The famous Russian pianist Denis Matsuev admitted that he became a father. Denis Matsuev, wife

Such a stir around the name of this wonderful ballerina did not arise by chance, because quite recently she gave birth to a daughter (October 31, 2016), whose father was the world-famous Russian pianist Denis Matsuev. Meanwhile, Ekaterina Shipulina is a ballerina whose personal life for a long time was not advertised, so it is not at all difficult to imagine how this news surprised her fans.

And no wonder, because only recently the public was happy that Ekaterina Shipulina and Denis Matsuev got married after a ten-year relationship, when it turned out that they had become parents. But the real shock of the fans of the creative couple lay ahead, because in the end it turned out that Denis and Katya did not get married at all, but simply celebrated a magnificent engagement and it never came to an official marriage, even after their birth long-awaited firstborn. A little later, in one of the interviews, the pianist reacted rather harshly to another question about the wedding, emphasizing that he was not going to the registry office, since he was very happy in his personal life and without a stamp in his passport. Meanwhile, Matsuev turns 42 this year, while his chosen one Ekaterina will be 38, although, probably, in modern world There are no restrictions for tying oneself with the knot of Hymen and this wonderful couple still has everything to come.

One should not be surprised at the peculiar restraint of Ekaterina Shipulina, whose personal life over a long period of time was far from being the most in the best possible way, and all because the ballerina constantly improved her skills, spending 24 hours a day in training. Of course, all these efforts gave a colossal result, because today Katya is a prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater, which is the dream of every dancer, and in 2009, in addition to everything else, she was awarded the title People's Artist Russian Federation. However, in fairness, it should be noted that such a high bar for this wonderful dancer was initially set by her mother, Lyudmila Shipulina, who danced all her life in a ballet troupe on the stage of the Perm Theater.

So, in one of candid interviews the girl admitted that her mother had always been her harshest critic, forcing her to set the most incredible goals and go towards them at all costs, overcoming unbearable pain, fatigue and laziness, even with the help of painkillers.

But Ekaterina Shipulina did not become a ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater right away, because for several years she had to study ballet at a choreographic school in her native Perm, while simultaneously performing on the stage of her theater, and for another four years at the Moscow School classical dance(class of Lyudmila Sergeevna Litavkina). And only in 1998 she was enrolled in the troupe of the Bolshoi Theater, on the stage of which in the first season she was lucky enough to dance in “Bayadère” and “The Nutcracker”. Next year turned out to be even more generous for Catherine, because she was offered to dance in such magnificent productions as “Giselle”, “The Little Humpbacked Horse”, “Don Quixote”, “Chopiniana”, even if not in the first roles. A real triumph awaited the ballerina in 2002, because it was this year that she had the opportunity to perform the roles of Odile and Odette in the world-famous “Swan Lake” - the dream of every dancer.

With this part and the part in Giselle, Ekaterina begins to tour around the most famous cities world, and in 2003 she had the opportunity to captivate the American audience during a performance at the Kennedy Center. After that there was Paris, Tokyo, Rome and many other wonderful places, so it’s no wonder that Shipulina simply had neither the energy nor the time left for any personal stories. And only in 2006, at one of the social events, she had the opportunity to meet Denis Matsuev, who accidentally ended up with Katya in the same company of mutual friends. It is noteworthy that the spark between the guys flew immediately, because both were young, beautiful, and most importantly, each talented in their field. In addition, Denis also had a huge experience behind him, having been born in musical family in distant Irkutsk, he, like Katya, was able to conquer the capital.

In 2009, Matsuev was awarded the title of laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation, and in 2011 he was given the title of People's Artist, which is a huge achievement for every figure. As for his relationship with the ballerina, it should be noted that this couple is united not only by a love of art, but also by some interesting hobbies.

For example, few people know that Katya Shipulina is seriously interested in ice skating and water skiing, and also madly loves traveling with her lover. In addition, this wonderful couple was spotted more than once at various ski resorts on skis and snowmobiles.

Denis Matsuev – Russian musician, a famous virtuoso pianist who in 2011 was awarded the title “People’s Artist of the Russian Federation”. His popularity extends far beyond the narrow circle of classical music lovers.

The pianist’s number of concerts per year reaches 150. The disc “Unknown Rachmaninov” was included in the list of nominees for the prestigious Grammy Award.

Childhood and youth

Denis Leonidovich Matsuev was born on June 11, 1975 in Irkutsk, Siberia. The family of the great pianist has been associated with music for many generations. Matsuev’s grandfather worked as a performer in a circus orchestra, where he played drums and percussion. Leonid Viktorovich Matsuev, Denis's father, was a pianist and composer who composed music for theatrical productions in Irkutsk. Irina Dmitrievna Gomelskaya, the mother of the future celebrity, taught piano.

Since childhood, Denis’s parents developed a love of music, as well as piano playing skills. The first lessons for the future virtuoso were given by his grandmother, Vera Albertovna Rammul, who had the skills to play several musical instruments. In Irkutsk, Denis attended art school and studied at the 11th school named after - the oldest educational institution cities. The first piano teacher in Matsuev’s life was Lyubov Nikolaevna Sementsova.

Musical talent did not prevent Denis from remaining a restless boy who free time spent on the football field or ice skating rink. Matsuev seriously dreamed of a sports career, but devoted only 2 hours a day to music - he didn’t have enough patience. But even during this time, the boy managed to master the material that his peers had been learning for weeks. The young pianist was more dedicated to sports, although at one time he was considered the smallest in the class. No one imagined that in his youth the young man would turn into a giant 2 meters tall (Denis is now 198 cm tall and weighs 85 kg).

After graduating from school, the guy studied for some time at the Irkutsk Music College, but already at that time he felt the need to continue his studies in the capital.

In an interview, Matsuev speaks with gratitude about his parents, whom he considers main reason your success. Mom and father made sacrifices for their son, moving from Irkutsk to Moscow, exchanging their established life for life in a one-room apartment - and all this in order to provide Denis with the opportunity to study with the best teachers in the country. Parents believed that education should become an integral part of Denis's life. Thus, the boy became available opportunities that other children did not have.

Music

The Moscow biography of Matsuev begins in 1990. Here the young pianist begins his studies at the central specialized music school at the Conservatory. . A year later, Denis Matsuev becomes a laureate of a competition held by the international public charitable foundation “New Names”. Thanks to this organization, the young virtuoso has the opportunity to visit 40 countries with concerts, including Great Britain, Austria, the Netherlands and France.

In 1993, Matsuev entered the Moscow Conservatory, where he studied at the piano department with Alexei Nasedkin and Sergei Dorensky. While still a student at the conservatory, Denis became a soloist of the Moscow Philharmonic in 1995.

In 1998, while studying in his last year at the conservatory, Matsuev won the XI International Tchaikovsky Competition. The performance of the young pianist was noticed by critics and caused a response among the public, marking the beginning of his popularity. Denis considers this victory the most significant achievement in his life.

Denis Matsuev performs jazz improvisation

During the competitive performance, the performer preferred the concert style of playing instead of the average-correct manner of performance adopted at competitions.

Since 2004, Denis has presented his own annual subscription called “Soloist Denis Matsuev” in the concert program of the Moscow Philharmonic. A special feature of these concerts was the attraction of famous world and Russian orchestras while maintaining affordable ticket prices for the majority of listeners. The groups participating in the maestro’s concerts included the orchestra Mariinsky Theater conducted by, Russian National Orchestra with Mikhail Pletnev, Orchestra of Soloists led by.

In the same year, Denis signed a contract with the SONY BMG Music Entertainment label, which was created as a result of the merger of two large media holdings and still remains one of the largest recording studios in the world. Gradually, Matsuev’s performances are becoming more and more popular around the world, and his albums are not gathering dust on the shelves of music stores.

Together with the label, the musician records his first album, Tribute to Horowitz. The disc includes Vladimir Horowitz's favorite concert numbers, including variations on themes from classical opera masterpieces, The Mephisto Waltz and Hungarian Rhapsody. In addition, Matsuev becomes a representative of Yamaha pianos. This position was held at one time by Denis, of whom Denis is a fan.

Gradually, the man becomes a recognizable musician in many countries around the world, and not only Russians look forward to his concerts. The tour schedule is scheduled for several years in advance, which Matsuev informs fans about from the pages of the official website. In 2017, he continued to give joint concerts with famous classical music groups on the planet.

Among the musician’s achievements, a special place is occupied by the disc “The Unknown Rachmaninov,” recorded on a piano that personally belonged to the great composer. The history of this recording began with the fact that after a concert in Paris, Alexander, the composer’s grandson, invited Matsuev to perform the fugue and suite of the great composer found in the archives. Denis received the right to the premiere performance in exchange for a friendly promise to quit smoking given to Alexander Rachmaninov, which, by the way, he kept.

Denis Matsuev - "Prelude No. 5" op. 23 Rachmaninoff

Matsuev also loves musical marathons. To this day, he remains the only pianist to perform all 3 Tchaikovsky concertos in one evening. Then the artist repeated a similar success, but this time in 2 evenings.

Denis is one of those performers who, having achieved success in academic music, reached a level where their popularity began to capture more and more listeners outside the circle of classical music lovers. In his performing work, the artist combines an innovative approach and the rich traditions of Russian piano art.

Matsuev is the head of numerous charity programs, the purpose of which is to popularize classical music among young people, support young talents and conduct piano competitions. One of the goals of Denis’s program is to bring art to all regions of the Russian Federation.

Continuing cooperation with the New Names Foundation, Matsuev becomes its president. In 2011, the musician was awarded the title of honorary professor at Moscow State University. The pianist also organized the “Stars on Baikal” festival, which takes place annually in Irkutsk. Later he became a member of the jury of the talent show of the Russia-1 channel “Blue Bird”.

Denis Matsuev at the closing of the Olympics in Sochi

In 2014, Denis Matsuev’s performance at the closing of the Winter Olympics in Sochi was memorable. The pianist’s fans still remember the enchanting concert with nostalgia.

Personal life

Denis Matsuev did not dare to get married for a long time. He was happy with his personal life and did not take the stamp in his passport seriously. Soon information about the pianist’s lover began to appear in the media. She became Ekaterina Shipulina, prima ballerina Bolshoi Theater. The pianist's wedding took place in a narrow family circle.

In October 2016, his wife gave Denis a daughter. The girl was named Anna. The pianist told the public about the heiress only a year later, still without showing her photo. According to Matsuev, his daughter shows interest in music, and the little one especially likes “Petrushka”. Her father noticed that Anna had a penchant for conducting: while her father was playing, the girl moved her hands to the beat.

Among the famous performer's hobbies are visiting a Russian bathhouse and walking in nature - Matsuev loves visiting Lake Baikal.

The pianist is often accompanied by his friends on such trips. The stage star is nostalgic about his city. He decided not to sell or renovate his parents’ apartment in Irkutsk, but to leave everything as it was. Compatriots also keep the memory of the great maestro. In his native school, the desk at which the musician sat, and the piano, on which little Denis played during breaks, were preserved.

The pianist also retained his love of football from childhood. Denis is a fan of the Spartak club, and, by his own admission, what helped him win the Tchaikovsky Competition was that he watched the broadcast of the World Cup instead of listening to the performances of his competitors. The musician also remains a fan of the Moscow Sovremennik Theater.

Fans of Matsuev’s talent have more than once been interested in the pedigree of the famous pianist, trying to find out his nationality. Denis Leonidovich responds to such desires to learn about his life simply, stating that “by nationality he is a Siberian.”

Denis Matsuev now

Denis Matsuev's love for jazz is well known. The artist highly values ​​this style of music, considering it no less significant than classics. The pianist often complements his concerts with jazz miniatures and improvisations. In 2017, he presented to the audience new program“Jazz in the Circle of Friends,” which includes works by the musician himself.

Denis Matsuev on the TV show “Evening Urgant” in 2018

On the 145th anniversary of Sergei Rachmaninov, Matsuev fulfilled another dream - he performed all the composer’s piano concertos in 2 evenings. The performance took place in the Concert Hall. Tchaikovsky April 1 and 2, 2018.

Matsuev also does not forget about charity, regularly organizing concerts for disabled and visually impaired children. At one time, Denis became a participant in the “Children of Beslan” marathon. The performer is kind to the younger generation of young musicians.

Elisey Mysin and Denis Matsuev

In 2018, the maestro performed at the economic forum in Davos with a concert, which was attended by aspiring pianists, wards of the New Names Foundation - Elisha Mysin, Sonya Tyurina and Varvara Kutuzova.

Discography

• 2004 – Tribute to Horowitz
• 2005 – Stravinsky - Firebird Suite, Shchedrin - Piano Concerto No.5
• 2006 – Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich
• 2007 – Unknown Rachmaninoff
• 2008 – The Carnegie Hall Concert
• 2011 – S. Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No 3 & Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
• 2013 – S. Rachmaninov. Piano Concerto, G. Gershwin. Rhapsody in Blue
• 2014 – Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.3

Name: Matsuev Denis

Age: 44 years old

Place of Birth: Irkutsk

Activity: Russian virtuoso pianist and public figure. People's Artist of the Russian Federation. Laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation

There is no detailed information in the press about the personal life of the famous Russian pianist Denis Matsuev. Just as there was no information about his wife and children until the famous musician told live about the birth of their daughter Anna in 2016.

Over the past ten years, the chosen one of the Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Denis Matsuev, ballerina Ekaterina Shipulina, has been under the watchful surveillance of the yellow press. The couple did not advertise their relationship, arrange magnificent wedding I wasn't in a hurry.

The musician never answered all the questions from journalists about the details of his personal life - Denis Matsuev always believed that his wife and children should be able to live in peace, without being the object of close attention of the paparazzi.

Denis Matsuev, photo

The young people met at the opening of a restaurant with mutual friends. A little later they had to work on staging a joint performance based on the project of American director Sergei Danielyan “Reflections”.

According to the script, 5 ballerinas were supposed to perform on stage to the accompaniment of 5 different musicians.

Shipulina had to perform various steps to Tchaikovsky's work, while her beloved speeded up the tempo three times, focusing on the composer's intention, and not on the balletic elongation of the melody.

From Catherine’s stories it is clear that the couple have been together for a long time - they come to the New Year to the pianist’s homeland in Irkutsk to celebrate the holiday on the shores of Lake Baikal and plunge into the icy water of the legendary lake at Epiphany.

Therefore, when journalists noticed the ballerina’s rounded shape in 2016, they began to besiege the lovers with questions. Matsuev and Shipulina took a spectacular pause and delighted their fans with the news of an addition to the family only after the birth of their daughter.

Ekaterina Shipulina and Denis Matsuev

The musician does not comment on his paternity, he only says that he plays various classical works for the baby, trying to find out if his daughter has his love for music. According to Denis Leonidovich, Anya categorically does not accept Liszt’s melody.

Facts from the biography of the chosen one

Ekaterina Shipulina was born, this moment is common-law wife Denis Matsuev and his mother only daughter, in 1979 in Perm. In the girl’s biography, ballet was present virtually from the moment she was born - the artist’s parents were renowned masters of this type of classical dance in their small homeland.

Catherine and her twin sister early childhood prepared for life on pointe shoes, rehearsing all kinds of steps and classical dance exercises with the little ones.

Ekaterina Shipulina studied at the Moscow Choreographic Academy

The girls' mother devoted a lot of time not so much to her own children as to her students, paying attention to Katya and her sister only if they were successful in their studies. Oddly enough, Shipulina is proud of her parents, considering such rigor to be the engine of her progress in the profession.

In 1989, both sisters entered the Perm Choreographic School, deciding to follow in the footsteps of their parents. After graduation, the family moved to the capital in 1991 at the invitation of Musical theater named after Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko.

Famous ballet artists became choreographers and teachers for the younger generation of artists of this illustrious institution. And in 1994, Ekaterina Shipulina became a student at the Moscow Choreographic Academy, having the opportunity to hone her skills under the guidance of the world-famous teacher Litavkina.

A year later, Katya confirmed her professionalism by performing the main role in the production of “Corsair”.

Career growth and world fame

After graduation, Shipulina received an invitation to work at the Bolshoi Theater, where she initially performed in crowd scenes and episodic roles.

Speech by Ekaterina Shipulina

This became the starting point for her creative biography– the artist’s arsenal now includes leading roles in productions of world significance:

1. "Fantasies on a Casanova Theme."
2. "Chopiniana".
3. "La Sylphide"
4. "Don Quixote".
5. "The Little Humpbacked Horse".
6. "Russian Hamlet".
7. "Pharaoh's Daughter"
8. "Swan Lake".
9. "La Bayadère"
10. "Sleeping Beauty".
11. "Chippolino".
12. "Giselle".
13. "Spartacus".

In 2002, for her work in the production of The Nutcracker, with which the company traveled halfway around the world with the participation of Ekaterina, Shipulina was awarded the Triumph Prize. The ballerina becomes the prima of her native theater, she is included in the top ten best dancers of our time.

Talent and hard work, supported by external data, played their role - the dancer becomes a popular performer of classical dance not only in her homeland, but also abroad.

Usual life

According to Ekaterina, for a long time she was so eager to meet the requirements of her parents, teachers, and stage directors that she behaved in her work like a “pioneer” - even with high temperature or serious injury went on stage.

Modern ballet art is merciless to the bodies of performers - many compositions require the ballerina to fall hard to her knees.

Ekaterina Shipulina and Denis Matsuev on a walk

The habit of enduring pain, drowning it out with pills and various ointments, played its unseemly role - the woman’s limbs have practically no reflexes.

A little later, Ekaterina began to be more careful about her own health, having the opportunity to dictate her own terms to the directors involved in the development of this or that project.

However, in everyday life the girl loves extreme sports; she always has skates, roller boots and a bathing suit in the trunk of her car. She enthusiastically descends the steep slope to ski resort, loves to play tennis and football.

She loves to treat herself to tasty treats and will not refuse a rare steak, despite the strict requirements of the choreographers. Good active image life and the natural constitution of the body allow you to stay in excellent shape without exhausting diets and hours of effort in the gym.

Ekaterina Shipulina considers the appearance of baby Anna in her life to be a great happiness and has no intention of stopping her concert activities.

For a young mother, her own parent remains a model - Lyudmila Ivanovna appeared on stage after the birth of two babies and successfully continued dancing for several decades.

Fatherly Responsibilities

The press has long known the world-famous musician’s attitude towards the stamp in his passport.

Denis Matsuev, whose personal life and attention to the presence of his wife and children was constantly exaggerated in open sources of information, stubbornly does not want to reveal the secrets of his own attitude towards his family.

Denis Matsuev is in no hurry to tell all the details from family life

According to the artist, he has been married so many times that he does not want to comment on such statements. At this point in time, accurate data on official status Denis Matsuev and Ekaterina Shipulina are not present.

Evil tongues claim that the ballerina got her first roles at the Bolshoi Theater only thanks to her famous lover.

It is difficult to say otherwise, but recognizing a child as his daughter was a kind of feat for the musician - Matsuev was an ardent supporter of open marriages for many years.

His assertion that only music could be his wife, and jazz could be his mistress, for a long time created an aura of pompousness for the musician.

Denis Leonidovich Matsuev (b. 1975) is an outstanding Russian virtuoso pianist who performs in the best concert halls in the world; musical and social activist. For your creative success in 2009 he received the State Prize of the Russian Federation, since 2011 he has had the title People's Artist Russia.

Childhood

Denis was born on June 11, 1975 in the city of Irkutsk. His unique talent can be attributed to heredity, because almost the entire family was musical.

Maternal grandfather, Dmitry Gomelsky, was a percussionist (a musician who plays the percussion instruments) and worked in the orchestra of the Irkutsk Circus.

Her paternal grandmother, Rammul Vera Albertovna, was a physicist by profession, but this did not stop her from playing excellent music from operettas and Soviet films on several instruments. It was she who became the first teacher of little Matsuev.

Denis's dad, Leonid Viktorovich Matsuev, was a pianist and composer, he wrote music for many theatrical productions in Irkutsk. Mom, Irina Dmitrievna, taught piano at music schools.

Parents, grandparents with early years We realized that Denis was growing up to be a child prodigy. But he himself did not feel special, he only understood that he did some things better than others. For example, Denis mastered a piece that usually takes three months to master in two or three days. He memorized music very quickly, learned notes by heart, had a unique ear, and could pick out any melody.

Plus, there was always a crazy atmosphere in their house, in a good way this word, that is, there were often many guests who loved to sing and dance. Particularly large parties were held on Saturday evenings. This is where Denis's great love for jazz music began.

The boy watched everything, studied, memorized and at some point began to organize his own shows. He sang, played the piano, violin, guitar, accordion, parodied opera, jazz and pop singers, showed puppet shows. Rumors spread around the city that in the Matsuev family special child, and many wanted to attend his home performances. Then Denis for the first time felt that he could capture the attention of the audience.

School years

Denis studied at secondary school No. 11 of the city of Irkutsk. Along with this, he attended a music school. Unique abilities made Matsuev the first hero in the class, because before each singing lesson the girls ordered him different melodies, and he easily picked them up and played them on the piano. But he liked performing, and he hated music classes; he could not sit in one place for more than two hours. But Denis’s parents acted wisely: they saw what their son’s temperament was, so they did not force him to study: “Let him run around in the yard with the boys first, and then play music.”.

The future virtuoso pianist's favorite pastime was football. He simply adored this sport, watched it on TV, and played for the local team himself. Therefore, when the chance came to show Denis to a representative of a musical organization that collected young talents throughout Russia, his father had to resort to a trick.

In 1990, the founder and president of the New Names Foundation, Ivetta Voronova, came to Irkutsk. There was a children's jazz quartet in the city, the fame of which spread all the way to the capital, and Ivetta Nikolaevna wanted to listen to it. Local musicians from the Philharmonic suggested Denis’s father show Voronova his unique son. But the guy categorically refused, explaining that he had the final of a back-to-back football tournament. The younger Matsuev was not only the captain of the team, but also the head of the sports ground, he was responsible for its condition. Could he, at such a crucial moment, exchange his team, friends and football for some audition at the Philharmonic?

And then dad told him: “Can’t you really have time for both football and the Philharmonic?” Feeling self-esteem took over. Denis really made it everywhere; after a football match, in jeans and a T-shirt, he ran onto the stage of the Philharmonic, played Rachmaninoff’s prelude and got ready to run back. Ivetta Nikolaevna stopped him and said: “Wait, pussy, we want to invite you to Moscow”.

Study in Moscow

In 1991, Denis and his parents came to Moscow. It was a terrible time, right after the coup. The guy didn’t want to leave his native Irkutsk, his friends and his beloved yard servant at all. football team. But his parents bribed him, saying that in Moscow he would be able to go to large stadiums and watch the matches of his beloved Spartak with his own eyes.

Grandma Vera Albertovna helped again. Once upon a time, she, a physicist by education and profession, quit her job and devoted herself to raising her grandson, studying music with little Denis. Now she sold a cooperative apartment in Irkutsk, gave sixteen thousand dollars, and with this money the Matsuev family rented housing in Moscow.

In the capital, Denis began studying at the Central Music School at the Moscow State Conservatory. A year later, he became the winner of an international competition organized by the New Names charitable public foundation. In addition to being awarded a foundation scholarship, Matsuev took part in classical music concerts in many European countries. He traveled through the capitals and major cities the Netherlands, Austria, France and Great Britain, spoke to general secretary NATO by Manfred Werner, the British Queen, Pope John Paul II, and before Russian President Boris Yeltsin Matsuev played six times.

In 1993, Denis entered the Moscow State Conservatory, and two years later became a soloist of the capital's Philharmonic.

Victory at the Tchaikovsky Competition

In 1998, Matsuev took part in the XI International Tchaikovsky Competition. They spent a long time choosing with their teacher competitive program and stopped at a Liszt concert. This is a very impressive piece, no one has performed it, and the choice was made literally ten days before submitting applications for the competition. It became not only the right decision– it turned out to be bright and victorious.

Denis could not come to his senses for a long time after the victory; everything seemed to him like some kind of dream. After all, the line-up of competitors was the strongest in history, with only seven pianists vying for first place. Matsuev was helped by his character; he always played better at performances than at rehearsals. The excitement went away, unbridled joy took over, he ran to the piano, everything was boiling inside, the pianist was literally tearing and throwing. At these moments, he never thought that he was playing for the jury members sitting in the sixth row. He presented his creativity to the audience who came to Big hall conservatory.

The competitive performance was triumphant. He was highly appreciated not only by members of the jury, but also by music critics; they noted the young pianist’s emotional concert style of performance, which at the same time contrasted with a calm manner. In foreign means mass media There were many positive reviews of Matsuev’s performance. And world music lovers clearly recognized the talent of the young Russian virtuoso pianist.

Creation

Denis has one unshakable rule - he distributes his tour schedule equally between Russian and foreign listeners. He performs especially often in his homeland, in Siberian cities. On his first serious tour, he traveled to Chita, Magadan, Blagoveshchensk, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

For him, listeners from the Russian hinterland are as dear to him as the audience from Carnegie Hall. Denis does not know how to play in any special way well for an elite audience. He gives one hundred percent always and everywhere. The pianist considers it his duty to introduce masterpieces of music to people who have never heard the classics performed live before. For Matsuev, this is a matter of conscience and honor.

He considers it easy for himself to get on a helicopter and fly to some remote village, for example, Orenburg region. Denis tries to deliver pianos to such remote areas so that children can practice in local schools and clubs on good musical instruments. The pianist does not forget that he himself comes from such a remote place. In his opinion, everything that is most sincere, truthful and real comes from such places.

Now his name is known even to those who are not familiar with classical music. He is one of the few people on the planet, thanks to whom the classics become understandable, in this he is helped by his remarkable charisma, temperament and an absolutely sincere desire to convey the masterpieces of world music to as many people as possible. more of people.

Denis performs with the best domestic and foreign orchestras and conductors (Yuri Bashmet, Valery Gergiev, Paavo Jarvi, Vladimir Spivakov, Gianandrea Noseda, Mikhail Pletnev, Ivan Fischer).

Matsuev is trying with all his might to awaken interest in music among modern youth. To do this, he organizes various children's and youth festivals, competitions and shows, and takes upon himself the leadership of many charity programs throughout Russia. For example, the “Stars on Baikal” festival, which Denis organized in his homeland, Irkutsk, is now held there annually. The Crescendo festival is held every year in different Russian cities, and Matsuev is its artistic director.

Since 2011, Matsuev has been an honorary professor at Moscow State University. He is the president of the interregional charitable foundation“New Names”, as well as art director of the Sergei Rachmaninov Foundation.

During the winter olympic games in Sochi in 2014, the pianist performed at the closing ceremony. And in the summer of 2016, Denis was elected ambassador of the upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in Russia.

Holy Motherland

Denis lives in Moscow, but whenever possible he visits his small homeland.

The holiest place on the planet for Matsuev is Irkutsk. He loves his very much hometown and is ready to sacrifice everything for him. Concerts in his native land are always held with special excitement and trepidation, and the recognition of Irkutsk listeners is most important to him.

When he arrives in Irkutsk, he leaves the car and everything he’s doing, goes for a walk around the city, walks along the streets of Khalturin, Marat, Zhelyabin. Then he goes into their apartment, where he deliberately does not renovate, and inhales the smells of his childhood. Denis sometimes jokes that he came up with the annual “Stars on Baikal” festival in Irkutsk in order to visit his homeland once again. More broadly, the pianist’s favorite places are, of course, Baikal, especially Chivyrkuisky Bay and Sandy Bay.

Family and hobbies

Matsuev lives in civil marriage with prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater, Honored Artist of Russia Ekaterina Shipulina. In the fall of 2016, the couple had a daughter.

Denis is still, as in childhood, a passionate football fan. Preference is given to the Moscow club Spartak. In addition to football, he enjoys tennis and bowling.

The pianist loves Soviet films, and he knows not only every actor and director, but also in what year and at what film studio the film was shot. Denis knows the most masterpiece comedies, for example, by heart - phrase by phrase, frame by frame. He grew up watching these films and is firmly convinced that his great-grandchildren will watch them too. These films are personal, sincere and real, which strongly remind Denis of classical music. And the classics live for centuries.

Among foreign countries, Denis loves Japan very much, admires its culture, the self-esteem of the Japanese, the way they respect their elders, their quality of life and order on the streets.

Matsuev is a fan of old rock, he loves listening to the music of Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, and Queen. He likes Sting, French and Soviet pop music.

He loves the theater very much, among those in Moscow he gives preference to Sovremennik, and is friends with the director of this theater, Galina Volchek.

Matsuev is a passionate fan of the Russian bath. During the “Stars on Baikal” festival, it has a tradition: whoever comes from famous guests, first they go to the steam room, and then plunge into Lake Baikal. The temperature there is only +8 degrees, but no one has ever gotten sick.

The famous pianist Denis Matsuev says almost nothing about his personal life. He rarely makes exceptions and only for his friends. Yesterday Denis became a guest on the new episode of the show “Evening Urgant”, where he told Ivan Urgant for the first time about his newborn daughter from ballerina Ekaterina Shipulina. According to Matsuev, the daughter was named Anna and the baby already has her favorite pieces of music.

To Ivan’s question about how Denis’s life changed with the birth of a child, the pianist replied that not yet, and if he changes anything, it will be only after 2021.

Before that, unfortunately, I already had everything planned out. A simple example today: I flew from Tel Aviv, yesterday I had a concert there with Zubin Mehta, the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, tomorrow I have a concert in St. Petersburg, at Oktyabrsky, we are playing a jazz program. Now I have time to come to you, to my favorite studio, and I have an hour to see Anna Denisovna.

Denis Matsuev and Ivan Urgant

Denis, as Ivan guessed, had already checked Anna Denisovna’s ear for music and, as it turned out, managed to introduce his daughter to many outstanding classical works.

He played concerts by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, and even Prokofiev. Her favorite piece is Stravinsky's "Petrushka". Let's say, not a children's work. But she really doesn’t like Liszt’s 2nd concerto. I do not know why...

It is known that the daughter of Denis and Catherine was born in October last year. The prima ballerina also did not tell her subscribers about this on social networks and the press; only once, on Mother’s Day, she posted a photo of herself with a rounded belly.

Pregnant Ekaterina Shipulina