# Valentina Lisitsa



## Albert7

One of the most controversial pianists in today's world. I enjoy her playing which is dispassionate yet full of energy.

I think that a lot of people judge her more by the way she became popular via Facebook and Youtube rather than taking her playing into consideration.

I admire her still.









Self-promotion is a necessity as a musician where sometimes the unknown isn't always discovered easily by the label.


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## Albert7

Coming out soon


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## Albert7

Wow, all quiet on Western front here.


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## Albert7

Such a nice gal. Seriously you could drink coffee with her:


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## Skilmarilion

albertfallickwang said:


> One of the most controversial pianists in today's world. I enjoy her playing which is *dispassionate *yet full of energy.


That's a harsh label to give any pianist regarding their playing in general.

I think she's done very well for herself, and she clearly has a ridiculous amount of talent.


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## Albert7

I believe that she is very brilliant and the fact that she can write her own ticket is important. Glass piano pieces? Yes, and that on her fifth (I think) album.

Risk taker and I love it!


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## Cosmos

I love Valentina! I follow her on youtube and other social media, and she seems like such a wonderful person! Her interpretations are either a hit or a miss depending on the work, but that's just my opinion.

For example of a hit, here she plays this popular Chopin polonaise...LIKE A POLONAISE!!! As opposed to slow schmaltzy preformances


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## Albert7

Lisitsa finally speaks about her forthcoming album of Glass piano music. So invaluable to her fans!


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## Albert7

Here she is doing one of the late piano sonatas by Beethoven. This is heaven isn't it?


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## Albert7

I love it when Valentina plays for the people... she believes that everyone should enjoy classical music, not just a select few.


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## Albert7

Lisitsa giving us some fashion tips and good music as usual:


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## Albert7

Not many pianists are brave enough to share their own practice sessions for everyone to enjoy:


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## DeepR

I like her playing of the more showy pieces such as Liszt Totentanz and the Rachmaninoff Etude 39/6.

But in general she seems to play a lot of music without giving it much thought. Adequate certainly, but lacking in terms of interpretation.


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## Albert7

In preparation for my upcoming Lizst month in April, I offer this lovely track as a preparatory piece for others to relish (an example of what DeepR was saying above here).


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## Dongiovanni

Saw many of her yt videos and I liked her playing, no doubt she is hugely talented. So I decided to go to one of her concerts. It was ... bad. I wrote a review in this forum if you are interested in the details. She must have had an off-day.


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## Albert7

Dongiovanni said:


> Saw many of her yt videos and I liked her playing, no doubt she is hugely talented. So I decided to go to one of her concerts. It was ... bad. I wrote a review in this forum if you are interested in the details. She must have had an off-day.


Yeah, I agree that she can be inconsistent... My only experience with Mutter live was sour grapes . Every great artist has a bad day in fact and I will need to find your review . Thanks for sharing your experience.






In fact, bad or not, I admire Lisitsa for having the courage to share classical music to more and more worldwide. She has guts. Lang Lang people proclaim to be an ambassador for classical music but Lisitsa is a trooper. She is full of energy in her 40's and still records her outtakes and her life in a way that one can see a legend in a making.

It's her use of new technologies that a lot of people judge her on before they even have a chance to hear her out.


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## Ajayay

I think she is very good. I heard her play the Liszt transcription of the Schubert Ave Maria and it was really beautiful, at a good pace and with lovely tone and touch throughout. I also think her rendition of the ridiculously difficult Godowsky Fledermaus paraphrase is superb. In fact, I struggle to think of anything of hers I didn't like. She seems to me to have a certain ease at the keyboard and she clearly practises very effectively. I think she puts meaning into her playing.


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## Albert7

Ajayay said:


> I think she is very good. I heard her play the Liszt transcription of the Schubert Ave Maria and it was really beautiful, at a good pace and with lovely tone and touch throughout. I also think her rendition of the ridiculously difficult Godowsky Fledermaus paraphrase is superb. In fact, I struggle to think of anything of hers I didn't like. She seems to me to have a certain ease at the keyboard and she clearly practises very effectively. I think she puts meaning into her playing.


Welcome here Ajayay... I appreciate your heartwarming comments about her. I really do think that she is very fierce and emotionally involved in her playing which on first sight can seem to be rather indifferent.

Also she has garnered a lot of fans via her YouTube channel and for me, that makes me touched in the heart whenever I see her add a new video to her playlist channel there.


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## Albert7

Here is a secret taping of Valentina's playing that she didn't realize was going on but then was very happy to put it out for her fans... it's like voyeurism for piano fanatics.


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## Albert7

I found this talk given by her to be rather illuminating in fact.


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## Albert7

Lisitsa playing some Glass off her latest effort


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## Albert7

Her Schumann is awesome and radiant


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## Albert7

One of the classics performed by her.


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## DiesIraeCX

.........................................


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## Albert7

Various live performances of Brahms...


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## Heliogabo

Two years ago I saw Lisitsa in concert in Mexico city. Until that moment i didn't knew anything about her. The concert was stunning, she played Rachmaninov concert #2 with OFUNAM Orchestra.
In the concert I bought her Rachmaninov concerts in Decca, which I think are fine, but not as amazing as her concert. Then I knew her youtube chanel and all that. I still like her and that concert is in my memories as one of the best I've assisted. :tiphat: chapeau!


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## Albert7

Valentina hosts a party!


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## AnotherSpin

Lisitsa in Donetsk, occupied by Russia and pro-russian bandits. Enjoy!


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## AnotherSpin

BTW, some "musicians", who performed on Ukrainan territories, occupied by Russia, found themselves in sanctions lists.


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## js10

Hi. Yes, I am reviving this thread after over five years, and registered with this forum just to do so. The reason is that I would simply like to ask if anyone's opinion of her has changed over the years -- I could see that she at least used to be fairly controversial (and I mean as an artist, not the political stuff). She has been releasing videos on Youtube this year of all of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas, although apparently the project has been put on hold due to an inability to enter Russia at this time, where she has been recording these. I, for one, am thoroughly enjoying just about all of these performances, and, again, would just like to know if anyone here has seen them as well and think she has evolved. Thanks.


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## Animal the Drummer

Hi. I haven't heard them all, but I have listened to some and my answer would be yes, for me she has developed. From what I've heard she's less prone to interpretations that swoon all over the place than she used to be, and a good thing too.


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## Phil loves classical

Not a fan of her stuff. She has the technique no doubt, but I don't feel she actually has an interpretation of the music I've heard her play (mostly the more popular Beethoven sonatas), more just individual mannerisms.


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## Guest

She has fleet fingers, but she doesn't bring out inner voices as much as other pianists do...she tends to stick to the surface.


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## nikola

I love her playing. I think that she is brilliant. She doesn't seem like struggling during playing and it comes naturally to her - playing is full of passion and energy. What she did with Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata' is pure brilliance imo. By what she is accentuating (and when) during playing shows me that she feels the music and has perfect understanding of what she is playing.


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## advokat

These two recordings are very different and each is superb. I listen to both often.


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