Past Performances
The Chopin Études are some of the most challenging and evocative pieces in the classical piano repertoire. A recital of all 27 of Chopin’s Études is an Olympian challenge and Shrewsbury was fortunate indeed to have them performed by the world-famous Russian pianist, Zlata Chochieva, on 30th September 2026.
In the interview before the recital, we learnt from Zlata how she had first performed the complete set as a final recital when graduating from the Moscow Conservatoire. Her subsequent recording of Chopin's Études was put together in a brief recording period but became iconic and was voted by Gramophone in the top ten Chopin recordings ever made. The recording was praised as "consistently inspired, masterfully executed and beautiful-sounding".
Her live recital in St Mary's Church on the evening of September 20th 2026 was quite breath-taking. Her superbly balanced hands and astonishing concentration brought a whole new sound-world to the Études. Her pianissimo was spell-binding and her ability to bring out melodies in these complex and beautiful works was revelatory. It was like hearing the works for the first time, yet with the conviction that Chopin would have been totally satisfied with her interpretation. There was delicacy, strength and poetry from her seemingly effortless and quite incredible technique.
Max is a young pianist and composer born in Birmingham who played a lunchtime recital on Wednesday 9th September 2026 in St Mary's. Max has already won The Liszt Society International Piano Competition and the Junior Wales International Piano Festival 2025. He completed his studies at the Junior Royal Birmingham Conservatoire with Head of Keyboard Jan Loefller.
Max has been selected to be supported by the Keyboard Trust, who kindly sponsored this recital. The Keyboard Trust Artistic Directors have also awarded Max the Dr Weir Legacy Award Scholarship, a legacy that provides substantial funds for a young keyboard artist to help cover academic and living costs for his undergraduate musical training. Max has been awarded a full scholarship at the Royal College of Music studying under Norma Fisher and starts there in a few days time.
This was a first performance for Max in Shropshire but will certainly not be his last. The audience of 50 were awestruck by the skill and maturity of his playing, amazed by the emotional understanding of someone only 18 years old. The new Kawai GX5 piano sang like an angel in the glorious acoustics of St Mary's Church.
The recital was described by Max as a journey of ‘virtuality and transcendence’.He began with a ravishing account of the Bénédiction de dieu dans la solitude, S. 173/3 by Liszt. There was a feeling that Mariam Batsashvili would have enjoyed this interpretation, as melodies appeared clearly through the overall orchestral sound.
St Mary's Church in Shrewsbury was candlelit for Fenella Humphreys when she played the complete Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin by J.S.Bach for the first time in Shrewsbury's history. These works were written in a 5-year period when Bach was not required to write strictly religious music and during this time, under the employment of the Calvinist Prince Leopold, he composed the Orchestral Suites, the Brandenburg Concertos, the 6 Cello Suites and the 6 Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin.
Mariam Batsashvili returned to Shrewsbury for a fraction of her normal fee to christen the new Kawai GX5 grand piano being donated to St Mary's Church, the new venue for the Shrewsbury International Recital Series. The piano has kindly been supplied by Tania Staite, a piano expert of 30 years and friend to Daniel Lebhardt who recommended her. She has provided a 3 year interest-free loan for £23,000 and the concert series hopes to raise the necessary funds.
Initial ticket sales suggested using the Trinity Chapel, but in the event the chapel was overflowing with guests, many of whom bought tickets on the door.
Mariam began her recital with Mozart's Fantasia in D Minor, an unfinished work completed by one of Mozart's admirers. The new piano sang under the sensitive fingers of the Georgian maestro, helped by the fabulous acoustics and visual beauty of the medieval church of St Mary the Virgin.