Zlata Chochieva
Zlata Chochieva
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BIOGRAPHY
“I can think of few piano recitals finer than this”
(Seen and Heard International)
Pianist Zlata Chochieva is celebrated worldwide by critics and audiences alike as one of the most extraordinary artists of her generation. Described as “reminiscent of Sergei Rachmaninov’s playing,” she was hailed for combining “the overwhelming power of Martha Argerich with the subtle, refined tonal sensitivity of her mentor Mikhail Pletnev” — a highlight from a rave review in the Berliner Morgenpost, following her stunning all-Rachmaninoff performance at the Konzerthaus Berlin in 2023. Her acclaimed recording of the Chopin Etudes, selected by Gramophone as one of the 10 greatest Chopin recordings, was recognized by Jeremy Nicholas as “one of the most consistently inspired, masterfully executed and beautiful-sounding versions I can recall.”
Following her Carnegie Hall debut, Zlata Chochieva’s 2025/2026 season includes performances at major venues such as the Cologne Philharmonie and the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, as well as recitals in the World Master Pianists series at deSingel in Antwerp and in the Netherlands. She also appears as soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Mobile Symphony Orchestra, Norrköpings Symfoniorkester, and Aachen Symphony Orchestra. The season features extensive touring across the world — from Europe to the United States and South Africa.
Recording exclusively for Naïve Records, her latest orchestral album with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra — featuring works for piano and orchestra by Rimsky-Korsakov, Prokofiev, and Tsfasman — received 5-star reviews from BBC Music Magazine and Musica. Her most recent solo release, Im freien, was met with critical acclaim and named an Editor’s Choice by Gramophone. Her album (re)creations, recorded during the pandemic for Accentus and featuring transcriptions by Rachmaninov, Liszt, and Friedman, was awarded the prestigious German Record Critics’ Award (Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik).
Zlata made her first stage appearance at the age of four and gave her orchestral debut just three years later, performing a Mozart concerto at the Grand Hall of the Moscow State Conservatory. Since then, she has performed at leading international venues including the Philharmonie de Paris, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Herkulessaal Munich, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Victoria Hall in Geneva, Tivoli Concert Hall in Copenhagen, Casa da Música in Porto, and Taiwan’s National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts.
From a young age, she distinguished herself as a top-prize winner in more than 15 international piano competitions.
With an extensive and diverse concerto repertoire of around 60 works, Zlata Chochieva has appeared with major orchestras such as the Russian National Orchestra, Russian State Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Copenhagen Philharmonic, Munich Chamber Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan. She has collaborated with conductors including Tugan Sokhiev, Mikhail Pletnev, Vladimir Spivakov, Dmitry Matvienko, Marzena Diakun, and Christian Øland.
A devoted chamber musician, she has performed with Stephen Kovacevich, Lynn Harrell, Gilles Apap, Vilde Frang, Wenzel Fuchs, and Jacquelyn Wagner, among others.
A protégé of Mikhail Pletnev at the Central Special Music School, she also studied with Pavel Nersessian at the Moscow State Conservatory. She completed her studies at the Mozarteum University Salzburg with Jacques Rouvier and was subsequently his assistant for several years.
In 2025, Zlata Chochieva was appointed Professor of Piano at the Hochschule der Künste Bern (HKB).
Zlata was born in Moscow to Ossetian parents and now resides in Berlin. She speaks Ossetian, among other languages — a lesser-known language recognized for its cultural significance. In addition to her performing career, her current main passion is film scoring — something in which she makes her first attempt this year.
In 2018, she established the International Festival at Rachmaninov’s estate in Ivanovka and serves as its Director.
She is an ambassador for Bärenreiter Verlag.
2025/2026
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