“Zlata Chochieva proves she has both the brains to envision a provocative piano program and the chops to bring the chosen music to near criticality. Her Liszt is as sparkling as her Schumann is brooding and brilliant.”
- Wild Mercury Rhythm, C. Michael Bailey
July 2023
“Some simple almost enigmatic playing from Zlata Chochieva. It’s that simplicity of approach that illuminates so much here seemingly effortlessly, each scene captured with memorable precision and gentle colour.<…> Shultz-Evler’s arabesque on Strauss’ Blue Danube, played with glittering virtuosity. Its somehow not showy, even when it is; I like that.”
- Andrew McGregor, BBC 3 Record Review
May 2023
“There is absolutely nothing new about an album of Romantic piano pieces on the theme of nature, but that makes this double-album effort by pianist Zlata Chochieva all the more impressive, for she brings unexpected new dimensions to the idea.<…> A virtuoso release in more ways than one, Im Freien is compelling from start to finish, <…> The album landed on classical best-seller lists in the spring of 2023.”
- Allmusic, James Manheim
June 2023
“… Ravel's 'Miroirs' ratchets the attention up a notch: fluid, shimmering, imaginative playing; a biting 'Alborada del gracioso', a tearful 'Vallées des cloches'. The second CD increases the rapidity of our heart palpitations: Liszt's 'Feux follets' and 'Chasse-Neige' are extraordinary feats of exhilarating virtuosity dominated by intelligence. Schulz-Evler's unplayable paraphrase of 'The Blue Danube' explodes in a firework display of bravura and charm. An artist to discover, from the confident to the wildly exuberant.”
- Philippe Cassard, L’OBS ****
June 2023
“Chochieva, stylistically convincing in Schumann, here could be taken for a different pianist, so completely does she inhabit Ravel's sound world. <…> Disc 2 begins with two of Liszt's most technically challenging Transcendental Etudes (tone poems in all but name). Both of them leap off the page in Chochieva's hands with fabulous left-hand articulation, tonal colouring and sheer pianistic relish. <…> Altogether a terrific programme from a greatly gifted pianist.”
- Gramophone, Jeremy Nicholas
Editor’s choice
June 2023
<…> She plays freely in the melancholic and suspenseful F-sharp minor of Op. 23 No. 1, spins delicate reveries in the major key pieces, and approaches the swirling C minor piece, foaming in intricate passagework, with more of a mysterious veiled quality than – as is often heard – bluff virtuosity. In doing so, Chochieva creates space for infinite crescendos, with ever more clarity and intensity of expression, despite the small size of the concert hall and the imposing grand piano. <…> As for the encores, the No. 6 from the "Études-Tableaux" Op. 39, referred to by Rachmaninoff himself as "Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf," becomes a game of life and death, flight and fatigue, the likes of which have never been heard before.”
- Tagesspiegel, Isabel Herzfeld
<…> the music world is taking notice of this extraordinary artist, who combines the power of Martha Argerich with the tonal sensibility of Mikhail Pletnev - the latter was also her teacher <…> it is fascinating how she manages to give each voice in a complex interweaving of multiple voices its own colour and intensity. At times, it is as if one is hearing an ensemble of different instruments, such as in the beautiful Prelude Op. 32 No. 5 which, under Chochieva's hands, seems to transform into a nostalgic flute elegy over a gentle harp accompaniment. This ability to differentiate timbres also benefits her in the "Corelli Variations," where she sometimes suggests the tonal intimacy of a trio, at other times the monumentality of a symphony orchestra.”
- Berliner Morgenpost, Mario-Felix Vogt
“Just witness the last forte chord of Mozart's Duport Variations in D, the short silence, and the little turn that begins the first of Scriabin's Preludes, op. 15. This is one of the most magical moments in the recital, as it only becomes apparent that composers and styles have switched a couple of seconds into the Scriabin piece-a seamless transition that reveals the light from the dark. <…> If one doesn't believe that Mozart and Scriabin go together- I certainly didn't at first!- then go out and grab this disc, put it on, and be astonished for an hour and a quarter.”
- Scott Noriega, FANFARE
January/February 2023
“…Her rubato in the Mozart pieces is particularly pleasing: so subtle that you almost wouldn't know it's there, except that the music breathes so naturally and follows the ebb and flow of its harmonies so fully. <…> It's hard to imagine a more idyllic or intimate performance of the gentler preludes on this recording. And in op. 15's etude-like Prelude in F # Minor, Chochieva produces an extraordinary combination of clarity, speed, melodic shaping, andrubato that is reminiscent of Neuhaus. <…> This is a deeply felt, expertly conveyed recital, recorded with a faithful concert-hall piano sound.”
- Myron Silberstein, FANFARE
November/December 2022
[F]ew pianists of recent generations come close to playing as considerate of composers’ intentions and as masterly of their demands as Zlata Chochieva.
Miami International Piano Festival
Frank Cooper, Lecturer in Residence,
05/05/2022
“…hear her in the Bach-Rachmaninov Partita and you will be astonished by her unfaltering brio, style and command. She has technique to burn and glories in the opulent clothing Ignaz Friedman gives to Bach. Chochieva’s arresting brilliance never precludes sensitivity and a broad tange of emotion, such as in the Schubert-Liszt Litanei, where she even challenges Cortot’s legendary recording…”
By Bryce Morrison for International Piano, Critics Choice
“…’(Re)creations’ is one of the best programmes to come my way in a very long time… everything is captivating… Rachmaninov’s three movement Bach Suite just sparkles, and his notoriously difficult Mendelssohn ‘Scherzo’ from A Midsummer Night’s Dream is truly a light, quick Scherzo…”
By James Harrington for American Record Guide, Critics Choice
“One cannot help but be won over by a program of such richness, admirably championed by a pianist with airy, lively, luminous playing, and so sensitive when it comes to making the piano sing.”
By Jany Campello for Resmusica
“…once again, behind all her technical bravura, the Berlin-based pianist succeeds in providing completely new insights into the fine structures and the realm of the inner soul of these mostly large-scale works, thus also revealing the deeper meaning of such "transformations". For they are, without exception, highly musical recreations that illuminate anew the spirit of the original from the point of view of the arranger.”
AC, as Classical CD of the Month for Stereoplay.de
“Zlata Chochieva follows her recent splendid albums of Chopin and Rachmaninov with something as intriguing as it is compelling: transcriptions that reveal both the form and a formidable pianist at their very best.”
By Martin Cullingford for Gramophone Magazine
“…Right from the first note, you realise Chochieva has not just drifted into the studio on a whim or simply to fulfil a contract. This is music-making of real purpose and conviction… I should like to hear Chochieva in the other five [Gärtner-Friedman waltzes]. Or in anything else she cares to play.”
By Jeremy Nicholas for Gramophone Magazine
“…This CD of transcriptions is a great artistic success that invites intimacy and complicity. Let us leave the last word to Zlata Chochieva: In addition, it is a genre which leaves a great freedom of expression while requiring a deep spiritual and intellectual connection with the two composers - that of the original work as that of the transcription . Connection assumed and ensured brilliantly! Here is a pianist whose career will have to be closely followed…”
By Jean Lacroix for Crescendo Magazine
https://www.crescendo-magazine.be/un-eventail-de-transcriptions-par-zlata-chochieva/
“The piano can simply do everything - if you master it like Zlata Chochieva. In these virtuoso arrangements from Bach to Schubert to Mussorgsky, the Russian pianist playfully replaces vocal soloists and entire orchestras.”
For Tagesspiegel Berlin
“…everywhere [she] succeeds with finesse in letting the original radiate from the transcribed version while relishing the act of fashioning the grand Romantic arc. How technically prodigious and musically accomplished she is can be confirmed by admirers of late-Romantic lustre via another remarkable box set: for the complete solo piano works by Rachmaninov…
SAL, Der Spiegel, Germany
“…Zlata Chochieva has done music a great service with this latest recording – (re)creations – where she performs with great aplomb piano transcriptions by a range of composers…Chochieva’s artistry makes a very strong case for the validity of transcriptions as a musical art form…”
For Music and Arts Blog, Canada
“She keeps everything bright and sparkling, no matter how complex the harmonized counterpoint is. …It’s a pleasure to welcome a gifted pianist whose abilities stand out even on the current scene, which is awash with keyboard talent. What is special about Chochieva is that such musicality is combined with astonishing technique.”
Huntley Dent for Fanfare, July 2021
Not everyone is gifted enough to play all of Chopin’s etudes in such seemingly careless succession. Not even Arthur Rubinstein, who had astonishing technical ease, dared to do so. For Zlata Chochieva, however, it seems like child’s play.<…> Nr. 5 [op. 25] was much as Lipatti played it: the singing of the middle movement like the sun in a pond under an infinite prism of colours, Nr. 6 the study of thirds, in a word an experience, high school of pianism, No. 7 a deeply felt epic without ego with a gripping climax, and No. 8 like a butterfly, freely dancing on the wind. No. 9 displayed aristocratic mastery reminiscent of Bolet and Cherkassky, with mischievous basses. <…> With two inimitable encores, Medtner’s Canzona Serenata and another black key etude, one of the most beautiful recitals I have ever heard came to an end. A single etude would already have been worth the trip to Brussels…»
— Eric Schoones, Pianist Magazine
04/03/2020
“Completely void of artificial affectations, and negotiating Chopin’s filigree passagework with effortless, liquid finesse, her performance was a triumph of natural expression and unswerving musicality.”
- The Scotsman, 07/02/2020
[Chochieva’s] “account of his Piano Concerto No.1, [. . .] was a flawless one of such relaxed mastery that its technical challenges seemed irrelevant. Her firm and precise touch at the keyboard made no attempt to over-sell the tunes, or linger over them, even as the slow central movement unfolded in one beguiling experience.”
“This concert immediately turned out as a thrilling finale—almost as if everything Chochieva’s pianist colleagues (who had been exclusively male so far) had performed before was directed towards Sergei Rachmaninov’s D minor Sonata, Op. 28, which concluded the Moscow-born pianist’s recital, and served as a final chord to the whole festival. <…>
Read more...BEST MUSICAL EVENT OF 2019 IN VANCOUVER
“<…> The current concert of the Etudes Op.25 and Rachmaninoff’s Corelli Variations did not disappoint: the pianistic strength, thoughtfulness and individuality of this 34-year-old Russian artist are exceptional by any standard. But it was not just her strong technical capabilities that impressed.
Read more...“<…> She did not misuse the tightly built work [Rachmaninoff Concerto Nr. 4] as a playground for virtuoso feats of strength, but attached great importance to a filigree, lean performance, with which she revealed the qualities of the piece in a sovereign and sensitive manner.”
- Aachener Zeitung, PEDRO OBIERA
“<…> the Moscow-born artist demonstrated formidable command of technique and poetic prowess as her music-making unfolded organically and sublimely during the sold-out concert.
Read more...“… Chochieva, though, is the real discovery; her account of the two sets of Études-Tableaux, performances of huge emotional scope and intense drama, are as fine as any on disc, while she revels in the dark textures of the First Sonata and makes the Chopin Variations seem a much more convincing work than it can often seem.”
“Études-Tableaux – RachmaninovOver faltering, metrically bumpy marching steps: as though chiseled, a syncopated melody full of internal tension. As soon as the first bars of the F minor Etude op. 33 No. 1 begin, it becomes clear that an extraordinary pianistic personality is at work here.
Read more...“A famous pianist (I shan’t say who) to whom I was speaking recently said I really should hear this young Russian pianist Zlata Chochieva in the Chopin Etudes. ‘It is,’ averred my informant, ‘the greatest I’ve ever heard.’ Quite a claim.
Read more...“… Anyone tackling these works needs a virtuoso technique, and that she clearly has. But with so many excellent pianists out there these days, it’s hard to be awed by that sort of thing, even though it represents world-class talent and years of hard work. What really distinguished her playing was an extraordinary richness of tone, a sensitivity to the musical phrase and the way she used her first-class technical skills to serve the music.
Read more...“<…> I am very impressed with Zlata Chochieva, and her CD will occupy a worthy place on my shelf. Her reading is unusually distinctive, especially mature and insightful for such a young pianist. You can add it to whatever accounts you have without fear of your interest cloying or its losing its freshness and imaginativeness.”
Dave Saemann
“Among myriads of brilliantly performed studies by Chopin, there are just few performances which, apart from virtuoso form, highlight the whole might of lyrics and ardent thrust of his “songs without words” so strongly that technical excellence becomes unimportant.
Read more...“<…> in each piece, she seems to be telling a story which words are unable to express (op.25 no.7). <…> Natural, sensual, powerful flow of music comes straight into soul. The pleasure she feels during playing turns into the pleasure one feels during listening. All in all, her playing can surely rival recordings of the famous pianists.”
Isabel Fedrizzi
“In 1995, newspapers were writing a lot about an 8-years old girl with a phenomenal manner of performing Mozart in Moscow concerts.
Read more...“<…> Chochieva displays an excellent grasp of Chopin’s subtle weaving of
melodies with harmonies and rhythms.
“<…> The Russian, who is already playing the main podia of the world, not only amazes us with her effortless technique but also with her instinct for what is behind the notes, a world which she opens up without any trace of artificiality. In her hands variations are more than mere athletic exercises. She grabs the essentials, she deepens and enervates, while playing with the Chopin theme, all with the greatest ease and naturalness. And then the Sonata, after personages from Goethe’s Faust: what colours and what understanding of the inner drama. She will become one of the ‘greats’ – in fact, she already is.”
Rudolf Nammensma
Review of Rachmaninov album (Chopin Variations Op. 22, Piano Sonata No. 1 / Piano Classics / 2012)
“<…> Flexible, fresh performance without any tendency to imitation, splendid sound together with the almost meticulously organized form – it is a wonderful work by the talented Muscovite.”
“Zlata Chochieva is a pianist’s pianist and the booklet quotes glowing comments from Stephen Kovacevich and Pascal Devoyon about her playing with Kovacevich remarking that he would be “interested to hear anything she does… and that is rare”. This disc fully justifies their opinions. The disc is highly enjoyable and I never felt that the works were over-long or of dubious value; on the contrary I found them thrilling in the extreme and couldn’t wait to play them again and again.”
Steve Arloff
2012
“<…> 28 year old Zlata Chochieva, the possessor of a comprehensive technique who brings an inner glow to every bar. Her playing is indelibly Russian in its fullness and warmth, backed by dauntless and easy command.
Read more...“The performance of Zlata Chochieva has become a real revelation. Nothing distracted in this neat silhouette bent over the piano. Her playing impresses by lightness and unordinary inwardness.
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