Others complain that his recording of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition is too individualistic; he inserts his own transition between "The Old Castle" and "Tuileries," breaking the canonical structure. Doronin’s response is simple: "The score is a blueprint, not a prison. If you want a museum, listen to a MIDI file."
Regularly performs across the UK and Europe, with recent and upcoming recitals in London and Cheltenham.
To see him in action during his formative years at the Gnessin School:
A revelatory surprise. Doronin sheds his classical skin for jewel-like character pieces. Scriabin’s Poème Op. 32 No. 1 shimmers with veiled ecstasy – the left hand’s rising figure sounds like a question asked in twilight. Prokofiev’s Visions fugitives are crisp and sarcastic without being brittle. But the highlight is Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in G-sharp minor , Op. 32 No. 12: Doronin spins the long-breathed melody over a rocking bass with a sense of melancholy without self-pity . This is the recording to send to skeptics.
