"Dimitri Illarionov’s concert was one of the "top five classical concerts" of 2003 in Edmonton. ... According to this standard, elegant and dramatic Angela Hewitt was a shoo-in (and a red hot number at that). Classical guitarist Dimitri Illarionov had the same kind of charisma. The chemistry between the audience and this young Russian guitarist was exceptional." Allison Kydd, Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), 2004
"I felt like I was struck by lightning the moment he touched the guitar. It sent chills down my spine. Oh man, I have never experienced anything like it. Incredible! Simply incredible!" Irma Wassall - Poet Laureate and founder of the Wichita Society of the Classical Guitar (Wichita, Kansas, USA), March 2004.
"... The young Russian guitarist Dimitri Illarionov is on the onset of the worldwide prominence after winning the first price in GFA competition. In "The Dream of Little Fish" he displayed a firework of virtuosity – the filigree of sounds rivaled the incredibly swift technique of fingers and ardent warmth of bursts of emotions. Only an encore performance could satisfy the storms of applause from the audience." Diana Loos, Westdeutsche Zeitung (Germany), March 11th, 2003
"Dimitri Illarionov from Moscow showed the art of playing guitar at the highest level. The young guitarist won recently the most important guitar competition, The Guitar Foundation of America – GFA. In Gutersloh, he opened the program with Mauro Giuliani’s "Grande Ouverture." Dramatic accents, oscillating arpeggios and melodic passages: Dimitri Illarionov mastered all this with exceptional virtuosity and suppleness. One could think of listening to the whole orchestra, so colorful and well arranged was this exceptional musician. His interpretation of compositions with romantic and folkloristic influences was as convincing as his play of the classical modern music. At the end, Quartetto Colori and Dimitri Illarionov played together two movements from Eduardo Angulo’s "Il sogno del pescolino" (The Dream of Little Fish) where both showed the most precise and united ensemble. Enthusiastic applause with shouting bravo and two long encores completed the evening." *Constance Natosevic, Neue Westfalische Zeitung *(Germany), March 20th, 2003
"It was one of the most inspiring guitar performances I have ever heard." Dusan Bogdanovic, guitarist and composer, after the concert of Dimitri Illarionov in Gdansk (Poland), 2001.
"It was an inspiring musical performance of the artist for whom no technical obstacles exist… Today we can talk about a truly new generation of young guitarists aspiring to overcome the “guitar stereotypes” and conquer new pinnacles of the guitar music. No doubt, Dimitri Illarionov is the musician of the kind. Lately, he has become one of the most brilliant and talented young Russian guitarists. His music has already thrilled professionals and guitar music fans in many countries." Guitarist, Russian Guitar Magazine, #1 2002
"Guitar's Moon Sound... A guitar soloing for the first time in the city of Irkutsk to the accompaniment of a symphonic orchestra was a refreshing and remarkable experience. Pleasantly melancholic, moon sounds of the guitar pervaded the souls filling the concert hall with an unusual, almost magic serenity. Liberated from the anxieties of our arduous days, listeners were deeply enchanted by the sounds of the Spanish composition "Fantasia para un Gentilhombre." … Dimitri Illarionov is one of the best young Russian guitarists. Perfect strokes, noble timbre of sound, deep but self-controlled temperament – everything that creates an atmosphere when we feel we come in touch with the highest art." Zhanna Leonova, East-Siberian Pravda (Russia), February 14th, 2002
