Denis Matsuev Explained

Denis Matsuev
Honorific Suffix:	PAR
Native Name:	Денис Мацуев
Native Name Lang:	ru
Birth Date:	11 June 1975
Birth Place:	Irkutsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Genre:	Classical, jazz
Occupation:	Pianist
Label:	RCA Red Seal Records

Denis Leonidovich Matsuev (/ma'tsujef/; Russian: Дени́с Леони́дович Мацу́ев; born June 11, 1975) is a Russian pianist. Primarily a classical pianist, he also performs jazz occasionally.

Biography

Born in Irkutsk, Soviet Union, Matsuev is the only child of two musicians, his mother being a piano teacher and his father a pianist and composer. He demonstrated a musical ear at age 3, when he reproduced on the piano at home a melody that he heard on television.^[1] His father subsequently became his first piano teacher. Until age 15, Matsuev studied music in Irkutsk. In 1990, he won a prize at the "New Names Charitable Foundation" competition in Irkutsk and received a stipend, $1,000 a month, from the foundation to study music in Moscow.^[1] With other young gifted musicians from Russia discovered by the foundation, Matsuev went on tour in Europe and the United States.^[2]

In 1991, Matsuev moved with his parents to Moscow to continue his musical education. He studied at the Central Music School at the Moscow Conservatory. In 1994, he took part at his first international piano competition in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he was awarded the Grand Prix. In the same year, he entered the Moscow Conservatory as a student of Aleksey Nasedkin. After 1997, he studied under Sergei Dorensky. Matsuev won the 11th International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1998 at age 23.^[3]

Matsuev is artistic co-director of the international "Annecy Classic Festival" in Annecy, France, with Pascal Escande. He is also the organizer and artistic director of two international festivals in Russia: "Stars on Baikal" in his native city of Irkutsk and the annual music festival "Crescendo".^[1]

In 2012 Matsuev^[4] became artistic director of the 1st International "Astana Piano Passion" Festival and Competition, and in 2013 he was artistic director of the International Festival and Competition "Sberbank DEBUT" in Kyiv.

Matsuev and 80 other Russian artists signed a collective letter "to support the position of President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine and Crimea."^{[5] [6]}

In February 2014, at the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Matsuev was a torchbearer,^[7] and performed in the closing ceremony.^[8]

In 2018 Matsuev was awarded the Russian Order of Honour. In 2022, due to his public support of Vladimir Putin, Matsuev's appearance with the Vienna Philharmonic in New York on February 25, 2022, was cancelled and he was replaced by pianist Seong-Jin Cho.^{[9] [10]}

Awards, titles and honors

• UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador^[11]
• Order of Honour, 2018^[12]
• Russian National Music Award - Best Instrumentalist in Classical Music, 2016,^[13] 2017,^[14] 2018,^[15] 2019;^[16] Special Prize for Exceptional Performing Skills, 2015^[17]

Discography

• Haydn, Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev. © & (P) 1997 New Names.
• Haydn, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninov, Prokofiev. © & (P) Vivendi, 1999.
• Beethoven, Tchaikowsky, Liszt, Prokofiev. Collection Etoiles. Live recording – Eglise Notre-Dame d'Auvers-sur-Oise, 27 May 2000.
• Liszt: Mephisto Waltz S.514, Schumann: Symphonic Etudes Op. 13, Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 14 in A minor D.784. Sacrambow (Japan), © & (P) 2000 JAPAN ARTS.
• Classic Masterpieces. Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor Rico Saccani. Tchaikovsky – Piano concertos Nos. 1 & 2. Soloist: Denis Matsouev. © & (P) 2003 Independent Music & Media Alliance LTD.
• Tribute to Horowitz. Liszt, Bizet-Horowitz, Rossini-Ginzburg. (P) & © 2004 BMG Russia.
• Stravinsky – Firebird Suite, Shchedrin – Piano Concerto No. 5. Mariss JAansons – Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks – © 2005 Sony BMG Music Entertainment
• Stravinsky & Tchaikovsky. I. Stravinsky – Three Movements From Petrouchka; P. I. Tchaikovsky – The Seasons. RCA Red Seal. (P) & © 2005 Sony BMG Music Entertainment.
• Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 & Shostakovich: Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Strings. St Petersburg PO/Temirkanov. RCA Red Seal (P) & © 2007 Sony BMG Music Entertainment.
• Unknown Rachmaninoff, 18 March 2008, RCA Red Seal.
• The Carnegie Hall Concert – Denis Matsuev (20 October 2009) RCA Red Seal.
• Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini – Denis Matsuev, Gergiev, and Mariinsky Orchestra (9 February 2010
• Franz Liszt. Russian National Orchestra and Michail Pletnev. Sony Music Entertainment (Russia), 2011.
• Franz Liszt – Piano concertos nos. 1 & 2 Totentanz; Orpheus ; Héroïde funèbre. [New York]: Sony, 2011.
• Sjostakovitj, Dmitrij, Valerij Gergiev, and Rodion Stjedrin. Piano concertos nos. 1 & 2. State Academic Mariinsky Theatre, 2011.
• Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2; Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue. Sony Bmg Music, 2013.
• Szymanowski: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4, Stabat Mater. London Symphony Orchestra, Valery Gergiev (Conductor), Denis Matsuev (Artist), London Symphony Chorus (Orchestra) Format: Audio CD, 2013LSO Live Production
• Tchaikovsky: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 Denis Matsuev (Artist, Performer), Mariinsky Orchestra, Valery Gergiev (Conductor), Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Composer), Format: Audio CD, 2014 Mariinsky Label
• Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3, Symphony No. 5 Denis Matsuev (Performer), Mariinsky Orchestra, Valery Gergiev (Conductor), Sergei Prokofiev (Composer), Format: Audio CD, 2014 Mariinsky Label
• Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 1(1917 Edition), Stravinsky Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra (1929), Shchedrin Piano Concerto No. 2 (1936) Denis Matsuev, Piano The Mariinsky Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev. Mariinsky Label 2015.
• Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2, Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2. CD, Mariinsky Label January 2018

External links

• • Moscow Philharmonic – Matsuev Denis
• Columbia Artists Management Inc. – Denis Matsuev
• Annecy Festival page on Denis Matsuev

Notes and References

1. News: Alison Smale. Alison Smale. Denis Matsuev: A Russian pianist's quest to make classical music relevant. The New York Times. 2007-04-03. 2007-04-03.
2. News: Elena Ragozhina. Elena Konstantinovna Ragozhina. From new names to Crescendo: Denis Matsuev. New Style. 2011-06-23. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131103080817/http://en.newstyle-mag.com/interview/from-new-names-to-crescendo-denis-matsuev.html. 2013-11-03.
3. News: Anthony Tommasini. Anthony Tommasini. Two Young Pianists, Forging Connections. The New York Times. 2010-02-26. 2010-02-26.
4. [Jean-Pierre Thiollet]
5. The US protested the concert pianist from Russia, which supported the annexation of Crimea, Ukrayinska Pravda (30 October 2016)
6. News: Russian cultural stars back Putin on Crimea . 21 June 2022 . Deccan Chronicle . 13 March 2014 . en.
7. http://torchrelay.arch.articul.ru/torchrelay.sochi2014.com/en/news-denis-matsuev-finished-the-olympic-torch-relay-in-irkutsk.html Denis Matsuev finished the Olympic torch relay in Irkutsk
8. Web site: Alex Heigl . Meet Olympics Closing Ceremony Piano Virtuoso Denis Matsuev . People . 2014-02-23 . 2014-12-21.
9. Web site: Russian conductor pulls out of New York concerts after supporters of Ukraine protest . NPR . 24 February 2022 . Tsioulcas . Anastasia .
10. Web site: Carnegie Hall replaces Putin pianist . 25 February 2022 .
11. Web site: 11 June 2015. Биография Дениса Мацуева. 2020-08-01. RIA News Russia. Russian.
12. Web site: Russia's President Vladimir Putin awards Russian pianist Denis Matsuev with an Order of Honour . 2019-09-02 . 2019-09-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190902231107/https://www.alamy.com/moscow-russia-27th-june-2018-moscow-russia-june-27-2018-russias-president-vladimir-putin-l-awards-russian-pianist-denis-matsuev-with-an-order-of-honour-at-a-ceremony-to-present-state-decorations-at-the-moscow-kremlin-mikhail-metzeltass-credit-itar-tass-news-agencyalamy-live-news-image210000594.html . dead .
13. Web site: 2016-12-08. Кристина Агилера, Татьяна Навка, Леонид Агутин, Филипп Киркоров и другие звезды на Российской национальной музыкальной премии. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161210034748/http://www.spletnik.ru:80/events/71917-kristina-agilera-polina-gagarina-filipp-kirkorov-RNMP.html . 2016-12-10 . 2020-08-01. Spletnik News Russia. Russian.
14. Web site: Объявлены победители Российской национальной музыкальной премии / Союз. 2020-08-01. Soyuz Magazine Russia. Russian.
15. Web site: 2018-12-18. Российская Национальная Музыкальная Премия "Виктория" почтила память Кобзона и вернула Агутина в босоногую юность. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200726152127/https://worldpodium.ru/news/rossiyskaya-nacionalnaya-muzykalnaya-premiya-viktoriya-pochtila-pamyat-kobzona-i-vernula . 2020-07-26 . 2020-08-01. WORLD PODIUM News. Russian.
16. Web site: 2019-12-07. Zivert и Димаш объявлены вехами времени. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191206193000/https://www.mk.ru/culture/2019/12/06/zivert-i-dimash-obyavleny-vekhami-vremeni.html . 2019-12-06 . 2020-08-01. MK News Russia. Russian.
17. Web site: 2019-01-15. Гений фортепиано Денис Мацуев 6 апреля выступит в Минске с сольным концертом во Дворце Республики. Билеты уже в продаже. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200728164606/https://telegraf.by/showbiz/425324-genii-fortepiano-denis-macuev-6-aprelya-vistupit-v-minske-s-solnim-koncertom-vo-dvorce-respubliki-bileti-uje-v-prodaje/ . 2020-07-28 . 2020-08-01. Telegraf Belarus. Russian.