About this Artist

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 the Shostakovich Prize in Music and the State Prize of Russian Federation in Literature and Arts, Matsuev has appeared in hundreds of recitals at the most prestigious and legendary concert halls throughout the world.

Matsuev appears regularly with the most prominent conductors on the stage today, including Lorin Maazel, Valery Gergiev, Zubin Mehta, Mariss Jansons, Yuri Temirkanov, Kurt Masur, Paavo Järvi, Leonard Slatkin, Myung-Whun Chung, Antonio Pappano, Semyon Bychkov, Iván Fischer, Ádám Fischer, Gianandrea Noseda, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, James Conlon, Vladimir Spivakov, Mikhail Pletnev, Vladimir Fedoseyev, and others.

Matsuev is a guest of world-famous musical festivals, such as Ravinia and the Hollywood Bowl (in his debut tonight) in the United States; the BBC Proms and the Edinburgh International Festival in Great Britain; Schleswig-Holstein, Rheingau, and Festspielhaus Baden-Baden in Germany; the Chopin Festival in Poland; Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and Mito Festival in Italy; Les Chorégies d’Orange and Festival de la Roque d’Anthéron in France; the Verbier and Montreux festivals in Switzerland; the Enescu Festival in Romania; the Budapest Spring Festival in Hungary; Athens and Epidaurus festivals in Greece; and Stars of the White Nights Festival in Russia.

Highlights of upcoming seasons include appearances with the Israel Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta in Russia, followed by a tour of Israel under Yuri Temirkanov; the Royal Philharmonic with Charles Dutoit; tours with the London Symphony and the Mariinsky Orchestra under Valery Gergiev in the U.S., Europe, and Japan; the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Krzysztof Urbanski; the Philadelphia Orchestra under Gianandrea Noseda; a U.S. tour with the Pittsburgh Symphony under Manfred Honeck; the Montreal Symphony under Mikhail Pletnev; in Europe with the Oslo Philharmonic and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, the Suisse Romande, and the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra; a tour with the Concertgebouw Orchestra under Mariss Jansons; and the Israel Philharmonic with Kurt Masur.

Denis Matsuev also will appear in recitals at the great concert halls of Europe, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Salle Pleyel in Paris, the Konzerthaus in Vienna, and the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatoire, among others. In December 2007, Sony BMG released a disc featuring 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 released in 2009 as an album entitled Denis Matsuev – Concert at Carnegie Hall. The New York Times praised his performance: “…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 the Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 3, recorded with Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra in the Mariinsky Concert Hall in St. Petersburg, Russia. ClassicsToday.com (U.S.) wrote, “Denis Matsuev is an amazing pianist. He shapes the Third Concerto’s fistfuls of notes with consummate mastery…” In 2011, the 200th anniversary year of Franz Liszt, RCA Red Seal released Matsuev – Liszt, an album recorded together with the Russian National Orchestra and Mikhail Pletnev. The Independent rated the album as “Album of the Week.” In early 2012, Matsuev, Valery Gergiev, and the Mariinsky label issued their new project: Shostakovich Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 and Shchedrin’s Fifth Concerto, which earned a Five-Star rating from BBC Music magazine.

Over the past five years, Denis Matsuev has collaborated with the Sergei Rachmaninoff Foundation and its president Alexander Rachmaninoff, the grandson of the composer. 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. In 2013 – the anniversary year of the great composer, the Sergei Rachmaninoff Foundation will present a series of concerts in some of the most prestigious concert halls throughout Russia and Europe.

Matsuev is Artistic Director of three important international festivals – Annecy Music Festival in Annecy, France; “Stars on Baikal” in Irkutsk, Siberia; and “Crescendo,” a series of events held in many different international cities, including 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, Matsuev is the president of the charitable Russian foundation, “New Names,” which supports music education in regions of his native Russia.