Hear Prokofiev's War Sonatas performed at the International Piano Series debut by young Russian pianist Denis Zozhukhin - described by Le Soir as 'already in the company of the greats'.
Prokofiev's Piano Sonatas Nos. 6, 7 and 8, composed during World War II, are said to represent the composer's true feelings against the Soviet regime under Stalin. Sometimes spiky and uncompromising, at others introverted and lyrical, these works find Prokofiev pushing at the boundaries of the piano's ability to express the extremes of human experience.
After winning third prize in the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2006, Denis Kozhukhin was the outright winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels in 2010, where he was praised for his 'radiant musicality' and 'stunning technical mastery'.
'There is a joy in his playing which drives him right to the very essence' (Le Soir).
