Nikolai Demidenko

Last updated

Nikolai Demidenko
Born (1955-07-01) 1 July 1955 (age 67)
Anisimovo, Russian SSR, Soviet Union
Genres Classical
Occupation(s)Pianist
InstrumentsPiano
Website https://www.demidenko.net/

Nikolai Demidenko (born 1 July 1955, Anisimovo) is a Russian-born classical pianist.

Contents

Biography

Demidenko studied at the Gnessin State Musical College with Anna Kantor and at the Moscow Conservatoire under Dmitri Bashkirov. [1] He was a finalist at the 1976 Montreal International Piano Competition [2] and the 1978 Tchaikovsky International Competition. [3] He taught at the Yehudi Menuhin School in the UK, where he has been a resident since 1990. He was granted British citizenship in 1995 and currently holds a visiting professorship at the University of Surrey. [4] In addition to a vast amount of the standard Germanic and Russian repertory, he is a specialist of Frédéric Chopin and a noted champion of the works of neglected composers such as Muzio Clementi, Carl Maria von Weber, Jan Václav Voříšek, and Nikolai Medtner, as well as neglected works of well-known composers such as Domenico Scarlatti, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert, and Robert Schumann, and transcriptions by Ferruccio Busoni. Demidenko won a Gramophone Award in 1992 in the concerto category for his recording of the Medtner Piano Concertos No. 2 and 3. [2]

Career

In 2000, in connection with the 250th anniversary of the death of Johann Sebastian Bach, Nikolai Demidenko was one of four pianists invited to perform Das Wohltemperierte Klavier, subsequently released on DVD by EuroArts.

Demidenko´s extensive discography consists of nearly 40 CDs. For Hyperion Records he has recorded over 20 albums, including most recently Prokofiev Piano Concertos nos 2 & 3 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra released in March 2015, Gramophone Editor´s Choice award-winning album of Medtner and Music for two Pianos (with Dmitri Alexeev).

For the Munich-based AGPL label he has recorded Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata, a collection of Scarlatti sonatas and a Chopin CD which won the Preis der Deutschen Schallplatten Kritik Preis. Autumn 2008 saw the release of a new Chopin CD, including his first recording of the 24 Preludes, for Onyx Classics. This CD won the MIDEM 2010 Special Chopin Award for a new recording, a unique occasion edited especially for a Bicentenary of Chopin. Demidenko was one of the pianists invited to perform Chopin Piano Concerto in E minor Op. 11 concert during the celebration of Bicentenary of Chopin organized by The Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw. This concert was released on DVD by Music Accentus Music

In 2014 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Surrey in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the field of Music and the University.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vladimir Horowitz</span> Russian-born American classical pianist and composer (1903–1989)

Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz was a Russian-born American classical pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest pianists of all time, he was known for his virtuoso technique, tone color, and the public excitement engendered by his playing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leif Ove Andsnes</span> Norwegian pianist and chamber musician

Leif Ove Andsnes is a Norwegian pianist and chamber musician. Andsnes has made several recordings for Virgin and EMI. In 2012, Leif Ove Andsnes has signed to Sony Classical, and recorded for the label the "Beethoven Journey" project, which included the composer's five piano concertos with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. The works were recorded over three years, beginning with Piano Concertos Nos 1 and 3 in 2012, followed by Concertos Nos 2 and 4 in 2013 and the Fifth Piano Concerto and Choral Fantasy in 2014. He is represented by IMG.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benno Moiseiwitsch</span> Russian-British pianist (1890–1963)

Benno Moiseiwitsch CBE was a Russian-born British pianist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc-André Hamelin</span> Canadian pianist and composer

Marc-André Hamelin, OC, CQ, is a Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer. Hamelin is recognized worldwide for the originality and technical proficiency of his performances of the classic repertoire. He has received 11 Grammy Award nominations.

Emil Grigoryevich Gilels was a Russian pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time.

Dmitri Alexeev is a Russian pianist. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory, and additionally under Dmitri Bashkirov. In the 1970s, Alexeev made his debuts in London, Vienna, Chicago, and New York City, and also won the Leeds Piano Competition in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murray Perahia</span> Musical artist

Murray David Perahia is an American pianist and conductor. He is widely considered one of the greatest living pianists. He was the first North American pianist to win the Leeds International Piano Competition, in 1972. Known as a leading interpreter of Bach, Handel, Scarlatti, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schumann, among other composers, Perahia has won numerous awards, including three Grammy Awards from a total of 18 nominations, and 9 Gramophone Awards in addition to its first and only "Piano Award".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Li Yundi</span> Chinese pianist

Li Yundi is a Chinese concert pianist popularly known as Yundi and formerly Yundi Li. Li is most well known for being the youngest pianist, at the age of 18, to win the 2000 XIV International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. He later served as the youngest juror in history for the competition in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikolai Medtner</span> Russian composer and pianist

Nikolai Karlovich Medtner was a Russian composer and virtuoso pianist. After a period of comparative obscurity in the 25 years immediately after his death, he is now becoming recognized as one of the most significant Russian composers for the piano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boris Berezovsky (pianist)</span> Russian pianist (born 1969)

Boris Vadimovich Berezovsky is a Russian pianist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vladimir Sofronitsky</span>

Vladimir Vladimirovich Sofronitsky was a Soviet-Russian classical pianist, best known as an interpreter of Alexander Scriabin and Frédéric Chopin. His daughter is the Canadian pianist Viviana Sofronitsky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexis Weissenberg</span> Bulgarian-born French pianist

Alexis Sigismund Weissenberg was a Bulgarian-born French pianist.

Nelson José Pinto Freire was a Brazilian classical pianist. Regarded as one of the greatest pianists of his generation, he was noted for his "decorous piano playing" and "interpretive depth". His extensive discography for labels such as Sony Classical, Teldec, Philips, and Decca has garnered awards including the Gramophone Award and Diapason d'Or. Freire appeared as soloist with the world's most prestigious orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. He played and recorded piano duo music with Martha Argerich, a long-time musical and personal friend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoffrey Tozer</span> Musical artist

Geoffrey Peter Bede Hawkshaw Tozer was an Australian classical pianist and composer. A child prodigy, he composed an opera at the age of eight and became the youngest recipient of a Churchill Fellowship award at 13. His career included tours of Europe, America, Australia and China, where he performed the Yellow River Concerto to an estimated audience of 80 million people. Tozer had more than 100 concertos in his repertoire, including those of Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Medtner, Rachmaninoff, Bartók, Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Gerhard.

Ivan Moravec was a Czech concert pianist whose performing and recording career spanned nearly half a century. Media and critics worldwide often called Moravec "a poet of the piano" or "pianist supreme". He is considered one of the greatest interpreters of Chopin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roberto Prosseda</span>

Roberto Prosseda is an Italian classical pianist.

Maurice Cole, was an English pianist, teacher and adjudicator. He was born in London and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and privately with Arthur De Greef in London and Brussels.

Vassily Primakov is a Russian concert pianist and recording artist known for his interpretations of Chopin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brilliant Classics</span>

Brilliant Classics is a classical music label based in the Dutch town of Leeuwarden. It is renowned for releasing super-budget-priced editions on CD of the complete works of J.S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and many other composers. The label also specialises in new recordings of early music, chamber, organ and piano music.

Carlo Grante is an Italian classical pianist. He graduated at the National Academy of St Cecilia in Rome with Sergio Perticaroli. Later he also studied with Ivan Davis, Rudolf Firkušný, and Alisa Kezheradze. He is known as a performer of mainstream classical composers such as Franz Liszt, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Domenico Scarlatti, as well as highly demanding late romantic and 20th-century composers such as Leopold Godowsky, Ferruccio Busoni, George Flynn, Roman Vlad, Michael Finnissy, Alistair Hinton, and Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji. His discography consists of more than 50 albums.

References

  1. Schrott, Allen. "Biography: Nikolai Demidenko". Allmusic . Retrieved 2 August 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Magnificent Medtner". The Malay Mail . 2 November 2004. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
  3. Scott, Sandy (8 May 2002). "Reviews: Nikolai Demidenko: Demidenko strikes chord with classic performance". Edinburgh Evening News . p. 18.
  4. "Classical performance". Yeovil Express. 13 March 2008. Retrieved 2 August 2010.