Daniil Trifonov

Daniil Trifonov
Trifonov atCarnegie Hallin 2017
Born	Daniil Olegovich Trifonov (1991-03-05)5 March 1991 Nizhny Novgorod,Russian SFSR,Soviet Union(nowRussia)
Occupation(s)	Pianist and composer
Years active	2006 – present
Spouse	Judith Ramirez ​ (m.2017)​
Awards	Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo
Musical career
Genres	Classical music
Instruments	Piano
Labels	Deutsche Grammophon,Decca Records,Dux Records,Mariinsky, Fryderyk Chopin Institute
Website	daniiltrifonov

Daniil Olegovich Trifonov(Russian:Дании́л Оле́гович Три́фонов;born 5 March 1991) is a Russian pianist and composer. Described byThe Globe and Mailas "arguably today's leading classical virtuoso" and byThe Timesas "without question the most astounding pianist of our age", Trifonov's honors include aGrammy Awardwin in 2018 and theGramophone Classical Music Awards' Artist of the Year Award in 2016.The New York Timeshas noted that "few artists have burst onto the classical music scene in recent years with the incandescence" of Trifonov. He has performed as soloist with such orchestras as thePhiladelphia Orchestra,New York Philharmonic,Cleveland Orchestra,Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,London Symphony Orchestra,Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra,Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra,Berlin Philharmonic,San Francisco Symphony,Montreal Symphony Orchestra,Houston Symphonyand theMunich Philharmonic,and has given solo recitals in such venues asRoyal Festival Hall,Carnegie Hall,John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,Berliner Philharmonie,Théâtre des Champs-Élysées,Concertgebouw,and theSeoul Arts Center.

Born inNizhny Novgorod,Trifonov began studying piano at the age of five and performed in his first solo recital at the age of seven. In 2000, he began studying withTatiana Zelikmanat theGnessin School of Musicin Moscow. From 2009 to 2015, Trifonov studied withSergei Babayanat theCleveland Institute of Music.In 2011, he won the first prize and grand prix at theInternational Tchaikovsky Competitionin addition to the first prize at theArthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition,and in 2010 was a prizewinner at theInternational Chopin Piano Competition.In 2013, Trifonov signed a recording contract withDeutsche Grammophon;his first album for the label, a live recording of his debut solo recital atCarnegie Hall,was nominated for aGrammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo.He later won a Grammy in 2018 for an album of the complete transcendental études for piano byFranz Liszt.His albums have appeared on internationalrecord chartrankings, with seven ranking onBillboardTop Classical Album charts.

Life and career

Early life and education

TheCleveland Institute of Music,where Trifonov studied from 2009 through 2015.

Trifonov was born inNizhny Novgorod,Soviet Unionon 5 March 1991, the only childof a composer father and a music teacher mother.He began studying the piano at the age of five, and gave his first solo concert at seven. When Trifonov was eight years old, he gave his first performance with an orchestra in a Mozart concerto, losing one of his baby teeth during the performance. In 2000, the family moved toMoscow,and Trifonov began studying underTatiana Zelikmanat theGnessin School of Music.He also studied composition with Vladimir Dovgan from 2006 to 2009.In 2009, at the recommendation of Tatiana Zelikman, Trifonov commenced studies withSergei Babayanat theCleveland Institute of Music,receiving an Artist Certificate in 2013 and an Artist Diploma in 2015.Of his student, Babayan said: "Having a rare diamond like Daniil Trifonov in my studio is a huge responsibility and happiness. Just like for a parent realizing that his child is more than very special,... I wouldn't want to use too strong words, but I think there are very few musicians like Daniil in the world. He is the music for me."While at the Cleveland Institute of Music, he was also a composition student of its head of the composition department, Keith Fitch.

2006–2011: Early career

In 2006, at the age of 15, Trifonov won third prize in the Moscow International F. Chopin Competition for Young Pianists held in Beijing, China.At the age of 17, in 2008, Trifonov won fifth prize at the 4th International Scriabin Competition in Moscow, and first prize at the 3rd International Piano Competition ofSan Marino,where he also received the special prize for the best performance ofChick Corea's composition "Afterthought".

In 2010 he performed in theRathausplatz, Vienna(Vienna City Hall Square) as one of seven finalists of theEurovision Young Musicians.In 2010, Trifonov became a medalist of the distinguishedXVI International Chopin Piano Competitionin Warsaw, where he won third prize and the special prize of Polish Radio for the bestmazurkaperformance.In the final round of the competition, he was given the maximum score by jury membersNelson FreireandMartha Argerich.Later, in 2011, Argerich told theFinancial Timesthat Trifonov had "everything and more", adding: "What he does with his hands is technically incredible. It's also his touch – he has tenderness and also the demonic element. I never heard anything like that".

In May 2011, Trifonov won the first prize at the XIIIArthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competitionin Tel Aviv, winning also the Pnina Salzman Prize for the Best Performer of a Chopin piece, the prize for the Best Performer of Chamber Music and the Audience Favorite Prize.A few weeks after winning the Rubinstein Competition, Trifonov was awarded the first prize, gold medal, and grand prix at the XIV International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. Trifonov also won the Audience Award and the Award for the Best Performance of a Chamber Concerto.In a statement released after Trifonov's winning of the Tchaikovsky competition, Cleveland Institute of Music President Joel Smirnoff wrote: "In Mr. Trifonov, we are seeing the emergence of a major artistic interpreter of the piano literature. One must marvel at his remarkable performances in the recent Chopin, Rubinstein, and Tchaikovsky competitions, and we look forward in the coming years to hearing and watching him share his special, expressive and virtuosic talents with the greater world."For the twelve months following the competition, Trifonov performed some 85 concerts; he received 150 offers, but said "at my age, 150 would be suicidal".One of these concerts took place shortly after the Tchaikovsky competition, in July 2011: Trifonov played a recital inMannes School of Musicas part of the International Keyboard Institute and Festival. Writing inThe New York Times,Anthony Tommasininoted that Trifonov "has scintillating technique and a virtuosic flair", but is "also a thoughtful artist and, when so moved, he can play with soft-spoken delicacy, not what you associate with competition conquerors".

In October, in a review of a concert where Trifonov performed Tchaikovsky'sPiano Concerto No. 1with theMariinsky Theatre Orchestraconducted byValery GergievatGeorge Mason University's Center for the Arts,Anne MidgetteofThe Washington Postcalled Trifonov's playing "freakishly brilliant", but added that it wasn't always "easy or even enjoyable to hear" and left her "enervated and slightly disturbed". Midgette noted that "throughout the piece, routine patches or banging (was it a bad piano?) would yield to moments of startling precision that offered unexpected insights. Toward the end of the first movement, he played with such intensity that it seemed as if this moment was the greatest or most powerful thing that one could possibly experience. At that moment, for this 20-year-old pianist, it was." However, of Trifonov's encore, a Chopin Grande valse brillante, Midgette wrote that it "sealed the deal" that Trifonov "is a major artist in the making". She added that Trifonov's rubato "was a byproduct of the music rather than something inflicted on it, and the waltz's repeating theme, which often feels dutiful and even hackneyed by its final iterations, sounded new, natural, self-evident and delightful each time he played it".

Three days later, Trifonov made hisCarnegie Halldebut in the same concerto with the same orchestra and conductor:James R. OestreichofThe New York Timeswas critical of the performance: "Mr. Trifonov's performance often seemed frenetic rather than magisterial. And he tended to offset extremely fast playing with extremely slow, more maundering than meditative: a manic-depressive approach that might be appropriate to Tchaikovsky'sPathétique Symphonybut not to this vital concerto. "However, Oestreich noted that in Trifonov's two encores, the ChopinGrande valse brillante in E-flat major(Op. 18) and Liszt's "La campanella",the pianist" showed greater sensitivity, taste and imagination ".

In November, Trifonov performed a sold-out recital at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Of that concert,Donald RosenbergofThe Plain Dealerwrote that Trifonov's playing was "virtuosic and sensitive, combining remarkable command of the keyboard with an abiding joy of music-making".

2012–2015: Growing acclaim

Trifonov inBusko-Zdrój,July 2012

In 2012, some of Trifonov's debuts included appearances with theNew York Philharmonic,Chicago Symphony Orchestra,Cleveland Orchestra,and recitals inWigmore HallandQueen Elizabeth Hallin London,Longy School of Music of Bard Collegein Boston,theMusikvereinin Vienna, and theSalle Pleyelin Paris.Of his debut with the New York Philharmonic atDavid Geffen Hall(then named Avery Fisher Hall) in Prokofiev'sPiano Concerto No. 3(Op. 26) conducted byAlan Gilbert,Vivien Schweitzer ofThe New York Timeswrote that Trifonov "offered far more than mere virtuosity", demonstrating "an elegant touch and witty grace in more light-hearted moments and poetic insight in more introspective passages".Of his debut with the Cleveland Orchestra at itsBlossom Festivalin Chopin'sPiano Concerto No. 1conducted byJames Gaffigan,The Plain Dealernoted that his performance "demonstrated exquisite finger control, a good ear for tonal shading and supreme contrapuntal clarity".On the other hand, of his Wigmore Hall debut,Martin KettleofThe Guardianwrote that "there is a rawness in [Trifonov's] playing that is by turns intoxicating and frustrating", adding that "the battle for his artistic soul is still taking place".

In February 2013, Trifonov made his recital debut atCarnegie Hall.In a review of that concert, Vivien Schweitzer ofThe New York Timesnoted that Trifonov gave a "beautifully shaped, introspective and elegantly colored interpretation" ofAlexander Scriabin'sPiano Sonata No. 2(Op. 19) and that his "soulful artistry and virtuoso chops were in full evidence" inFranz Liszt'sPiano Sonata in B minor.However, of the Liszt Sonata, Schweitzer wrote that "overall his interpretation lacked an essential power and demonic fury", adding that "hardly surprising if at only 21 Mr. Trifonov is not yet at the height of his artistry; it will doubtless be even more rewarding to hear him play this work in a few years."The concert was recorded byDeutsche Grammophon(DG) for an album release later in the year; it peaked at #18 inBillboardTop Classical Albums charts and was nominated for a Grammy Award.Also in 2013 he was awarded theFranco Abbiati Prizefor Best Instrumental Soloist by Italy's foremost music critics. Previous recipients of the prestigious award include such renowned keyboard artists asMaurizio Pollini,Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli,Sviatoslav Richter,Radu Lupu,andAndrás Schiff.

In 2014, the Cleveland Institute of Music commissioned Trifonov to write a concerto for piano and orchestra. The world premiere of the Piano Concerto in E-flat minor took place on 23 April; the composer was soloist and was accompanied by the CIM Orchestra conducted by Joel Smirnoff.Of the performance, Zachary Lewis ofThe Plain Dealerwrote that "even having seen it, one cannot quite believe it. Such is the artistry of pianist-composer Daniil Trifonov." He also wrote of the concerto that while it "contained whole expanses of raw originality, the work also struck this listener as heavily indebted to such masters as Scriabin, Bartok, Shostakovich and Prokofiev".

From 2014 to 2015, Trifonov performed the complete cycle of Rachmaninoff piano concertos andRhapsody on a Theme of Paganiniwith theNew York Philharmonic.He also recorded theRhapsody on a Theme of Paganiniwith thePhiladelphia Orchestraconducted byYannick Nézet-Séguinfor his second album for DG. The album, which included other solo works by Rachmaninoff as well as his own compositionRachmaniana,secured Trifonov his second Grammy nomination.

2016–present: Awards and residencies

In 2016, Trifonov released an album of the completeétudesfor piano by Liszt. The album was a major success. It was the winner of theGrammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Soloin 2018,was listed onThe New York Times'"Best Classical Music Recordings of 2016", and appeared in numerous record charts internationally, including thenumber one positionofUK Classical Charts' Specialist Classical Albums Chartand the number four position onBillboardTop Classical Albums chart.He was also in 2016 awarded two British prestigious awards:Gramophone Classical Music Awards' Artist of the Year Award and Instrumentalist Award of theRoyal Philharmonic Society Music Awards.

In 2017 Trifonov was awarded one of the most significant awards in musical performance, theHerbert von Karajan Prizeat theSalzburg Easter Festival.

Trifonov has served asBerlin Philharmonic's Artist-in-Residence for the 2018–2019 season. As part of the residency, Trifonov performed a solo recital and a recital of Lieder withMatthias Goerne.In June 2019, he performed the ScriabinPiano Concerto(Op. 20) with the orchestra conducted byAndris Nelsonsand performed a concert of chamber music with members of the orchestra in a program that included his own Piano Quintet.

In 2019 Trifonov was namedNew York Philharmonic's Artist-in-Residence for the 2019–2020 season.He was also namedMusical America's Artist of the Year for 2019.

Trifonov has been described byThe Globe and Mailas "arguably today's leading classical virtuoso"and byThe Timesas "without question the most astounding pianist of our age".The New York Timeshas noted that "few artists have burst onto the classical music scene in recent years with the incandescence" of Trifonov.

Discography

Main article:Daniil Trifonov discography

Trifonov's first three albums were devoted entirely to the music of Chopin; they were recorded in 2010 and released in 2011 on theDecca Records,Dux Records,and Fryderyk Chopin Institute labels. In 2012, on the Mariinsky label, an album that included a recording of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 with theMariinsky Theatre Orchestraconducted byValery Gergievwas released; this recording was described byInternational Pianomagazine as "a simply remarkable disc [...] Daniil Trifonov's playing is a heady mix of super-virtuoso and the ability to generate the utmost tenderness... He demonstrates an enviable variety of touch and shading... the couplings are as intelligent as they are magnificent".

Daniil Trifonov performing at Carnegie Hall, October 2017

In 2013, Trifonov signed an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon (DG). His first album for DG,The Carnegie Recital,was of a live recording from a recital he had given in Carnegie Hall that month, and for which he received his first Grammy nomination. Trifonov was also nominated for a Grammy in 2015 for his next album for DG, which included a recording of Rachmaninoff'sRhapsody on a Theme of Paganiniwith thePhiladelphia Orchestraconducted byYannick Nézet-Séguin.In 2016, Trifonov recorded the complete piano études of Franz Liszt in his next album for DG, which was a major success. It reached the number one position in theSpecialist Classical Albums Chartin the United Kingdom in October 2016, was designated one of "The Best Classical Music Recordings of 2016" byThe New York Times,and won the 2018Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo.Trifonov has earned considerable commercial and critical success for his discography. In 2016, Trifonov received theGramophone Classical Music Awards' Artist of the Year Award. His successes also include appearances on internationalrecord chartrankings, including seven albums that have ranked onBillboardTop Classical Album charts.

Reviews

TheBBC Radio 3CD Review programme of 10 August 2013 opined that: "Now the 21-year-old pianist is obviously the real deal, this isn't all flash and dash although there's plenty of both as you all hear but listen out for the expressiveness of Trifonov's approach, the way he plays with the tempo and keeps some of his powder dry for the coda where he almost leaves the orchestra trailing in his wake, and they sound as if they're having a ball as well."

In 2017,Alex Ross,the music critic ofThe New Yorkerwrote:

Daniil Trifonov creates a furor.... [as did]Vladimir Horowitz...,Paderewski...,Sviatoslav Richter,the youngMartha Argerich,and the youngEvgeny Kissin... Furor pianists exhibit intelligence as well as dexterity; they often make curious interpretive choices that cause head-shaking at intermission. They give a hint of the unearthly, the diabolical.... Trifonov has a rare combination of monstrous technique and lustrous tone. The characteristic Trifonov effect is a rapid, glistening flurry of notes that hardly seems to involve the mechanical action of hammers and strings.

Personal life

Trifonov resides in New York City.In 2017, he married Judith Ramirez, who works in publishing.

External links

• Official website