“Zlata Chochieva is a young, Moscow-born pianist who has been making the rounds of international competitions. She studied with Mikhail Pletnev, among others. Like most young Russian pianists recording today, excellent technique is a given with her. But more importantly, Chochieva is a Chopin player of style and charm.

The closest approximation I know of on CDs to Chochieva’s account of the études is the excellent version by Juana Zayas. Both Zayas and Chochieva make full use of the widest dynamic range of their instruments to bring Chopin’s tone pictures to fruition. Also, neither pianist (perhaps naturally) exhibits the machismo to show how extraordinary their chops are in executing these pieces. For example, Zayas only takes a minute longer to traverse the canonical 24 études than Andrei Gavrilov does, while Chochieva takes just two minutes more; yet Gavrilov sounds rushed and occasionally cluttered compared with the two ladies. There are some important differences, though, between Zayas and Chochieva. The latter observes greater and suppler freedom in tempo than Zayas, almost in an old school manner. Given this and the fact that Zayas strives more often for a generically large tone, Zayas’s performances can feel somewhat anonymous compared with Chochieva’s. And Chochieva employs a whole additional world of sound in her pedaling, which is thoughtful and judicious while always giving life to her tone quality. For a young pianist, Chochieva presents us with a most accomplished and striking set of the études.
Among the highlights of Chochieva’s études, the filigree in the right hand of op. 10/2 is exceptionally gentle and alluring. No. 3 is chaste in manner. Chochieva portrays No. 5’s Vivace with a twinkle in her eye. She succeeds in gracefully rendering the counterpoint in No. 7. No. 9’sAgitato is implied with the subtlest rumination of unease. No. 11 evokes the fashionable aristocratic salon. For the first étude of op. 25, Chochieva supplies a plush tone that is evocatively sostenuto. She displays unusual attention to rhythmic acuity in No. 3. The B section of No. 5 contains the most touching representation of grief. No. 6 follows without a break; I cannot tell whether this was the artist’s choice or an editor’s mistake. Chochieva is exceptionally fleet-fingered here. She gives us a tragic view of life in No. 7, with a wonderful manipulation of the piano’s darker tones. Her right hand depicts storms and tempests in No. 11. The last of the op. 25 études is vibrant and exquisitely proportioned. For the third of theTrois Nouvelles Études, Chochieva paints a gentle pastel of shifting colors.
The sound engineering on the CD is very good, full-toned and glowing but with a slightly murky ambience. My favorite recordings of the études are by Louis Lortie and Abbey Simon; both display exquisite virtuosity and interpretive poise. But 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

“The Études by Frédéric Chopin, Opus 10 and 25, composed between 1828 and 1836, prove various challenges in terms of technique of their playing. Yet they are full of refinement, expressiveness and feeling. Any pianist is tempted to make his own attempt at rendering their sentiments.

The Études should make imagination draw pictures of beauty and music, with all the technical difficulties fading away. This is the impression created by Zlata Chochieva, a young pianist from Russia, who had made her remarkable debut with less known piano pieces written by Rachmaninov. Some records of the Études may sound like exercises for fingers, but they revive like a book whose chapters are made of music pieces, as soon as the whole set is performed in one joining context. That is what we hear in Zlata Chochieva’s playing: in each piece, she seems to be telling a story which words are unable to express (op.25 no.7). Even though in fast Études – and generally – she opts for rather vivid tempo, she never robs the transparency of their contents. Technically, her playing is of good quality, seemingly effortless, and not too overburden with effects. 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

“Russian pianist Zlata Chochieva (b. 1985, Moscow), a student of
Mikhail Pletnev and graduate of the Moscow State Conservatory in 2012,
has won numerous international piano competitions. Despite her youth,
her keyboard style divulges a sense of maturity in the Chopin etudes, a
maturity supported by an arsenal of natural talent, good instincts and
superior intelligence.

Chochieva displays an excellent grasp of Chopin’s subtle weaving of
melodies with harmonies and rhythms. In almost every one of these etudes
she deftly captures the essential character of the music, tending to
shun temporary effects in favor of harnessing the overall emotional and
intellectual climate of the piece. She uses the pedal most effectively,
whether discreetly or liberally, and has wide ranging dynamics. Try her
lovely account of #3 in E Major, Op. 10, where the main theme sings
beautifully: notice the velvety tones she achieves through many
gradations of dynamics and deft use of the pedal. Also, try #3, in F
Major, Op. 25, where she delivers a leisurely but charming performance.
The ensuing Etude in A minor is played with a more staccato touch and is
brilliantly colorful in its jaunty romp. Her Black Keys Etude (#5, in G
Flat Major, Op. 10) ripples with virtuosity yet never sounds rushed or
overdone in its playful joy.

Chochieva doesn’t shortchange the darker side of Chopin: try the
inconsolable #6, in E flat minor, Op. 10, where the pervading gloom is
delivered with a flowing mesmerism in Chochieva’s perfect pacing and
velvety touch. Chochieva turns in a gentle, subtle account of #1, in A
Flat Major, Op. 25. In fact, in many pieces that other pianists either
rush or play too loudly, she shows tasteful restraint and a seemingly
perfect sense for the right tempo: try #5, in E minor, Op. 25, for an
imaginative and utterly arresting performance from first note to last.
I’ll write ditto for the ensuing G Sharp minor Etude. Chochieva plays
the octaves in the outer sections of #10, in B minor, Op. 25, with a
perfect sense for the music’s grimness and desperation, and the middle
section comes across with a melting peacefulness. A great performance!
The Winter Wind Etude, (#11, Op. 25) gets an effectively stately yet
stormy treatment from Chochieva. The Trois Nouvelles Etudes are also
brilliantly played by her, and I must declare that among young pianists I
have heard in recent years, she would seem to be among the most
talented and likely to have a major career. Excellent sound reproduction
from Piano Classics. Chochieva has made at least three other
recordings, which feature a range of repertory from Domenico Scarlatti
sonatas to Rachmaninov’s rarely heard First Sonata and Prokofiev’s
popular Seventh.”

Robert Cummings