Then it was time for the C minor sonata D958, with its heroic Beethovenian echoes. Demidenko took the first two movements at tempi so slow that they might in other hands have caused the audience to nod off, but this performance was riveting: the truncated phrases and sudden silences spoke of memories, regrets, and the grave. Then came rebirth, with the galloping exuberance of the Tarantella climaxing in a blaze of brilliance.” – The Independent

Nikolai Demidenko’s passionate virtuosity and musicianship has brought him worldwide recognition.

He is renowned for his authoritative concerto performances of over fifty concerti specificly those of Beethoven, Brahms, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky. Nikolai has worked with many renowned conductors and orchestras throughout the world including Yuri Temirkanov with the St Petersburg Philharmonic, Sir Roger Norrington with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Mikhail Jurowski with Galicia Symphony and Sylvian Camberling with Yomiuri Nippon Symphony amongst others.  His recital repertoire is wide-ranging, including Bach, Chopin, Clementi, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Mussorgsky, Rachmaninov, Schubert and Scarlatti.

Nikolai Demidenko is currently ‘Soloist-in-Residence’ at Queensland Symphony Orchestra in 2016.  As part of his residency he will perform the complete Beethoven Piano Concerti, a chambermusic recital and conduct a masterclass.

Upcoming recital highlights in the 2015/16 season include Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, Konzerthaus Berlin,Tippet Rise Festival in Montana and recitals across Australia including Hobart, Lauceston and Adelaide.  Frequent recitals at major London based venues have included the Great Performers series at the Barbican and recently in the London Pianoforte Series at Wigmore Hall.  In addition, Nikolai also appears at distinguished festivals around the world including Aldeburgh, Beijing, Dubrovnik, Eilat, Glasgow, New York, Oslo, Singapore and Warsaw.  Last summer Nikolai undertook a four week long tour to Australia and New Zealand performing a cycle of five different recital programmes and two concerto programmes to high acclaim from both critics and audiences alike.

Concerto highlights in recent and upcoming seasons include appearances across the globe, most notably with the Queensland Symphony, Adelaide Symphony, Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya, NCPA Orchestra Beijing, Melbourne Symphony, Orchestre National de France, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Flanders Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia, Singapore Symphony,  Orquesta Nacional de España, Sinfonieorchester St Gallen, Poznan Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Ulster and Hallé orchestras and London Mozart Players.

For Hyperion Records Nikolai Demidenko has recorded albums of Bach–Busoni, Chopin, Clementi, Liszt, Medtner, Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, Schubert and Schumann and concertos by Chopin, Medtner (which won a Gramophone Award), Scriabin, Tchaikovsky and Weber as well as the complete Prokofiev Concertos with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Alexander Lazarev.  For the Munich-based AGPL label he has recorded Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata, a collection of Scarlatti sonatas and a Chopin CD which won the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik.  Autumn 2008 saw the release of a new Chopin CD, including his first recording of the Twenty-four Preludes, for Onyx Classics. This CD won the MIDEM 2010 Special Chopin Award for a new recording.

In 2014 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Surrey in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the field of Music and the University.