Press
Mozart: Piano Concertos 17 & 24, English Chamber Orchestra
Mr. Hochman, whose career as a pianist has been thriving, took time off recently to study conducting. It was time well spent. The stylistic insight, elegance and sparkle of Mr. Hochman’s pianism are beautifully matched by the playing of the orchestra.
Anthony TommasiniThe New York Times
The thoughtful, accomplished Israeli-born pianist Benjamin Hochman devised a fascinating program of works in variation form for this splendid new recording... There are extraordinary performances of a meditative George Benjamin piece and Peter Lieberson’s elaborate 1996 Piano Variations, all building to the final offering: a commanding, exuberant account of Brahms’s great, and daunting, Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel.
Anthony TommasiniThe New York Times
The excellent and inquisitive Israeli-born pianist Benjamin Hochman pays homage to Schubert with vibrant and stylish accounts
Anthony TommasiniThe New York Times
"On one special night, the exciting, inquisitive pianist Benjamin Hochman played a bold program of contemporary theme-and-variations pieces."
The New York Times, Anthony Tommasini
In the beautiful new recording by Israeli pianist Benjamin Hochman, the piano often sounds clear and bright, with sounds cascading like refined pearls, while at other times it can be likened to a full symphonic orchestra, tumultuous in its multilayered complexity and sound hues.
Noam Ben-ZeevHaaretz
Joy in the Grief: Musicians Are Making Art in a Pandemic
"I’m making music more than ever."
The New York Times
Mozart Piano Sonatas
Hochman caught the mercurial light, effervescence, and humor of the great keyboard master. [His] playing was clean, nuanced, rolling with spontaneous inflection.
Kevin T. McEneaneyMilbrook Independent
Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3
Benjamin Hochman was electrifying... Hochman’s performance with the orchestra was absolutely thrilling, and it will be remembered as a highlight of the BSO’s 124th season... a riveting performance.
Bangor Daily News
Hochman explores variations during Kennedy Center debut
"Hochman led the audience through this rugged, majestic landscape with such rhetorical authority that there was no hint of movement among his listeners when he paused between sections. The minute he was done, the audience launched immediately into ovations."
Anne MidgetteThe Washington Post
Rising classical stars warm to Schubert cycle
"Elegant, polished, and heartfelt... Hochman penetrated to the rustic heart of Schubert's turbulent emotional world."
The Boston Globe
Brahms Trio Op. 114
"In Brahms’s Trio for Piano, Clarinet and Cello in A minor they were joined by Benjamin Hochman — stepping in for André Watts, sidelined by tendinitis — whose sensitive playing produced beads of frosted glass in the Adagio and a muscular, impatient drive in the final Allegro."
The New York Times
Bach Partitas at Columbia University
"Mr. Hochman’s sensitive performance compelled you to listen. In his comments he was soft-spoken and intelligent, and those qualities characterized the playing of this gifted, fast-rising artist as well."
Anthony TommasiniThe New York Times
Goldberg Variations
"Hochman is clearly intent on making his own mark on this profound work. He’s very, very good, offering singing tone, clarity of line and a deft touch. He brings out the inner voices, playing throughout with calm assurance and authority. There’s nothing flashy or ill thought-out here. It’s all Bach all the way."
Santa Fe Reporter
Bach and Dallapiccola
"Hochman distinguished himself mightily in the summer’s first Bach Plus program last Saturday… Bach’s introductory note to the six partitas states that they were “Composed For Music Lovers To Refresh Their Spirits.” With Hochman in charge, they do and they did.”
Santa Fe Reporter
Janáček , Dvořák, and Bright Sheng
"The young Israeli-American pianist Benjamin Hochman has been stirring up quite a bit of interest recently... Hochman displayed quality and variety of tonal production which were deeply satisfying."
The Boston Musical Intelligencer
Schubert Sonata D. 850
“The performance of the Schubert Sonata was that of a pianist giving his all for every note, yet always holding something back, a balancing act that seems particularly appropriate for Schubert. The performance was never about timbre, but the range of colors he brought to bear on this piece, on the whole evening, was phenomenal.”
Sequenza 21
Mozart Concerto No. 17, Pittsburgh Symphony
"Hochman's playing was serene, virtually Olympian in its overview."
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
New York Recital Debut, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
"Fluidity and resiliency were two hallmarks of Mr. Hochman's playing, and they came to the fore immediately in the Praeambulum to Bach's Partita No. 5, executed with the smoothness of cream but the transparency of water."
Anne MidgetteNew York Times
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1, Seattle Symphony
"Hochman's demeanor is poised, and quietly confident. His playing is beautiful to hear. From the first moment, his crisp, articulated touch was noticeable, clear but not forceful, even with pedal, and he shaped the phrases in the long cadenza with grace."