Daniil Trifonov

»Captivating, multifaceted pianism… supreme artistry and breathtaking technique.« Bachtrack, December 2023, reviewing a Carnegie Hall recital When Daniil Trifonov plays, time seems to stand still. From the silence emerges a performance rarely heard: supreme and deeply insightful, never predictable, yet always mindful of the composer's intention and rooted in the essence of the music. "What he does with his hands is technically incredible," remarked one commentator shortly after Trifonov's triumph in the final of the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. "Add to that his touch – he has tenderness and also the demonic element. I have never heard anything like it." This statement came not from a professional critic, but from one of the world's greatest pianists, Martha Argerich. Exclusive interviews with Daniil Trifonov Watch on STAGE+ Trifonov's inventiveness and originality are also evident in his growing reputation as a composer, which reached a new peak in April 2014 when he played the extraordinarily difficult solo part in the premiere of his First Piano Concerto at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He has since performed the work frequently, including its Carnegie Hall premiere in November 2017 with the Mariinsky Orchestra and Valery Gergiev. Trifonov premiered his Piano Quintet (Quintetto Concertante) at the Verbier Festival in July 2018 and has since performed it in Berlin, New York, and Tel Aviv, among other locations. His discography with Deutsche Grammophon includes several of his own works and transcriptions. In February 2013, the Yellow Label announced an exclusive contract with Daniil Trifonov. His first recital was a live recording from Carnegie Hall: Liszt's Sonata in B minor, Scriabin's Sonata-Fantaisie, and Chopin's 24 Préludes Op. 28. His next album for DG, featuring works by Rachmaninoff, was released in 2015: alongside Trifonov's interpretation of the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, accompanied by the Philadelphia Orchestra under Yannick Nézet-Séguin, it includes the Variations on a Theme of Chopin and the Variations on a Theme of Corelli, as well as Trifonov's Rachmaniana, a bravura piece for solo piano. In 2016, DG released his album Transcendental, featuring all of Liszt's Études d'exécution transcendante. It was the first complete recording of these works by a single pianist for the Yellow Label. The following year saw the release of Preghiera, recorded with violinist Gidon Kremer and cellist Giedrė Dirvanauskaitė; Chopin Evocations, which Trifonov recorded with Mikhail Pletnev and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and which includes Chopin's two piano concertos and some of the composer's earliest and latest pieces, as well as works inspired by Chopin by Schumann, Grieg, Tchaikovsky, Mompou, and Barber; and a Schubert album featuring the "Trout Quintet" and other chamber works by the composer, recorded with Anne-Sophie Mutter and three scholarship holders from the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation. Trifonov then recorded all of Rachmaninoff's piano concertos with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Nézet-Séguin. Destination Rachmaninov – Departure, featuring Concertos No. 2 and No. 4, was released in October 2018, followed a year later by Destination Rachmaninov – Arrival with Concertos No. 1 and No. 3. His live recording of Piano Concerto No. 2 as part of the historic DG120 gala concert in Beijing's Forbidden City came out in January 2019. Silver Age, which he recorded with the Mariinsky Orchestra and Valery Gergiev, was released in November 2020. The album features Scriabin's Piano Concerto in F-sharp minor, Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, and Stravinsky's Trois Mouvements de Pétrouchka, along with other works by three of the most innovative composers of the Russian "Silver Age." The centerpiece of Trifonov's double album Bach: The Art of Life, released in October 2021, is J. S. Bach's masterpiece The Art of Fugue. It also includes pieces by four of Bach's sons, among others. The program reflects Trifonov's insight into the family life and musical practice of one of the greatest composers of all time. In June 2022, Trifonov partnered with baritone Matthias Goerne. As the third part in Goerne's Lieder trilogy with three young Deutsche Grammophon pianists, the album Matthias Goerne · Daniil Trifonov – Lieder features works by Schumann, Brahms, Wolf, Berg, and Shostakovich. Together with his mentor Sergei Babayan, he released Rachmaninoff for Two in March 2024. The album presents the Russian composer's two suites for two pianos, as well as his Symphonic Dances in an arrangement for two pianos, and the slow movement of the Second Symphony, which Trifonov transcribed for two pianos. Gramophone praised the "great mix of boundless pianism, deep understanding, and imaginative daring." His latest (two-part) project is a pianistic journey across North and South America. The first part, My American Story – North, will be released in October 2024 and presents music from the United States. Together with the Philadelphia Orchestra and its music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Trifonov can be heard in George Gershwin's Concerto in F, as well as in the world premiere recording of Mason Bates's Piano Concerto, written specifically for him. He also performs solo works by John Adams, John Cage, Aaron Copland, John Corigliano, Dave Grusin, Thomas Newman, Art Tatum, and Bill Evans. In the 2024–25 season, Trifonov is Artist in Residence with both the Czech Philharmonic (opening the season with Dvořák's Piano Concerto at the Rudolfinum in Prague, livestreamed on STAGE+ on September 26) and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Further highlights include two concerts with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and Alan Gilbert at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg (October 3/4, Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major); a recital at New York's Carnegie Hall (October 17); tours across Europe with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and Jakub Hrůša (October 21 to November 5, Dvořák's Piano Concerto and Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini) and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and Rafael Payare (November 19 to 28, Schumann's Piano Concerto and Beethoven's First Piano Concerto); and three concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic and Kirill Petrenko at the Philharmonie Berlin (December 29 to 31, Brahms's Second Piano Concerto). Daniil Trifonov was born in Nizhny Novgorod in 1991 to two professional musicians. He first performed with an orchestra at the age of eight, later studying at the Gnessin Music School in Moscow with Tatiana Zelikman. In 2009, he began studying with Sergei Babayan at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he also received composition lessons. In 2011, he won the 13th International Rubinstein Piano Competition in Tel Aviv, then secured first prize and the Grand Prix at the 14th International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. He also won the Audience Award and the prize for the best performance of a Mozart concerto. On this occasion, Martha Argerich noted that Trifonov possessed "everything and more," and this view has since been reinforced by enthusiastic reviews, audience ovations, residencies, and international awards: he received a Grammy (Transcendental) and six Grammy nominations; the 2014 ECHO Klassik Award as "Young Artist of the Year (Piano)"; Gramophone's "Artist of the Year 2016" award; BBC Music Magazine chose Destination Rachmaninov – Departure as "Concerto Recording of the Year 2019"; Musical America named him "Artist of the Year 2019"; and in 2021, he received an OPUS Klassik as Instrumentalist of the Year for Silver Age. Trifonov was also appointed Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government. In 2024, the documentary Daniil Trifonov – Grâce à la musique by Christian Dumais-Lvowski and Denis Sneguirev was released. 9/2024