“Here is a performer who already knows a huge amount not just about technique, but performance itself. Dispatching the Piano Concerto No 1, what was most noticeable about this fizzing display was showmanship without ostentatious theatrics, and a generous willingness, particularly in the balletic second movement, to let Gergiev and the by now fully fired-up London Symphony players to take the lead where the music required it. But he had the spotlight all to himself for Liszt’s Campanella, an encore delivered with delicate panache.”
The Times, September 2011“The charismatic young Russian tore into the Tchaikovsky first piano concerto with exhilarating confidence and formidable technique.”
The Guardian, September 2011“The way Daniil Trifonov played, you’d say he was a mature master, rather than a mere 20-year-old. Power in spades, crystalline passage-work, and a pearlised singing tone: he’s already got it all, and his encore – Liszt’s ‘La Campanella’ – had both flawless delicacy, and an engaging modesty.”
The Independent, September 2011"Mr. Trifonov has scintillating technique and a virtuosic flair. He is also a thoughtful artist ... he can play with soft-spoken delicacy, not what you associate with competition conquerors."
Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times, July 2011
Rising, young pianist Daniil Trifonov won the Grand Prix as well as the Gold Medal and the Prize for the Best Performance of the Chamber Concerto in the piano competition of the XIV International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in July 2011 ... read full bio
Born in Nizhniy Novgorod in 1991, Daniil Trifonov is one of the brightest names of the next generation of pianists. His reputation for outstanding performances, musical insight and expressive intensity has already surpassed the attention he received when, during the 2010/11 season, he won medals at three of the most prestigious competitions in the music world: the Chopin Competition in Warsaw (Third Prize), the Rubinstein Competition in Tel Aviv (First Prize) and the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (First Prize and Grand Prix). Jury members and observers at these competitions included Martha Argerich, Krystian Zimerman, Van Cliburn, Emanuel Ax, Nelson Freire, Yefim Bronfman and Valery Gergiev. Gergiev personally awarded Trifonov the 'Grand Prix' in Moscow, the additional award given to the best overall competitor in any of that Competition's categories.
Highlights of the 2011/12 season for Trifonov included debuts with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (tour and subscription concerts in Vienna), London Symphony Orchestra and Mariinsky Orchestra with Gergiev, Israel Philharmonic with Mehta, Russian National Orchestra with Pletnev, as well as collaborations with Vladimir Fedoseyev, Pietari Inkinen, Sir Neville Marriner, Diego Matheuz and Antoni Wit. He also has given performances at the Wigmore Hall London, Musikverein Vienna, Salle Pleyel Paris, Carnegie Hall New York, Suntory Hall Tokyo, and venues across North and South America, Europe and Asia.
In Summer 2012, Daniil Trifonov made his debut at the major festivals, performing at Verbier, Montreux, Tivoli, Edinburgh, Lockenhaus, Grafenegg, La Roque d'Anthéron and Klavier Festival Ruhr, as well as the Blossom and Ravinia Festivals.
In 2012/13, Daniil Trifonov debuts with several prestigious international orchestras, including New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Orchestra Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and returns to the London Symphony and Mariinsky Orchestra with Gergiev, Russian National Orchestra with Pletnev and Warsaw Philharmonic with Wit.
Trifonov’s upcoming recitals include The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall (Stern Auditorium), Boston Celebrity Series, Berlin Kammermusiksaal der Philharmonie, Munich Herkulessaal, Amsterdam Concertgebouw (Master Piano Series), London Queen Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall, Paris Auditorium du Louvre, Zurich Tonhalle and Lucerne Piano Festival, Brussels Palais de Beaux Arts, Schloss Elmau, and the Seoul Arts Center.
Daniil Trifonov began his musical studies at the age of five. He studied at Moscow Gnesin School of Music in the class of Tatiana Zelikman (2000-2009). From 2006 to 2009 he also studied composition and has continued to write piano, chamber and orchestral music since then. Since 2009, he has studied piano at the Cleveland Institute of Music in the class of Sergei Babayan. In 2008, at the age of 17, he received awards at the Scriabin Competition of Moscow and at the San Marino International competition. He also received a Guzik Foundation Career Grant in 2009, and toured the USA and Italy as a consequence of this.
Daniil Trifonov’s first CD was released on Decca in 2011, featuring a selection of Chopin solo piano works. His recording of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1 with Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra, as well as a selection of solo piano music, was released on the Mariinsky label last year. He recently signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon, the first disc of which will be a live recording of his February 2013 recital at Carnegie Hall.
Last updated January 2013. Contact Opus 3 Artists for the most up-to-date version.
Tchaikovsky Audio & Video Clips:
Courtesy of the Mariinsky label
Chopin Audio Clips:
From Daniil Trifonov Plays Chopin (Decca Classics)
Etude in F Major, Op. 10 No. 8
Mazurka No. 34 in C Major, Op. 56 No. 2
