Alexandra Knight
Artist Manager
+44 (0) 7515 879 123
alexandra@knightclassical.com
Johan Pieters
Artist Services Manager
johan@knightclassical.com
Vadym Kholodenko
Highlights
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Danish National Symphony Orchestra
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra
National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan
Norwegian Radio Orchestra
Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi
Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI
Orchestre National de Bordeaux Aquitaine
Orquesta Nacional de España
Philadelphia Orchestra
Residentie Orkest
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
SWR Symphonieorchester
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra
Wiener Symphoniker
Video
Biography
Combining fierce pianism, an unrivalled breadth of repertoire, and a level of interpretative refinement that ascends to the realms of poetry, Vadym Kholodenko rises as an artist the likes of which the world has rarely seen since the great pianists of the Golden Age.
Gold Medallist of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Kholodenko’s distinguished pianism and profound artistic gifts have led to invitations from many of the world’s finest orchestras and concert halls.
The 2024/2025 season sees Kholodenko debut with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano), Filarmonica della Scala (conducted by Susanna Mälkki), Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Karina Canellakis), and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Marie Jacquot), amongst others. He also returns to such celebrated orchestras as the Indianapolis Symphony, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.Read More
Other recent and forthcoming concerto highlights include those with leading orchestras of North America (Atlanta Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra); Europe (Budapest Festival Orchestra, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano G. Verdi, Orquesta Nacional de España, and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra); and Asia & the Far East (National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra).
Kholodenko has held the position of Artist-in-Residence with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (Texas, USA), and the SWR Symphonieorchester (Stuttgart, Germany). He is Artist-in-Residence at London’s Bechstein Hall – a state-of-the-art new chamber music venue – in its inaugural season (2024/2025).
Kholodenko has forged strong musical partnerships with many of the world’s leading conductors, including Karina Canellakis, Myung-Whun Chung, Christoph Eschenbach, Iván Fischer, Marie Jacquot, Cristian Măcelaru, Susanna Mälkki, Gemma New, Sir Antonio Pappano, Dima Slobodeniouk, Thomas Søndergård, Krzyzstof Urbański, and Kazuki Yamada, amongst others.
In recital, Kholodenko appears on the world’s leading stages – from London, Paris, and Vienna, to Boston, Chicago, and New York – where he is praised for his “iron-clad technique, capable of moments of crystalline delicacy” (The Guardian). He is also a thoughtful and committed chamber musician, enjoying rewarding collaborations with an array of such artists as Clara Jumi-Kang, Anastasia Kobekina, Vadim Repin, and the Belcea and Jerusalem string quartets. He has made numerous recordings with violinist Alena Baeva, with whom recent and forthcoming appearances include concerts in the cultural capitals of Florence, London, and Paris.
Possessing an extraordinary facility for the assimilation of music, the sheer scale of Kholodenko’s knowledge and command of the piano literature is unrivalled, and he holds a vast array of active repertoire. His discography to date encompasses solo piano works by a diverse list of composers (J.S. Bach, Balakirev, Beethoven, Chaplygin, Kurbatov, Liszt, Medtner, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, Rzewski, Schubert, Scriabin, Siloti, Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky, amongst others). Recordings for the Harmonia Mundi record label include the Grieg Piano Concerto, Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No.2, and the complete cycle of Prokofiev’s piano concertos.
Kholodenko’s recordings have been described as “truly outstanding” (Gramophone Magazine), and received such accolades as Editor’s Choice Award (BBC Music Magazine), and the much-coveted Diapason d’Or de l’année. His latest release – a pairing of Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations and Rzewski’s The People United Will Never Be Defeated! for the Quartz Music label (2022) – met with tremendous critical acclaim, described as “carefully contoured and impactful” (BBC Music Magazine), and “playing that pulls no punches: Kholodenko is in the elite of classical pianists” (Norman Lebrecht, for The Critic).
Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, Vadym Kholodenko took his first piano lessons at the age of six, and began touring internationally at thirteen years old. He was educated at the Kyiv Lysenko State Music Lyceum and the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatoire, under the renowned pedagogues Natalia Gridneva, Borys Fedorov, and Vera Gornostaeva. He won First Prize at the Sendai International Piano Competition (2010) and Schubert International Piano Competition (2011), before taking the Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (2013). He is now resident in Luxembourg.
News
Vadym Kholodenko: Recital in Warsaw
On 17 October 2024, Vadym Kholodenko performs the Mozart Requiem (transcribed for solo piano), as...
Vadym Kholodenko: Lisztomanias
On 19 October 2024, Vadym Kholodenko performs a Liszt & Chopin recital at the Lisztomanias de...
Vadym Kholodenko: Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa
On 3 & 4 October 2024, Vadym Kholodenko performs Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5 under the baton...
Reviews
“Brilliant: Kholodenko replaces Bronfman
Yefim Bronfman was announced as the soloist of Brahms’ Second Piano Concerto. He withdrew, so Vadym Kholodenko (born in Kiev in 1986) stepped in. He was introduced in the programme as one of the most technically brilliant pianists of his generation. After this celebrated performance, one can only agree with that.
Kholodenko defied the immense manual challenges of the concerto with playful ease, and always relied on the highest level of transparency. His primary interest was not in the breadth of melodic invention, but in the many details that he vividly highlighted – accompanied by unexpected, idiosyncratic changes in tempo and unorthodox phrasing. On the one hand extremely powerful playing, whilst on the other imbued with every degree of subtle piano shades – both of which are readily available to this winner of the Van Cliburn Competition (2013).”
“Ground-cleaving dynamic power and scorching virtuosity”
“In Handel, Kholodenko evoked varied expression with a masterful control that encompassed crisp refined rolls and florid ornamentations. His approach to dynamics was period-influenced, and his touch was in fact so refined that the piano seemed to more resemble the timbre of a harpsichord.”
“Kholodenko’s playing is extraordinarily effective, with crisp articulation, a rigorous dynamic palette, and phrasing that prioritises larger musical ideas.”
“Remarkable articulation, coupled with a lyrical expressiveness that is vibrant yet tender, imbuing Beethoven with both beauty and grace.”
“In Liszt, Kholodenko found his inner demon and was formidable in continuously heightening the tension. The rumbling descent down the keyboard induced shivers, while the moments of more quiet reflection in the music only offered brief calm before the pyrotechnics of Liszt’s score once again exploded. A dramatic and rewarding performance.”
“Vadym Kholodenko barely broke a sweat under the heavy demands of Rachmaninov’s Fourth Piano Concerto. His fingers, hands, arms, and body were loose, ready to engage with every swerve and acceleration in the music. His technique was clean and impeccable but never cold or precise. Rather it had a warm and easy feeling, reactive. Keep an eye out for this pianist!”
“Carefully contoured and impactful”
“Kholodenko cast a new light on Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto – delicately precise, rather than savage. The Finale still had bite, but it was a Siamese cat’s needle-sharp nip rather than a bear’s giant chomp. This was all to the good: he revealed a poised, almost neo-classical side to the piece, which normally stays hidden.”
“Playing that pulls no punches: Kholodenko is in the elite of classical pianists”
“Kholodenko demonstrates an iron-clad technique, capable of moments of crystalline delicacy”
“A passionate musician with an inherent muscularity and weight to his touch, Kholodenko plays with great colour, poetry, and verve.”
“Magnificent polish and beauty”
“Technically phenomenal”
“A deep connection to the music, Kholodenko plays with conviction and purpose, with a delicate and wistful side to his artistry that is utterly charming.”
“A musician of gigantic technical accomplishment and generous poetic gifts”
“Kholodenko discovers each new note and idea, with every moment full of surprise whilst fulfilling the complex logic of late Beethoven. Pianist and composer sounded as one, with the performance closer to an experience of absolute improvisation than one will ever find in the classical repertoire.”
“A powerful sound and fearsomely accurate fingers, bringing an unexpected touch of soulfulness to the music”
“Vadym Kholodenko unleashes limitless virtuosity”
“The heir to the great pianists of the Soviet School”
Discography
Fantasy
Released February 2024 on Alpha Classics.
Schubert, Stravinsky, Schumann & Messiaen with Alena Baeva
Mozart Requiem for Solo Piano
NIFCCD, 2024
The People United Will Never Be Defeated!
Quartz, 2022
Tchaikovsky: Piano Sonatas, Opp. 37 & 80
Harmonia Mundi, 2021
Prokofiev: Sonata No. 6 & Visions fugitives
Harmonia Mundi, 2020
Prokofiev Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 3 & 4
Harmonia Mundi, 2019
Scriabin Preludes, Studies & Sonatas Nos. 4 & 5
Harmonia Mundi, 2018
Prokofiev Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5
Harmonia Mundi, 2016
Grieg & Saint-Saëns Piano Concertos op.16 / No.2 op.22
Harmonia Mundi, 2015
Rachmanoff and Medtner
Delos, 2014