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I find her style rather superficial. Which I myself tend to do as well.
That is, playing over the keys, with flat fingers, not pressing the keys all the way down, not holding full note values and not playing with true legato, instead using the sustain pedal excessively for these kind of passages. She plays as if she is just taking the dust over the keys with her fingers. I find this style contrary to the Russian school of playing.
Whereas, Kissin, Khozyainov, Kholodenko, etc. from this generation and Richter, Gilels from the past all seem to play with finger tips, pressing the keys firmly to the key bed, with power and solid tone, following the traditional Russian style.
I think her interpretations CAN be different than the "norm," but I don't really question her technique (her Chopin etudes are just amazing!). On the other hand, I think her pedaling can definitely be a bit much sometimes, but you have to give her credit for trying to be her own person.
In the context of performance, "style" is not very important to me.
Many of us study with more than 1 or 2 teachers. And though we follow a single teacher's direction to the letter while we are studying under that person, at the end many of us mix and match our influences and come up with something that we can call our approach and/or style.
Add in the extra influence of our increasingly visual culture, and what we've built with the help of our teachers has now morphed into something else - at least on the stage.
What's important to me is the musical communication. I feel that she is a good musical communicator regardless of whether I agree or disagree with the interpretation (and yes, I consider myself to be a fan).
If someone's performance style helps them to build an audience, more power to them: It's a tough business.
This is what Lisitsa had to say, when asked what advice she'd give to an amateur pianist (Pianist June/July 2013 issue):
"Learn and play your left-hand part as though it were a separate piece of music with a life of its own (reverse the advice for 'lefties', naturally). Make sure you are able to play your piece with no pedal (her italics) - relying on pedal to connect the notes and to obscure the deficiencies with a veil of pedal 'smoke' are the most common mistakes."
Concert pianists do all sorts of things while performing - some change their pedaling to suit the acoustics (which may have changed with the presence of a full audience, compared to when they tried the piano out earlier); others stick rigidly to what they'd practised at home, regardless. I've never seen a world-class pianist who didn't use pedal (sometimes quite liberally) even in Bach and Mozart.
BTW, András Schiff has been held up as the epitome of how to use fingers rather than the sustain pedal to connect notes. Look at his DVD of him playing Schubert's Impromptu in G flat, D899/3, and you'll see him not connecting the melody with the fingers at all, relying totally on the pedal.
She would be able to use a lot less pedal to connect the notes if she would change her style and not lift her hands two feet off the notes all the time. I find her playing very distracting. That said, she has an extraordinary technique but her playing is uninteresting to me when compared to Kissin, Yula Wang, Trifonov and others.
I find her style rather superficial. Which I myself tend to do as well.
That is, playing over the keys, with flat fingers, not pressing the keys all the way down, not holding full note values and not playing with true legato, instead using the sustain pedal excessively for these kind of passages. She plays as if she is just taking the dust over the keys with her fingers. I find this style contrary to the Russian school of playing.
Whereas, Kissin, Khozyainov, Kholodenko, etc. from this generation and Richter, Gilels from the past all seem to play with finger tips, pressing the keys firmly to the key bed, with power and solid tone, following the traditional Russian style.
What do you think?
That sums it up nicely for me. I find her playing lacks "teeth". There is a lot I admire about her including her lack of tension, her speed and her unique way of promoting herself on the internet, but her playing sounds bland to me and does not touch me.
What do we all think of her rach 3 concerto recording? I'm not sure quite what I think about it. When the orchestra opens, my first thought is "good lord, we're off to the races!" And, indeed, it is quite fast, though it is the closest to Rachmaninoff's 1939 recording in terms of tempo. In general, I like the faster versions. For me, that opening theme sounds best with some momentum, which is why I find Ashkenazy's version to plod a little for me in the beginning, though it definitely picks up, heh.
I think I still like Argerich on this one. Or Horowitz. But it's up there for me.
In general, I like Valentina. I agree that she has a touch and style which isn't terribly conventional, especially when compared some other Russian style examples. But then again, the same could be said of Horowitz. Very unconventional. (My teacher, who grew up and trained in the same general area Lisitsa did, is all classic Russian style; she's got me up on my fingertips, playing deeply, with the elbows up and out--I flattened out and kind of wiped the keys for a particular passage in a piece which I must have picked up from liking the way Lisitsa played it and I practically got whacked on the knuckles with a ruler.)
She draws me in and I find the whole package to be engaging (her enthusiasm, her open personality, her audience interaction, and her playing).
Valentina is a phenomenal pianist. Her technique may be unconventional, but it is accomplished: she plows through the toughest Liszt transcriptions, and the brain-teasers that most people wouldn't even want to touch after reading the score. She takes her music very, very seriously, and there isn't a hint of showmanship or superficiality about her in interviews or live practice sessions.
I think she is often relegated to the "pop musician" category of superficial Internet pianists with no real talent compared to the greats, but this is nonsense. The problem is that many people haven't seen or heard enough of her; if you can get over the unconventional technique, you'll find someone who is extremely competent and accomplished, who practices hard.
She does have to promote herself on the Internet, and I agree that THAT part can get showy, superficial, and so forth, but such is the business of promotion.
And do note that I'm not saying that everyone needs to enjoy her playing. I love her playing and I put it right up there with the best of them, but what I'm really asking for is to give her a chance beyond the one or two YouTube recordings you might have heard.
Finally, on the subject of unconventional technique, like the others have said: what about Horowitz, Gould, Schiff, etc.? Greatness is unconventional.
Beethoven - Op.49 No.1 (sonata 19) Czerny - Op.299 Nos. 5,7 (School of Velocity) Liszt - S.172 No.2 (Consolation No.2)
Dream piece: Rachmaninoff - Sonata 2, movement 2 in E minor
This is what Lisitsa had to say, when asked what advice she'd give to an amateur pianist (Pianist June/July 2013 issue):
"Learn and play your left-hand part as though it were a separate piece of music with a life of its own (reverse the advice for 'lefties', naturally). Make sure you are able to play your piece with no pedal (her italics) - relying on pedal to connect the notes and to obscure the deficiencies with a veil of pedal 'smoke' are the most common mistakes."
Concert pianists do all sorts of things while performing - some change their pedaling to suit the acoustics (which may have changed with the presence of a full audience, compared to when they tried the piano out earlier); others stick rigidly to what they'd practised at home, regardless. I've never seen a world-class pianist who didn't use pedal (sometimes quite liberally) even in Bach and Mozart.
BTW, András Schiff has been held up as the epitome of how to use fingers rather than the sustain pedal to connect notes. Look at his DVD of him playing Schubert's Impromptu in G flat, D899/3, and you'll see him not connecting the melody with the fingers at all, relying totally on the pedal.
If you'e going to use pedal, over-holding notes to create the illusion of legato is not necessary.
This is what Lisitsa had to say, when asked what advice she'd give to an amateur pianist (Pianist June/July 2013 issue):
"Learn and play your left-hand part as though it were a separate piece of music with a life of its own (reverse the advice for 'lefties', naturally). Make sure you are able to play your piece with no pedal (her italics) - relying on pedal to connect the notes and to obscure the deficiencies with a veil of pedal 'smoke' are the most common mistakes."
Concert pianists do all sorts of things while performing - some change their pedaling to suit the acoustics (which may have changed with the presence of a full audience, compared to when they tried the piano out earlier); others stick rigidly to what they'd practised at home, regardless. I've never seen a world-class pianist who didn't use pedal (sometimes quite liberally) even in Bach and Mozart.
BTW, András Schiff has been held up as the epitome of how to use fingers rather than the sustain pedal to connect notes. Look at his DVD of him playing Schubert's Impromptu in G flat, D899/3, and you'll see him not connecting the melody with the fingers at all, relying totally on the pedal.
If you'e going to use pedal, over-holding notes to create the illusion of legato is not necessary.
I was MOST disappointed with that article. I was expecting new photos of her in London and all they did was get a few shots off the internet and talk to her on the 'phone in Paris!
Fanny Waterman gave the left hand advice many years ago too.
That said. the content of the interview was OK. That issue of "Pianist" sold out very quickly, I got the last one in my town on the 3rd day of publication.
Not sure an article about Hakki would have the same pull.
Visually, I have always been struck by how she appears to paw at the piano. I showed a video to the piano prof who I have worked with occasionally, and the arched eyebrow spoke volumes. But heck, if it works for her ...
This is what Lisitsa had to say, when asked what advice she'd give to an amateur pianist (Pianist June/July 2013 issue):
"Learn and play your left-hand part as though it were a separate piece of music with a life of its own (reverse the advice for 'lefties', naturally). Make sure you are able to play your piece with no pedal (her italics) - relying on pedal to connect the notes and to obscure the deficiencies with a veil of pedal 'smoke' are the most common mistakes."
Concert pianists do all sorts of things while performing - some change their pedaling to suit the acoustics (which may have changed with the presence of a full audience, compared to when they tried the piano out earlier); others stick rigidly to what they'd practised at home, regardless. I've never seen a world-class pianist who didn't use pedal (sometimes quite liberally) even in Bach and Mozart.
BTW, András Schiff has been held up as the epitome of how to use fingers rather than the sustain pedal to connect notes. Look at his DVD of him playing Schubert's Impromptu in G flat, D899/3, and you'll see him not connecting the melody with the fingers at all, relying totally on the pedal.
If you'e going to use pedal, over-holding notes to create the illusion of legato is not necessary.
I was MOST disappointed with that article. I was expecting new photos of her in London and all they did was get a few shots off the internet and talk to her on the 'phone in Paris!
Fanny Waterman gave the left hand advice many years ago too.
That said. the content of the interview was OK. That issue of "Pianist" sold out very quickly, I got the last one in my town on the 3rd day of publication.
Not sure an article about Hakki would have the same pull.
I'm a huge Lisitsa fan, but come on: that shot at the OP was unnecessary.
He wasn't being disrespectful at all, he just doesn't agree with you.
Make the debate as fiery as you want. Get dirty about it. But restrict the debate to the music and musicians . . . leave the cheap-shots out of it.
Beethoven - Op.49 No.1 (sonata 19) Czerny - Op.299 Nos. 5,7 (School of Velocity) Liszt - S.172 No.2 (Consolation No.2)
Dream piece: Rachmaninoff - Sonata 2, movement 2 in E minor
What on earth are you going on about, "Russian School" and Valentina Lisitsa for?
This seems a remarkable lack of knowledge of the subject.
You do KNOW....... don't you?
I'm afraid I have no idea what it is I'm supposed to know here.
But then again it's often less about the answer than the general desire to shame unsophistication when one asks a question and purposefully withholds the answer. Otherwise one would just simply share what it is they know and are sure you don't.
This is what Lisitsa had to say, when asked what advice she'd give to an amateur pianist (Pianist June/July 2013 issue):
"Learn and play your left-hand part as though it were a separate piece of music with a life of its own (reverse the advice for 'lefties', naturally). Make sure you are able to play your piece with no pedal (her italics) - relying on pedal to connect the notes and to obscure the deficiencies with a veil of pedal 'smoke' are the most common mistakes."
Concert pianists do all sorts of things while performing - some change their pedaling to suit the acoustics (which may have changed with the presence of a full audience, compared to when they tried the piano out earlier); others stick rigidly to what they'd practised at home, regardless. I've never seen a world-class pianist who didn't use pedal (sometimes quite liberally) even in Bach and Mozart.
BTW, András Schiff has been held up as the epitome of how to use fingers rather than the sustain pedal to connect notes. Look at his DVD of him playing Schubert's Impromptu in G flat, D899/3, and you'll see him not connecting the melody with the fingers at all, relying totally on the pedal.
If you'e going to use pedal, over-holding notes to create the illusion of legato is not necessary.
I was MOST disappointed with that article. I was expecting new photos of her in London and all they did was get a few shots off the internet and talk to her on the 'phone in Paris!
Fanny Waterman gave the left hand advice many years ago too.
That said. the content of the interview was OK. That issue of "Pianist" sold out very quickly, I got the last one in my town on the 3rd day of publication.
Not sure an article about Hakki would have the same pull.
I'm a huge Lisitsa fan, but come on: that shot at the OP was unnecessary.
He wasn't being disrespectful at all, he just doesn't agree with you.
Make the debate as fiery as you want. Get dirty about it. But restrict the debate to the music and musicians . . . leave the cheap-shots out of it.
Get a sense of humour.... It's what is sometimes called, "a joke".
What on earth are you going on about, "Russian School" and Valentina Lisitsa for?
This seems a remarkable lack of knowledge of the subject.
You do KNOW....... don't you?
I'm afraid I have no idea what it is I'm supposed to know here.
But then again it's often less about the answer than the general desire to shame unsophistication when one asks a question and purposefully withholds the answer. Otherwise one would just simply share what it is they know and are sure you don't.
That much I know.
I'm a huge Lisitsa fan, but I am not bothered about people who don't like her, it's a big world, we are all different, fair enough.
But if somebody starts a post that is at the very least not complimentary about a performer, excuse me, but I think they SHOULD KNOW what they are talking about.
The OP plainly doesn't and as you have proved and admitted, neither do you.
But it really doesn't bother me at all.
I know why I like her and know the inaccuracy of the OP, that is good enough for me.
I do not wish to shame anybody and neither I do not wish to read misinformed and inaccurate opinion either.
What on earth are you going on about, "Russian School" and Valentina Lisitsa for?
This seems a remarkable lack of knowledge of the subject.
You do KNOW....... don't you?
I'm afraid I have no idea what it is I'm supposed to know here.
But then again it's often less about the answer than the general desire to shame unsophistication when one asks a question and purposefully withholds the answer. Otherwise one would just simply share what it is they know and are sure you don't.
I'm not sure that slipperykeys knows what he/she's talking about either. Flat fingers are what was advocated by Josef Lhevine in his book Basic Principles in Pianoforte Playing. Whether this is the quintessential Russian School of piano playing I don't know, but Lhevine was definitely Russian and definitely well known as a piano pedagogue. You can't tell me otherwise, I own the book.
But I am a huge Lisitsa fan myself; I've got tickets to go see her opening night at the 92nd Street Y that I'm very much looking forward to.
But I still don't know what you're referring to, and chances are, I'd like to, if I don't know it already. Which I can't tell because I seriously have no idea what you're referring to.
But I am a huge Lisitsa fan myself; I've got tickets to go see her opening night at the 92nd Street Y that I'm very much looking forward to.
But I still don't know what you're referring to, and chances are, I'd like to, if I don't know it already. Which I can't tell because I seriously have no idea what you're referring to.
Care to elaborate?
OK, all fair comment. I actually spent nearly an hour on my original post to this but decided I was time wasting. (Not ALL Hakki's fault, of course!)
So here goes, this is an old post, I am surprised you haven't seen it but perhaps you have forgotten it?
