Études op. 10, op. 25 & Trois nouvelles études
Poetic titles by Olga Chelova
With her new album Reflections on Chopin, Odessa-born pianist Olga Chelova has realised a lifelong dream: to understand and record Frédéric Chopin's 27 études – Op. 10, Op. 25 and the three études without opus numbers – as a large, self-contained cycle.
Even as a child at the legendary Stolyarsky School, she encountered these works not as mere studies, but as living voices. Over the years, her vision matured to interpret them as a ‘model of the universe’: 24 études like 24 hours of a day – birth and farewell, light and darkness, playfulness and seriousness. In Chelova's interpretation, they are connected by invisible harmonic and spiritual threads. Even the silence between the pieces becomes part of the narrative.
In a profound dialogue with Johann Sebastian Bach – whose ‘Well-Tempered Clavier’ was a lifelong reference work for Chopin – the études unfold a universal perspective: they are miniatures of technical brilliance and at the same time existential meditations on time, fate and transience. Inspired also by the poetic interpretation of Nobel Prize winner Boris Pasternak, Chelova understands these works as musical explorations of human life.
She has given each étude a poetic title – as an invitation to listeners to become co-creators. From visionary ‘messages’ to tragic cries to the transcendent silence of the three late études, a dramaturgically designed cosmos unfolds, recorded on a Steinway D grand piano.
Olga Chelova combines technical mastery with metaphysical depth. Awarded early on, performing internationally and nominated three times for the Opus Klassik in 2022 for her debut album, she is considered an artist of exceptional maturity. As a Steinway Artist, chamber musician, composer and founder of the Mörfelder Music Festival, she stands for a humanistic conception of art that transforms virtuosity into expression.
‘Reflections on Chopin’ is more than a recording – it is the essence of an artistic journey, a tribute to Chopin's spiritual legacy and a passionate commitment to music as a mirror of life.
Programme
Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)
Poetic titles imagined by Olga Chelova
Études op. 10
No. 1 in C major ‘Message’
No. 2 in A minor ‘Broken branch’
No. 3 in E major ‘Love of the homeland’
No. 4 in C sharp minor ‘The heart’s fire’
No. 5 in G flat major ‘Chasing the sun – Children playing’
No. 6 in E flat minor ‘Lost in the labyrinth’
No. 7 in C major ‘Mellow greetings from Spain – Flamenco’
No. 8 in F major ‘Badminton – Sun sparks’
No. 9 in F minor ‘A tragedy’
No. 10 in A flat major ‘A many-faceted melody’
No. 11 in E flat major ‘Heaven’s harp’
No. 12 in C minor ‘Warsaw in flames – Grande Étude Pathétique’
Études op. 25
No. 1 in A flat major ‘Rainbow – The Garden of Eden’
No. 2 in F minor ‘Ice wind’
No. 3 in F major ‘Youth – We play tag’
No. 4 in A minor ‘The flight – The chase – The escape’
No. 5 in E minor ‘Gentle mockery – Declaration of love – Harsh mockery’
No. 6 in G sharp minor ‘The dreary winter journey’
No. 7 in C sharp minor ‘Farewell forever – Tragic revelation’
No. 8 in D flat major ‘Butterfly waltz’
No. 9 in G flat major ‘On the trampoline’
No. 10 in B minor ‘Snowstorm’
No. 11 in A minor ‘Whirlwind’
No. 12 in C minor ‘Poignant bitterness – Noble anger’
Trois nouvelles études
No. 1 in F minor ‘Longing’
No. 2 in A flat major ‘Tender flirtation’
No. 3 in D flat major ‘Silence – What can be heard in silence?’
total playing time
Olga Chelova piano
Biography
Olga Chelova, born in Odessa, combines technical brilliance, depth, and poetic imagination in her playing. She began playing the piano at the age of four. She received her training at the legendary Stolyarsky School in Odessa, which produced world-famous musicians such as Emil Gilels and David Oistrach. At the age of seventeen, she graduated from the school with honours and played Johannes Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in her final concert – an event that marked the beginning of her international career. After studying at the University of Music, Drama, and Media in Hanover and at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, she found her decisive mentor in Professor Grigory Gruzman (University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar).
Chelova has won prizes at more than twenty international competitions in Germany, Italy, France, Lithuania, and Ukraine. She has worked with conductors such as Tadas Šileika (final round of the Druskininkai International Competition – Grand Prix for her phenomenal performance of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor) and Philippe Entremont, who said of her: “Olga – without any doubt – is a great talent.” Her concert activities have taken her to renowned concert halls in Europe, including the Alte Oper Frankfurt, the Großes Festspielhaus in Salzburg, the Tonhalle Zurich, the Liederhalle in Stuttgart, and the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome. She has made guest appearances at international festivals in Germany, Italy, France, and Switzerland.
Her debut album was nominated in three categories for the Opus Klassik in 2022 – a recognition of her artistic independence. Critics praise her “extraordinary maturity, inner passion, and metaphysical poetry” (Musique Classique) as well as her “mental clarity and flawless virtuosity” (DIE TONKUNST).
Olga Chelova is also very active in chamber music. Since 2024, she has been performing regularly as a duo with her teacher, Professor Grigory Gruzman. They have been highly praised by the Frankfurt press and thrill audiences throughout Europe with their interplay, which is characterized by intimate closeness, palpable familiarity, and an almost magical spiritual kinship.
Chelova is the founder and artistic director of the Mörfelden Music Festival, which she has established as a platform for young artists. The festival has become a lively and indispensable part of cultural life in the twin towns of Mörfelden-Walldorf and far beyond in the Rhine-Main region. For the past two years, Olga Chelova has donated her fees from this festival to children’s hospices – as an expression of her compassion for others.
In addition to her work as a pianist, Olga Chelova is also a successful composer. Her minimalist opera and a cantata on the subject of bullying have been very well received. For her, music is an expression of a humanistic attitude – deep, clear and carried by inner truthfulness.
Olga Chelova has been a Steinway Artist since 2022. Audio and film recordings of her piano playing have been made for NDR Kultur, OFTV, and Radio X. With this album, recorded on a Steinway D grand piano, Chelova fulfils a childhood dream. Growing up near the Black Sea, she wished from an early age to play all 27 études by Frédéric Chopin as a cycle – as a “model of the universe”.
More information
Catalog number: NEOS 32605
EAN: 4260063326059
