Denis Kozhukhin biography

All photos of the famous pianist from Belgium Denis Kozhukhin began to study the game on the piano in early childhood. In the year, Kozhukhin won the Queen Elizabeth contest in Brussels. After graduation, he improved his skill in the Higher School of Music of Queen Sofia in Madrid with the great pianist and teacher Dmitry Bashkirov, and then at the piano academy on Lake Como.

Today, his mentor is maestro Daniel Barenboim. In our country, he already played with Israeli Philharmonic and other orchestras, and also took part in the international festival of chamber music in Jerusalem under the direction of Elena Bashkirova. On Tuesday, May 10, Denis Kozhukhin will perform with the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra as part of the Wandering Music Stars festival. Drive the concert invited from Armenia conductor Sergei Smbatyan.

The grand music festival Wandering Music Stars is held in Tel Aviv on May 10 and 12, on the stage of the Haykhal A-Tarbut hall. The organizer of the concerts is the European EUFSC Culture Support Fund, which holds international music contests and festivals, ice and ballet shows around the world. Composer-resident-Alexei Shor. On Thursday, May 12, the American violinist Stella Chen will perform with the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra.

The famous conductor and cellist, the man of the world, Israeli citizen, Dmitry Yablonsky, is properly with the concert. On the eve of the festival, we talked with Denis Kozhukhin about the beginning of his musical career, about parents, about the great teacher of Dmitry Bashkirov, about his favorite classes and his dream. Denis, who did you want to become in childhood? You know, to be honest, this question was not asked for a long time.

But, if I asked if I wanted to become a musician, then, in general, they didn’t ask me, because my mother was a pianist, dad Korovik, the music all the time was around me, and I began to deal with it early, and somehow I really liked it from the very beginning. And you know, honestly, I never thought to become an astronaut or police officer, like other children laughs. I realized early enough that music is my vocation and occupies a significant part of my life.

Along with this, it is clear that this all happened gradually. By the age of nine to ten years I already realized that there was no way back, and that the path to the future is exactly like that, and it will be necessary to follow it. Why did you choose a piano, and not another tool? As a child, I really liked the violin, but apparently I was too modest to tell my parents about it, and besides, my mother was a pianist, she is a child’s teacher, my dad also plays piano.

There was a piano at home, so it all turned out like that. Mom tried to deal with me when I was 5 and a half years old. It lasted 3 months, and then, as dad says, my mother closed the tool and said: “That's enough, it was time for you to go to study with others! It didn’t work out, well, it’s not always a professional relationship. You know, you were a little ahead of my dad, he was a violinist.

And I want to ask you about your first teacher. Let's talk about your favorite teachers, you had in large numbers very famous people. My mother was my first teacher. Then I was very small and I do not really remember these lessons. I rather remember how my mother brought her other students home ... I prevented my mother from studying with other children, I was tied with a scarf to the chair so that I would not interfere.

And dad even began to joke: "Denis is tied to music since childhood ...". Then they sent me to a music school. I had a wonderful teacher, who at one time was engaged in my mother in childhood. My brother also studied from her. Her name is Natalya Nikolaevna Fish. A brilliant children's teacher who gave the world many beautiful pianists. She gave me a completely fantastic base. Thanks to this, at the age of 15 I met Dmitry Alexandrovich Bashkirov.

And it was a significant event in my professional career and in life. Geographically, my life has changed too. I moved to Spain, to Madrid to study with the legendary teacher Dmitry Bashkirov. Dmitry Alexandrovich until the end of his life remained my teachers, a mentor and a very close friend. I would say that he was my kind of "musical" father. Unfortunately, we lost it not so long ago.

For me personally, it was a huge loss, because the years that I spent under his wing were very happy. He was a great musician and amazing a teacher who was able to instill in all his students the most important thing - a sincere and not fake love of life and art. I was lucky in my life. I had many master classes with the most remarkable professors. My musical mentor is Daniel Barenboy.

We met with the Barenboym at the festival of Elena Bashkirova.Since then, I have been involved in him regularly for several years, took part in some of his projects, performed with orchestras and played solo concerts. Barenboim had a very great influence on me. If you summarize the question of teachers, I was really lucky with teachers! I know that you participated in Elena Bashkirova festivals many times.

Have you met the Barenboym at her festival in Jerusalem?

Yes, I met Daniel at the festival in Israel. I played at the Bashkirova festival in Jerusalem five or six over the past 12 years. This is an amazing chamber festival. It takes unique artists from different countries and schools. Elena is a capable organizer. She always manages to arrange a real musical holiday! I understand that the current performance with the IFO is not debut for you either?

Before Covid fell on the world, I had a tour with the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra. It was an amazing experience for me, a great honor. For many years I dreamed of performing with him. I always admired the IFO and wanted to work with such brilliant musicians on the same stage. I am very glad that we will finally see each other again and can work together. Tell me, when you have free time, if you have it at all, what do you like to do other than music?

Do you have a hobby? I love to cook! And I like to eat deliciously. For years I have been expanding my culinary repertoire. In addition, I really like to read. I love nature. I am not a city person. In the past twenty years, I have lived in places where very quietly, a lot of trees and greenery. I love mushrooms in the fall to collect, I love fishing. If free time is issued, there will always be something to take it ...

about the Israeli program. At the festival, you perform the work of Alexei Shor, a concert for the piano with the orchestra "from my book shelf". Please tell us how you met Alexei and his music. My first acquaintance with Alexei is personal, and in general with his music, took place in Malta several years ago. An incredibly interesting acquaintance was with Alexei. He is an amazing mathematician, a versatile person, gifted and intelligent.

And a very talented composer. At the same time, it is a rarity when you can talk with a living composer, to talk to the person who created the work and find out from him what he wanted to convey in this or that fragment! The first acquaintance with Alexei was very pleasant. By the way, Dmitry Bashkirov was at the festival. He was one of the members of the jury of the pianist competition, which was held in parallel with the festival.

Since then, I regularly cooperate with Alexei Shor and perform his works. I have records of his works on the Internet. It is always very interesting to talk with a person who really loves and appreciates life and who, despite the fact that he is a mathematician by profession, sits and writes serious, large orchestral music and cycles for the piano. The piano concert of Alexei Shor "from the book shelf", which I will now perform at the festival in Israel, I am especially pleased to play.

There are described by the musical language all the books that I loved to read in childhood - Tom Sawyer, King Matias, Alice in Wonderland ... It's great that a man sat down and devoted such a large -scale composition to his beloved children's novels. I don’t know if Alexey will be personally at the festival, I hope for this, because meetings with him are always very pleasant! I agree with you.

I have interviewed him more than once.