Arsentiy Kharitonov
Biography
“The Russian pianist and composer, Arsentiy Kharitonov, proved to be the newest addition to the top ranks of this season’s artists,” said The New York Observer, citing his Carnegie Hall debut as one of the top six concerts of the season. Fanfare Magazine writes, “Arsentiy Kharitonov’s sumptuous tone, technical mastery, broad dramatic range, and elegant phrasing place him in the top ranks of keyboard players today. Above this and trumping most of the musical gymnasts of the day, there is genuine poetry here, the ring of truth, and, it seems to me, a rare sincerity issuing from a deep place in the pianist’s heart.”
Hailing from St. Petersburg, Arsentiy Kharitonov is first-prize winner of the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition (US). After also winning the Rachmaninoff Competition (Russian Federation), he began his concert career with engagements throughout Europe including appearances at Philharmonic Hall, and the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, at the Royal Conservatory, Stockholm, and the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, followed by Asian tours with performances in the major halls of, among others, Shanghai, Beijing, and Seoul.
On this continent, he has appeared—among others—at the Music and Beyond Festival in Ottawa, at the National Gallery of Art, DC, with orchestra at the Tabernacle at Temple in the Square, Salt Lake City, at Steinway Hall, The Frick Collection, and Carnegie Hall in NYC.
The Observer wrote of the latter concert, “…his style is unlike any of his contemporaries and harkens back to earlier times. The dynamic range had an astonishing breadth, and the lyric passages were especially captivating… This was a performance to remember.”
As a composer, Kharitonov has been equally well-received winning the First Prize at the All-National Composer’s Competition in Russia in 2020. In a review by the Epoch Times, he was praised for his “harmonic chops, which are rare these days among composers. You can hear the sparkle and edge of Shostakovich and Prokofiev, but its heart seems to be in the lyricism of Rachmaninoff. It was a real pleasure to hear these dynamic works.”
Kharitonov has collaborated with prominent artists, such as Cuarteto Quiroga and the Bennewitz Quartet, cellist Cicely Parnas, Violin Quartet of the State Symphony Orchestra "New Russia", Tapestry Vocal Ensemble, violinist and conductor Igor Gruppman, conductor and composer Algirdas Paulavičius, bassist Jeff Bradetich, violinists Julia Bushkova, Carolyn Stuart, MingHuan Xu, recorder player Paul Leenhouts, violin ensembles ViolUNTi, MoVE, and others.
Arsentiy Kharitonov holds Doctor of Musical Arts degree from University of North Texas in piano performance. His principal teachers included Nikita Fitenko and Joseph Banowetz.
The artist’s recordings for Toccata Classics include piano works of Leo Ornstein as well as chamber works of Robert Kahn. Masterpieces by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Scriabin can be heard on the Hartshorn Classical label. His latest recordings offer works by Bach/Siloti, Schubert, Mussorgsky, and Kharitonov on the Sound Atlas label; his set of Six Concert Etudes along with Schumann’s Kreisleriana was just released on Sound Atlas.