Born in Irkutsk, Soviet Union, Matsuev is the only child of two musicians, his mother being a piano teacher and his father a pianist and composer.

[1] With other young gifted musicians from Russia discovered by the foundation, Matsuev went on tour in Europe and the United States.

Matsuev and 80 other Russian artists signed a collective letter "to support the position of President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine and Crimea.

"[7][8] In February 2014, at the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Matsuev was a torchbearer,[9] and performed in the closing ceremony.

In 2022, due to his public support of Vladimir Putin, Matsuev's appearance with the Vienna Philharmonic in New York on February 25, 2022, was cancelled and he was replaced by pianist Seong-Jin Cho.