Gold Medalist Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Works by Liszt and Stravinsky Vadym Kholodenko

• 1 I. Danse Russe 02:39
• 2 II. Chez Pétrouchka 04:11
• 3 III. La semaine grasse 09:16
• 4 I. Preludio 00:51
• 5 II. Molto vivace 02:23
• 6 III. Paysage 03:39
• 7 IV. Mazeppa 07:06
• 8 V. Feux follets 03:35
• 9 VI. Vision 04:42
• 10 VII. Eroica 04:37
• 11 VIII. Wilde Jagd 05:12
• 12 IX. Ricordanza 10:18
• 13 X. Allegro agitato molto 04:04
• 14 XI. Harmonies du soir 07:50
• 15 XII. Chasse-neige 05:15
• Total Runtime 01:15:38

Info for Gold Medalist Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Works by Liszt and Stravinsky

Winner of the coveted gold medal at the Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Vadym Kholodenko captured the attention of jury, audience, and critics alike for “mesmerizing and exhilarating” performances that brought the crowd to their feet, “[cheering] him like a rock star” (Cincinnati Enquirer). Also taking home prizes for best performance of the piano quintet and best performance of the commissioned work, he showed his aptitude in both recital and chamber music, then highlighted the Final Round with two stunning concerti with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Leonard Slatkin.

His cadenza in Mozart’s Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467—which he composed himself on the plane from Moscow to the Competition—was praised as “fascinatingly contrapuntal,” showing “the guts of a true superartist” (San Francisco Classical Voice). Kholodenko will perform in over 50 engagements in 2013–14 as part of his debut season as gold medalist, also part of his prize package: this live album of his Competition performances will be followed by a studio recording, both on the harmonia mundi label.

„Kholodenko was, well, awesome. (…) This was not simply a display of grand tone and steely technique, but a case study in how to put such attributes to consistently musical use.” (Montreal Gazette)

“There seemed to me to be a real joy in his playing that communicated itself to the highly appreciative audience. It certainly won me over.” (Stage Left)

“In Kholodenko’s hands, the music [of Stravinsky’s Pétrouchka] danced. It lilted and twirled and zipped and jolted with dizzying speed and accuracy. (…) this was a virtuosic display not of piano playing, but of thrilling music-making.” (Dallas Observer)

Vadym Kholodenko, piano

Recorded in concert May 24–June 9, 2013 at Bass Performance Hall, Fort Worth, Texas
Audio Engineer: Tom Lazarus, Classic Sound, Inc.
Mastering: Brad Michel
Producers: Richard Dyer, Jacques Marquis, Robina G. Young
Track 12 recorded 2008 at the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company’s Studio 5, Moscow
Audio Engineer: Lyubov Doronina
Assistant: Svetlana Novitskaya
Produced by Novaya Rossiya State Symphony Orchestra

Vadym Kholodenko
In June 2013 Vadym Kholodenko became the recipient of the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Gold Medal at the Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Since then it has been a busy and exciting time for the young pianist with extensive touring throughout Europe, Asia and the USA to great critical acclaim. His recent debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra led to Daniel Webster of the Philadelphia Enquirer praising Kholodenko’s “absorbing melodic shadings, glittering passage work, and a sense of sound that erased any fears about the stereotype of the competition winner.”

Kholodenko’s international concert career in the 13/14 season will see him travel the breadth of the United States, performing in recital and as an orchestral soloist at more than fifty concerts as part of the Cliburn’s top prize. This is in addition to a host of engagements across Europe, Russia and Asia, and some of the biggest festivals worldwide. This season’s European highlights include a residency at the Mariinsky Concert Hall, where he was named Artist of the Month by Valery Gergiev, and a debut with the Orquestra Sinfónica Do Porto Casa Da Música.

Prior to his Van Cliburn win, Kholodenko has played in recital and as soloist with orchestras throughout the Ukraine, Russia, USA, China, Japan, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Czech Republic, Romania, Poland, Lithuania and Israel. He has collaborated with many distinguished conductors including Yuri Bashmet, Vladimir Spivakov, Mark Gorenstein, Alexander Rudin, Dmitry Liss, Eugeny Bushkov and Alexander Sladkovskiy. Also he has collaborated in concert and on a recording project with violinist Alena Baeva in Japan.

Not restricted to solo recitals and playing as a soloist with orchestra, Vadym is a dedicated performer of chamber music and, in addition to the Cliburn’s gold medal, he won the competition’s prize for best chamber music performance with César Franck’s piano quintet. Vadym wowed the Cliburn audience and jury with his impressive cadenzas to Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, written especially for his competition performance, which were described by Scott Cantrell, music critic of the Dallas News, as “replete with witty side-steps of melody and harmony.” Vadym’s gifts for arranging music can be heard in his work with pianist Andrey Gugnin. Since 2007 he has been collaborating with Gugnin, subsequently founding the duet iDuo, touring throughout Europe and Russia, and recording together. Vadym has also made many other CD recordings, featuring works by Schubert, Chopin, Rachmaninov, Medtner and various contemporary composers. November 2013 will see the release of his latest CD for Harmonia Mundi, featuring Stravinsky’s Trois Mouvements de Petrouchka and Liszt’s Transcendental Études.

Vadym Kholodenko was born in 1986 in Kiev, Ukraine. The first musician in his family, in 1994 he enrolled at Kiev’s Mykola Lysenko Special Music School under Prof. Natalia Grydneva and Prof. Borys Fedorov. At the age of just 13, Vadym made his first appearances in the USA, China, Hungary and Croatia. In 2004 Vadym was awarded the Russian Youth National Prize “Triumph” and in 2005 moved to Moscow to study at the Moscow State Conservatoire under the tutelage of the Honoured Artist of the USSR, Professor Vera Gornostaeva.

In 2011 Kholodenko won First Prize at the Schubert Piano Competition (Dortmund, Germany) and in 2010 First Prize at the Sendai Piano Competition (2010, Sendai, Japan), preceded by another notable victory at the Maria Callas Competition in Athens, Greece, where he received the Grand Prix. The special Maria Callas’ commemorative concert at the Herod Atticus theatre marked his debut with the “Novaya Rossiya” (“New Russia”) orchestra, led by the orchestra’s Chief Conductor Yuri Bashmet. Vadym has enjoyed an enriching collaboration with Yuri Bashmet and his orchestra since.

Vadym is based in Moscow where he lives with his wife and young daughter. In addition to his current studies at the Moscow Conservatoire, he has recently accepted a teaching position at the prestigious school.

Booklet for Gold Medalist Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Works by Liszt and Stravinsky