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Hailing from St. Petersburg, this remarkable artist is first-prize winner of the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition (US). After also winning the Rachmaninov Competition (Russian Federation), Arsentiy Kharitonov began his concert career with engagements throughout Europe including appearances at the 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 and Catholic University of Washington, DC, in Dallas, Los Angeles, with orchestra at the Tabernacle at Temple in the Square, Salt Lake City, and at St. John’s Cathedral, Steinway Hall, Carnegie Hall and the Frick Collection in New York City. 

 Of his debut performance at Carnegie Hall, The New York Observer wrote, “The Russian pianist and composer Arsentiy Kharitonov proved to be the newest addition to the top ranks of this season’s artists,” calling it “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.”

Following the great success performing his own works at the Tchaikovsky House and Museum outside of Moscow in June 2019, Arsentiy returned to Russia later that year - again for recitals of his compositions - to perform at the Rachmaninov House in Moscow, the Nizhni Novgorod Philharmonic and at the Philharmonic of Belgorod. He was scheduled to tour Europe for solo recitals in the summer of 2020 and to team up with German cellist Julius Berger in performances of Julius’ programs Inspired by Bach and Mozart Inspiration at festivals in Mexico, Canada, Austria, Germany and Italy, and appear also as artist-in-residence at the Asiago Festival in Italy. Unfortunately all this had to be moved to 2021. 

The artist’s recordings for Toccata Classics include the complete piano works of Leo Ornstein as well as the complete chamber works of Robert Kahn. Masterpieces by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, and Scriabin can be heard on the Hartshorn Classical label. His two most recent recordings of works by Bach/Siloti, Schubert, Mussorgsky and Kharitonov and the set of his own six Etudes and Schumann’s Kreisleriana are both released on Sound Atlas. 

Arsentiy, the composer, added some exciting news when he won the gold-1st prize of the prestigious competition, the 2020 National Competition of Russian Composers, for his “Four Vignettes” for four violins. In addition he also received a special prize by the Composer's Union of Russia. Having used the quarantine period well, he also completed his piano sonata and violin concerto “Miroirs”. Composer Samuel Adler had this to say recently about Arsentiy’s works : “In the past few weeks I have become acquainted with the music of Arsentiy Kharitonov and find it very strong, vital and extremely exciting. Here is a composer and also a fabulous pianist, who should be much better known for the music that he composes, since it is so very well constructed and immediately effective. His piano music as well as his chamber and orchestra works should become favorites with anyone who is fortunate enough to get to know them.

Lastly, Arsentiy Kharitonov currently teaches in Denton, TX and – hopefully – will soon be going back to a schedule of recordings and concert appearances worldwide.

More what the critics say:

“His style is unlike any of his contemporaries, and harkens back to earlier times. The Silver Age pianist Alexander Goldenweiser comes to mind. His dynamic range had an astonishing breadth and the lyric passages were especially captivating.”

— The New York Observer 

“While fully in command of the technical and emotional demands of the music”, he is described as a pianist of “sumptuous tone, technical mastery, broad dramatic range of an astonishing breadth, and elegant phrasing.”

— Fanfare Magazine

“Liszt’s Concert Etude No. 2 was a good Romantic backdrop for the premiere of the more tonally adventurous Concert Etude Op. 44, No. 5 by pianist and composer Arsentiy Kharitonov. Mr. Kharitonov is an intriguing new presence on the musical scene, and his work as a pianist is undoubtedly helping him as a composer to create valuable new additions to the piano repertoire

(Concert by pianist Eva Plgar at Carnegie Hall)
— NY Concert Review

“Arsentiy Kharitonov offered a program of works by Tchaikovsky, Scriabin, and Rachmaninoff that afforded a display of dazzling technical fireworks, sumptuous tone, broad dramatic range, and elegant phrasing that places him among the great keyboard players today.”

— The New York Observer

“Arsentiy Kharitonov seems fully in command of the technical and emotional demands of the repertoire, and the sound is nothing short of gorgeously close and warm.”

— MusicWeb International 

“Impulsive and meticulous by turns, the Russian-born, award-winning Arsentiy Kharitonov (of the 1991 Sergei Rachmaninoff Competition and the 2003 Slavic Music Competition, among others) seems an ideal advocate of this utterly captivating music.”

— Fanfare Magazine 

“Experiencing the composer and pianist Arsentiy Kharitonov playing his concert Études opus 44, one can imagine the great representatives of this genre of music listening wide-eyed, open-mouthed and spellbound. Kharitonov’s Études are are not only in the tradition of their great forerunners but are on a par with them. Neither Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninov nor Prokofiev could have played their own concert Études with more virtuosity. These are vivid contemporary works—breathtaking, fiery and magical. A rather unique experience these days.” 

— Nikolaus Schlapfl, pianist/composer