Denon Records recorded the 17-year-old in this deeply felt interpretation of his beloved Bach. This recording, when released in 1996, was nominated for a Grammy Award and moved critic Edward Rothstein (The New York Times) to regard Kostya's performance "the most powerful pianistic interpretation since Gould."

Though he had previously performed in Italy with Claudio Scimone and I Solisti Veneti, Kostya's recital debut at the Società dei Concerti series in Milan and the subsequent critical acclaim established him as a favorite in Italy. Indeed, at the present Kostya studies at the International Piano Foundation in Lago di Como.

In January of 1995, Kostya moved to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music. The same year saw his London debut at Wigmore Hall, his return to Verdi Hall in Milan, and his North American debut at Le Domaine Forget in Canada. Highlights of Kostya's 1996 season included recitals in Austria, Germany, Italy, his U.S. debut at the Newport Music Festival and a tour of Japan. In recent years, he has also concertized widely throughout Holland, France, Austria, Germany, Spain and Japan. In 1995 he won the German Echo Classic Record Prize, as a "New Young Artist" of the year. In the spring of that year he performed with the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra and made a European tour with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic under Yuri Temirkanov. He also collaborated with Bernard Haitink and the European Union Youth Orchestra.

Though he gives large number of recitals and concerts with principal world orchestras, Kostya is still very dedicated to performing chamber music with his colleagues and peers. His collaborators include violinists Gidon Kremer and Leila Josefowicz, and cellists Misha Maysky and Lynn Harrell. Kostya's interpretations are pervaded by the spirit of our age: you can sense the influences of Glenn Gould in the freedom of expression and his own stamp distinctive for its dramatic flair and gracefulness.

His appearance in 1998 at the Miami International Piano Festival of Discovery was his first in a major American city. In June, 1999, he made his Chicago Symphony debut performing Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 1 under the direction of Mstislav Rostropovich. The upcoming season includes debuts with the New York Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra and the Florida Philharmonic, as well as a return engagement with the New Hampshire Symphony.

Kostya is a grateful recipient of support from Patrons of Exceptional Artists. His talents are heard on Denon Records, for whom he has recorded six CD's including the aforementioned Debut Recording, Live in Milano, J.S. Bach Goldberg Variations and the forthcoming Schumann and Chopin.

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