele auch für das Publikum!“ ...

One of the many names of the Beast should be Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2, a no-holds-barred celebration of virtuosity that the Russian barn-stormer Denis Matsuev has made his own. Confronted with this degree of alpha-male swagger, technique and stamina, resistance was futile. ...

Given the adrenaline, athleticism and endurance that a pianist must summon simply to get through the score of Prokofiev’s Second Piano Concerto, let alone to play the notes with such astounding accuracy as we heard here at the Barbican Hall, Denis Matsuev cut a startlingly unruffled figure as he seated himself at the piano. Thirty minutes later – almost, it seemed, as his hands were whipping the closing chords of the Finale tempestoso – he leapt to his feet and rushed to embrace Noseda. If he’d worked up a sweat performing what is one the most technically demanding of all piano concertos, then his urbane calm revealed no hint of it. It was a remarkable performance: after all, one critic at the September 1913 premiere, at which the student Prokofiev was himself the soloist, remarked that the concerto left its listeners ‘frozen with fright, hair standing on end’. ...

Aujourd’hui, le nombre de grands virtuoses a augmenté, mais Denis Matsuev est un phénomène à part en matière de maîtrise de tous les paramètres avec cette solidité d’airain. Vivre une telle Sonate en si mineur en vrai, c’est un peu comme se trouver le jour d’une éclipse du soleil avec un ciel totalement dégagé à l’endroit précis de la planète où le phénomène est total. ...

Une belle journée que ce 27 septembre 2019. Il fait encore jour à 8 heures du soir en souvenir d’un été radieux et le public arrive en flânant des Champs-Élysées pour se répartir dans la belle salle dorée aux balcons accueillants. Chacun regarde à gauche et à droite s’il reconnaît des amis pour les saluer de la main. Les parents de l’artiste s’installent aux meilleures places et cette présence est du meilleur augure. ...

Russian pianist Denis Matsuev simply electrified the Lucerne stage with his performance. It is said that no other work of this genre demands more notes played per second; and indeed, there were times when Matsuev’s hands were no more than a blur on the keys. ...

As an army of crickets decided to engage in one of its characteristics rackets, Denis Matsuev, the tall, powerfully built, 44-year-old Siberian-born pianist with a boyish grin strode onto the stage Wednesday at the Ravinia Festival along with the easily energetic 75-year-old conductor Leonard Slatkin. ...

C’est avec le Concerto pour piano n° 3 de Rachmaninov que le talent de Lahav Shani est plus saisissant dans sa capacité à régler les équilibres entre son orchestre et le pianiste Denis Matsuev. Une vision sereine et équilibrée se dégage de leur interprétation commune qui ne peut que ravir les auditeurs. ...

The Astana Piano Passion contest is one of the unique, bright and prestigious events that take place in Kazakhstan, in our capital. The fact that Denis Matsuev, an outstanding pianist and virtuoso of our time, is the curator and leader of this contest confirms that. Thanks to this contest, we reveal new talents and promote Kazakh music… According to the contest’s rules, one work of the Kazakh composer must be performed. It is very important for us,” said Nur-Sultan Culture and Sports Department Head Bolat Mazhagulov. ...

Il faut se rendre à la Philharmonie de Paris qui trône au fond d’une allée à La Villette près du Conservatoire ou C.N.S.M. D’extérieur, le bâtiment ressemble à un abri pour sous-marins sur la côte atlantique, d’autres y verraient peut-être la bouche du Royaume d’Hadès. L’entrée n’est pas aisée entre les escalators, les escaliers et les pans inclinés qui s’imbriquent et s’entrecroisent… et je vous fais grâce des difficultés à obtenir les billets, car moi j'achète ma place. Passé un labyrinthe digne du Minotaure, on entre dans la salle elle-même, de style année soixante au modernisme triomphant dans ses ovales et son orange. Le coup d’œil offre une giration de balcons à forte pente, l’ambiance est accueillante et propose une acoustique dont la réussite pulvérise tout reproche. Ce soir, il ne restera pas un fauteuil inoccupé des 2400 places. ...

Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto no. 2 in G minor has one of the hardest solo parts in the repertoire. But it is not at all hard to listen to when played by a virtuoso of the stature of Denis Matsuev, now almost a veteran of the Russian school of pianists. In the expansive solo of the first movement, which comes so surprisingly early that it seems more centrepiece than cadenza, Matsuev was masterly. ...

Whatever the many strengths of the Shostakovich, it was the terrific performance of Prokofiev’s titanic Second Concerto that will linger on in the memory. It is not a piece that comes out too often, for very good reasons: Valentina Lisitsa in 2015 was a bit of a casualty (review); no such words apply here for a master completely in charge of his instrument. ...