Press

Konstantyn Napolov (1987) is one of today’s most outstanding percussionists. An impassioned pioneer and promoter of new music, he closely cooperates with leading composers. Internationally, he is in great demand both for solo recitals and percussion concertos with orchestra, as artist in residence in chamber music projects, and as a jury member in important competitions. In performances throughout Europe and beyond, he plays repertoire and instruments from all over the world and the entire music history. He astonishes audiences and the press alike with the imaginative power of his playing and his virtuosity.

Konstantyn is constantly in search of new and unheard sounds, from the most subtle to the most powerful and overwhelming, and always involved in a variety of projects. He loves to challenge himself and the composers he works with to push the boundaries of playing techniques and to explore the sound possibilities of percussion instruments to the utmost. The many composers who have written new work especially for him, always in close collaboration, include Maxim Shalygin, Tansy Davies, Christiaan Richter, Jan-Peter de Graaff, Moritz Eggert, Martijn Padding, Aart Strootman, Robin de Raaff and Klas Torstensson.
Celebrities such as Kaija Saariaho, David Lang, Louis Andriessen, John Luther Adams, Unsuk Chin, and Philip Manoury have also worked with him personally. With Steve Reich he cooperated in performing his masterpiece, Music for 18 musicians for 5000 listeners at Lowlands Festival in the Netherlands.
To enrich the Dutch percussion repertoire, he set up his foundation, the Dutch Golden Collection, with which he facilitates his commissions and film and CD recordings of new work. He has realized over fifty world premieres so far. As a director, he supervises his music videos that are critically acclaimed at international film festivals.

Konstantyn forms a permanent ensemble with pianist Laura Sandee and cellist Maya Fridman and commissions new work for their unusual combination of instruments. He also enjoys building new percussion instruments, such as Eva, developed with artist Rob van den Broek for a solo piece by Remy Alexander.
He has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, The Hague’s Residentie Orkest, Asko|Schönberg ensemble, the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, among others, and has been the principal timpanist of the Mannheimer Philharmoniker (Germany) since 2014.
Konstantyn’s CDs appear on the acclaimed TRPTK label. His 2018 debut, The Collectors, received 4- and 5-star reviews in papers and specialised journals including De Volkskrant, Gramophone, and BBC Music Magazine. Recent live registrations from the main halls of Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw (Droplets II) and TivoliVredenburg at Utrecht (Obscure Atlas) are other testaments to his amazing versatility, control and mastery.

Konstantyn Napolov was educated as a percussionist and conductor in Kyiv. In The Hague, he completed his studies with Fedor Teunisse, Luuk Nagtegaal, Hans Zonderop, and Wim Vos with honours in 2015. He was selected for the Erasmus programme by the conservatoire in the city with the world’s oldest percussion traditions, Strasbourg’s Cité de la Musique et de la Danse, where he studied with percussion legend Emmanuel Séjourné.
In 2015, he was invited to participate in masterclasses at the famous Center for Advanced Musical Studies in Chosen Vale (US) and awarded a prestigious Colin Currie scholarship to attend courses at New York’s Juilliard School and the Boston Conservatory. In addition, he took masterclasses with many well-known musicians, including Peter Sadlo, Mark Pekarski, Christian Dierstein, Paul Mootz, Marta Klimasara, Robyn Schulkowsky, and Nancy Zaltsman.
Konstantyn has been successful at international competitions, both as a soloist and with his ensembles. He won first and other prizes, places in finals, and nominations at ARD Musikwettbewerb München, TROMP Percussion Eindhoven, Kamermuziekconcours Almere, IPC Luxembourg, Oh Oh Intro The Hague, Dutch Classical Talent, the Belgrade International Competition, the Grachtenfestival Competition, and the Prins Bernhard Cultuurprijs.
At the World Percussion Group, he was awarded an over-two-months US tour, during which he also gave concerts and masterclasses in Mexico. In 2021 he was selected by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science to represent Dutch art and culture as artist in residence in Egypt, and to tour with the renowned musician and composer, Ahmed Saleh. He had the honour to perform together with the famous show percussion group, Percossa, for the Dutch government and royal family.
Konstantyn is an official Adams, Zildjian, Vic Firth, Mike Balter Mallets and TRPTK music label artist.

Press Kit :
Duo Van Raat | Napolov
Press Kit :
Konstantyn Napolov Solo
Press Kit :
Napolov's Percussion Marathon

Baba Yaga is een krachtige en opwindende single, geïnspireerd door het duistere en mysterieuze Slavische volksverhaal over de legendarische heks Baba Yaga. Dit unieke arrangement voor slagwerk en piano van Marijn van Prooijen en Konstantyn Napolov herinterpreteert het 150 jaar oude meesterwerk van Modest Moessorgski en transformeert het tot een eigentijdse, filmische klankwereld.

Gedreven door een hypnotiserende groove, gespeeld op rototoms, tamboerijnen en bongo’s, met dramatische uitbarstingen van energie door de splashbekkens, ontstaat een spannend muzikaal gesprek met de expressieve pianomelodieën. Virtuoze passages tussen marimba en piano brengen een intense energie en een onstuitbare muzikale vaart, terwijl de hele muzikale reis voortdurend wordt onderbroken door de mysterieuze en filmische verschijning van Baba Yaga zelf — die opduikt in diepe, langzame en spookachtige marimbalijnen, waardoor een betoverend contrast ontstaat.

Baba Yaga combineert ritmische kracht, virtuositeit en theatrale vertelkunst en verandert een legendarisch figuur uit de folklore in een levendige hedendaagse muzikale ervaring waarin oude mythologie en moderne klankwereld samenkomen.

 

Baba Yaga is a powerful and electrifying single inspired by the dark and mysterious Slavic folktale of the legendary witch Baba Yaga. This unique arrangement for percussion and piano by Marijn van Prooijen and Konstantyn Napolov reimagines Modest Mussorgsky’s 150-year-old masterpiece, transforming it into a contemporary cinematic sound world.

Driven by a hypnotic groove performed on rototoms, tambourines, and bongos, with dramatic bursts of energy from the splash cymbals, the piece creates a thrilling dialogue with the expressive piano melodies. Virtuosic passages between marimba and piano bring intense energy and unstoppable momentum, while the entire musical journey is constantly interrupted by the eerie and cinematic presence of Baba Yaga herself — emerging through deep, slow, and haunting marimba lines that create a mysterious and spellbinding contrast.

Baba Yaga combines rhythmic power, virtuosity, and theatrical storytelling, transforming a legendary figure from folklore into a vivid contemporary musical experience where ancient mythology meets modern sound.

 

Brushstrokes is a striking work by Dutch composer Jasper de Bock, featured on the upcoming album by Konstantyn Napolov and Ralph van Raat. Inspired by the paintings of Hendrik Willem Mesdag and his iconic Panorama Mesdag, the piece carries a unique personal connection: Jasper de Bock’s great-great-grandfather, Théophile de Bock, was one of the artists who collaborated with Mesdag on the creation of the Panorama.

With its strong visual character, Brushstrokes unfolds as a perfect film music sequence, where sound, image, movement, and narrative come together. Blurring the boundaries between music, visual art, and spoken word, the work transforms the percussionist into both musician and performer. Throughout the piece, the percussionist writes with a thick marker on large cardboard panels while using spoken-word techniques, creating an expressive dialogue between sound, text, gesture, and movement.

Together with the piano, Brushstrokes becomes a vivid artistic canvas where every musical gesture acts as a brushstroke, inviting the listener into a unique multisensory experience that connects contemporary music with the timeless world of visual art.

 

Brushstrokes is een indrukwekkend werk van de Nederlandse componist Jasper de Bock, opgenomen op het aankomende album van Konstantyn Napolov en Ralph van Raat. Het stuk is geïnspireerd door de schilderijen van Hendrik Willem Mesdag en zijn iconische Panorama Mesdag en heeft bovendien een bijzondere persoonlijke connectie: de betovergrootvader van Jasper de Bock, Théophile de Bock, was een van de kunstenaars die samen met Mesdag meewerkte aan de totstandkoming van het Panorama.

Met zijn sterke visuele karakter ontvouwt Brushstrokes zich als een perfecte filmscène in muzikale vorm, waarin klank, beeld, beweging en verhaal samenkomen. Het werk vervaagt de grenzen tussen muziek, beeldende kunst en gesproken woord en maakt van de slagwerker zowel een musicus als een performer. Tijdens het stuk schrijft de slagwerker met een dikke marker op grote kartonnen panelen en gebruikt hij technieken uit de gesproken woordkunst, waardoor een expressieve dialoog ontstaat tussen geluid, tekst, gebaar en beweging.

Samen met de piano wordt Brushstrokes een levend artistiek canvas waarin iedere muzikale beweging een penseelstreek wordt. Het werk nodigt de luisteraar uit in een unieke multidimensionale ervaring waarin hedendaagse muziek verbonden wordt met de tijdloze wereld van de beeldende kunst.