Press
"...It would be hard to find a more fully late romantic and popular programme, Rachmaninov's second piano concerto an second symphony, preceded by the popular Don Juan by Richard Strauss. There was every opportunity for copious emoting. The Rachmaninov concerto, with its mesmeric opening and massive build-ups, and Don Juan's oozing of expressive self-confidence are tailor-made for an exciting musical evening. And this is not to overlook the wonderful melodies of both composers, occasionally on the verge of the vulgar, thoug never quite crossing the boundaries..."
The Press - August 2011
“Nikolai Demidenko’s account of the Concerto in E minor is searching and expansive, livening up with dancing lightness in the krakowiak-infused finale.”
BBC Music Magazine - March 2011
“There was more to this performance than barnstorming bravura. He made this vast, hour-long piece a study in musical contrasts, and revealed the astonishing fecundity of Beethoven's imagination... Ever alert to the volatile surface of the music, Demidenko also created a mysterious structural momentum that traversed the whole piece, and his performance illuminated the infinite possibilities contained within a single, simple tune.”
The Guardian (Beethoven's Diabelli Variations, The Barbican) - October 2004
“Chopin the poet of brief, highly charged statements and Chopin the master of heterodox large-scale composition are equally well served by this splendid disc. Some of Demidenko’s tempos are unusually slow. In other hands, they might lose momentum, but such is his muscular rhythmic strength and his sense of the singing line in both right and left hand that, with him, they never do. Demidenko’s command of touch, colour, texture, dynamics (tender as well as forceful) realise admirably the astonishing variety of the Préludes.”
The Guardian (Chopin Preludes; Sonata No 3 (Onyx) - November 2008
“Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto demands high-voltage virtuosity, which it got from the Russian-born Nikolai Demidenko. From the haunting opening bars – darkly poised and pulsating – Demidenko put the Concerto's range of tone ahead of any superficial pianistic fireworks. Yet, though he was elusive and elegiac in the slow movement, he hurtled into the finale with bravura and a fearless pace as the Hallé flaunted its own fire and fury. It was electrifying but also poetic.”
The Independent (The Halle Orchestra, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ) - April 2009
“...he is informed by Chopin’s contemporary practice and resources and he adapts the modern instrument to reveal an internal world of subtle introspection and dazzling virtuosity with captivating precision.”
Belfast Telegraph (Chopin recital at the Ulster Hall) - February 2010
“If this was a different Chopin from the one we are used to, the way it was delivered took the breath away. Demidenko's virtuosity has nothing to do with Liszt-style playing-to-the-gallery. Supreme technical control and high-speed accuracy are its foundations. More to the point is the clarity with which he invests the most dense and complex structures and the expressive poetry he finds. The two Chopin Nocturnes he gave as encores at the end of this unforgettable recital were flawlessly beautiful. Why aren't the big labels competing to sign him?”
The Independent (International Piano Series Chopin and Schumann recital at the Queen Elizabeth Hall) - April 2010