100 years ago, a tall, pale scholarly-looking young man walked out on the stage of Orchestra Hall to debut his new concerto with the CSO and music director Frederick Stock. The composer was Serge Prokofiev, the work was his Piano Concerto No. 3, and the rest is music history. This week’s program is marking the centennial of that historic occasion. And one could hardly have picked a more apt soloist to give this anniversary performance than Denis Matsuev. ...

The magic continued through the entire night. For the next piece, a tall and strong man, with curly rich hair and a willful face, came to the stage. It was Denis Matsuev, called by some Siberian Bear, a man who knows how to get from his favorite instrument, the piano, really soft as well as really sharp and strong sounds. It seemed like the only parts of his body that he didn't use to press piano keys were his knees; the rest of his body, though, was on top of it. ...

Chicago Tribune ...