and she practically performed in my backyard (Ravinia Festival) last summer...

Radar is not infallible. Just enjoy a pianist you didn't know before. We each have zillions of pianists unfamiliar to us, even when we think we are monitoring the concert scene.

How? Your taste was more refined previously. It only means you're slipping.

Valentina Lisitsa (spelling?) has her detractors (stores among them) just as Martha Argerich has her detractors. IIRC, the criticisms are similar, loud, fast and unemotional. Watching this video she's obviously feeling something in the middle section. I first heard her name a few years ago on this forum. If this is the first you've noticed her then, yes, she's slipped under your radar. Though to be honest she's been more of a Youtube phenomenon than anything else.

I used to love her but now i can't stand her...weird. i think that once i got past her virtuosity i didn't find much musical quality.

True - and that seems to have worked exceptionally well for her !!

Thanks for posting those! I particularly love the Liszt. BTW, her website says that she'll be back in Chicago on May 27...

I appreciate Valentina's broad repertoire, accuracy and candid personality. I also admire her use of the internet to publicize herself...but I find her playing lacks dynamic range and feeling. To put it simply, her playing does not touch my heart.

She is a nice, polite person and hard worker, at least from my experience meeting her.

stores you are correct, i am slipping. i find the older i get the harder time i have criticizing prodigious talent.

bessel, thanks for the tip. the CSO website has the following posted for that date:

David Hyde Pierce and Emanuel Ax host a day of free events at Symphony Center celebrating the piano, the piano etude in its many forms and pianists from near and far. Delve into the wide array of piano repertoire with performances by special guest pianists. Stay tuned for more details about this special free event!

it's on my calendar...

I think she finally got a decent recording contract not too long ago...IIRC of course.


She also has a great sense of humor...Für Elise as an encore after the Grieg A minor takes some moxie.

Ha-ha, Entheo! She came to my neighborhood after yours:

Saw Valentina Lisitsa in concert last night

Last year, I was kicking myself for missing Jeffrey Biegel, who was in Rockford for a performance just days after I had PM'd him with questions about stuff. I had no idea he was playing here. Grrrrr!

very cool CB

I think that it proves, among other things, perhaps, that you don't spend too much time on Piano World - unlike some . If you did, you would certainly have read a great deal about her, opinions ranging from raves to rants and everything in between, almost weekly.

Regards,

If anyone has either of her two Audiophon CDs that they no longer want, please let me know!

She is playing here (southwest Florida) next month.
We plan to catch one of her performances.

I try not to let other people's opinions sway me, plus I tend to appreciate any
good musicians.

Cinnamonbear, Jeffrey Biegel is well worth catching live.
We have become friends over the years, he is a humble man with amazing talents.

I find Lisitsa's technique almost mesmerizing and her Liszt interpretations remarkably effective. I'm not in agreement that she lacks musical emotion. I do find that her remarkable control often overwhelms her passion before it manifests within the music.

Her "Moonlight Sonata 1st" at stalker speed (apologies if this offends any stalkers out there) is one of my favorites. But I do wish she better leveraged the emotional charge provided by her tempo selection.

So I watch and wait in hope that her handcuffs of technical perfection are eventually cut and the music she is capable of creating breaks free.

Never heard of her.

She is fabulous - I subscribed to her you-tube channel

Like her or not, I greatly respect how she communicates with her audience. If anything, she has the greatest internet presence of any concert pianist. She constantly posts new videos of herself playing, writes about what she is playing, and even responds to comments.

I think her passion for her profession and willingness to reach out and interact with her "fans" is great for the art. Whether or not she is a top tier pianist is another debate.

I totally believe that, Frank! When I watched that documentary clip that lilylady linked to of him performing Bach, I was entranced! What a wonderful personality, and, oh how he breathed life into the music!

yes i see that now. i confess that between my business, teaching (not piano let me hasten to add), practice and family i don't get out enough.

it would be nice if there was a New Artists forum, or just an Artists forum, where professional talent could be separated from the hodgepodge that is the Pianist's Forum. it's sometimes easy to overlook the gems hidden in the heterogeneousness.

I know it's a little far, but he's playing on February 18th:

http://www.liherald.com/stories/South-Sh...n-Theatre,38668

I have her DVD of the Chopin Etudes, and I'm a fan. She's not my favorite pianist, but I like her fresh interpretations, a little different from the ordinary. And, as a Bösendorfer owner, I like her use of Bösendorfer!

She's practically the new Lang Lang here, although not in the real world.

To me, she's a living example of why the 10K (plus) hours of practice rule is not the equivalent of talent. It's just not there in any great abundance in her case, in spite of all of her expertise. But she also demonstrates that expertise coupled with a fairly limited talent can sometimes be a stand-in for the real thing, depending on who is making the evaluation, and how much exposure they have to her (sometimes it takes a while to realize that an initial impression isn't holding up over time).

I couldn't agree more, god forbid anyone should think someone who plays like this . . .



. . . . has talent! Seriously, who does she think she is? People who like this kind of playing clearly don't know anything, whatsoever, about what constitutes good music. Someone purchase her some recordings of Horowitz or Rubinstein, so she can hear how a talented pianist is supposed to sound.

I mostly agree with this. I probably would never buy a recording of hers, and her interpretations never stick out in my mind. However, I enjoy the fact that there is someone so active on the internet, constantly posting new videos and speaking to her audience..

Yes, it's a shame she isn't more talented, since she seems to know a lot about the material she plays. It's the old "she's trying!"

She's expanding her repertoire, doing tons of concerts, interacting with fans, posting videos, and recording albums. It's just that I don't think she's one of the most gifted out there. I'm not above enjoying her videos and her words about the pieces she plays. I especially enjoy that her videos are HD quality (since I have a fancy new monitor!).

I'll take the good with the bad; it's nice to have her around.

Of course she's talented...I don't think anyone is questioning that, but anyone can play the notes...it's not a difficult thing to do, but there's a TON more to playing than just realising the "tune". She simply doesn't go beyond the printed page and as a result never leaves me wanting more. Fine pianist with very, very strong technique (which I can say about a thousand different pianists), but I can't say too much more...how about...she has personality and she's ALMOST attractive (being blonde helps) and that's enough for most guys (I'd be willing to bet good money that the vast majority of her fans are male and for reasons other than anything to do with her playing).

Well, given that neither Horowitz nor Rubinstein recorded that piece, your suggestion is useless.