Valentina Lisitsa plays Rachmaninoff Prelude g minor Op.23 no.5, unprepared-i/t middle of interview

[@LeslieShaff-ud1ty]

Love that smile you have shared yourself, the instrument, and the composer, together with your audience. Thank you.

[@LumaPiano]

Anyone actually read the description? "completely unprepared in the middle of an interview", etc. She's playing in a casual, informal setting. Nevertheless it's still a fantastic performance. God forbid she let her guard down for 4 minutes!

[@PieterdeRooijHolland]

Right! She played Rachmaninoff in the middle of the interview, and guess what...?, until I came in for the interview - in the afternoon - she had been rehearsing Ives and Antheil all day (pieces for violin and piano for the 2009 tour she did at the time with Hilary Hahn), so here she shifted, on the spot and unprepared, to the completely different mood of Rachmaninoff's solo piano music. Please keep that in mind, folks!

[@WJE37FCSM]

PieterdeRooijHolland I think this is just her way of relaxing and getting rid of a little tension...

[@katiehammond44]

Couldn't have said it better. She is such a phenomenal player, and has inspired me in so many ways. I would like to see these guys attempt to play anything, close to even half as well as she can.

[@marjan6008]

@@LysanderBurleigh That's your opinion. I like her style of playing.

[@oleflogger6828]

@@WJE37FCSM Yes, I suppose her fingers felt nice and relaxed after she finished. Mine would have fellen off in the first minute.

[@ThePianoguy89]

She is such a gifted pianist!

[@peterfunke7092]

yes, and I like her smile, guess she's got a wonderful personality

[@masker1989]

Valentina is a genius no doubt. One of the best pianists in our time. And i really like to see one playing unprepared, just natural and emotional. Like Horowitz said: " music is emotion controled emotion"

[@Dimivim]

i love ittttt.........valentina is my favourite piano (not player-but performer) for live performance she is AMAZINGGGG

[@rustypatch42]

I like her style of playing.

[@anagram80100]

That totally graceful "no big deal" turn around haha. That was so beautiful I completely love her rendition. In my opinion it really captures the spirit of this prelude. Two thumbs up! And if I had any other thumbs they'd be up too lol

[@vickiehorowitz1934]

Apparently you're not a pianist. That was bloody awful.

[@MatTZI014]

No one plays this song as good as this girl does! I've seen various performance of this song on KZbin and they do not even compare to this version. She keeps consist speed and plays with lots of emotion. She is a true inspiration to me.

[@vickiehorowitz1934]

oh my, you need to do some more research into other pianists playing this piece.

[@JackSafferyRowe]

Your skills never cease to amazing me. Even when you play the wrong notes it sounds brilliant! Such power. x

[@Dimivim]

That middle voices played with both thumbs are just legendary!

[@vickiehorowitz1934]

Yeah,,,, no.....

[@Dimivim]

@@vickiehorowitz1934 yies

[@vickiehorowitz1934]

Nope

[@DopravniPoradce]

She a deity. And adorable one. The look in the end is sweet :-)

[@mercedekia]

the middle section is so colorful and well articulated and phrased. yet very sensetive and with feel.one would think it is Lisitsa...(!)

[@laf1090]

Absolutely stunning... such an inspiration

[@birgitnilsson]

Valentina is simply the utmost.

[@educhianca]

Thank you very much for sharing these videos here. She's lovely person. I love Valentina Lisitsa and her incredibly talent! I guess only Weissenberg and she can play Rach with such perfection! Thank you again.

[@sagadeeventos]

@Yaniss at 2:07 she did NOT make any mistake (at least to my ears), it´s an interpretation choice. There´s an ascending melody in the left hand (G, A, Bb, C) that resolves in a f#-D-f# chord (the D is the resolution for the left hand melody). She choose to anticipate the D (like an anacruze) then the f# octaves came alone in the next bar, it´s quite an elegant (and not easy to perform) choice. Sorry for my english.

[@benbisley]

Astonishingly good playing. Beautiful dynamics.

[@ZhongJack226]

If you hear something amiss, thank your maker for giving you such wonderful ears to hear beautifully played music - the player and the composer have gifts that pleasure us to tears.

[@amadeus5403]

I played this for a high school recital. The mid section action was very impressive. Thks

[@vickiehorowitz1934]

agree middle section was more nicely done that those outer sections.

[@MerrittJeff1970]

This girl is undoubtedly a force!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@rustypatch42]

I like her style of playing. Very light and relaxed movements.

[@horowitzkissin]

The perfect combination: Lisitsa and Rachmaninoff!!!

[@PsychoStueyHappyKittens]

Watching what a gifted pianist's fingers do is magic.

[@horowitzkissin]

Simply beautiful!

[@MrFrapado]

Thanks very much for sharing. She is so Good! She inspires me every morning to continue practising...🎶🎹🎶😍😍😍

[@liostroramiro]

breathtaking performance

[@enoquesant2000]

And it was just an interview! Incredible!

[@the_sheet]

I know when I hear something that I like... It speaks to me at some deep level i can't really put into words.

[@edwardferdon2161]

Peter Connor i keep reading comments by amateur pianists that so and so, be it a particular piano or a piece of music, "speaks to me". what exactly does this absurd use of the word "speak" mean in this context and please could you and all the rest use different terminology? suggestion: i know when i hear something that i like. i know it intuitively when i hear it and this can't really be put into words. this sounds much more intelligent than the misuse of the word "speak". also pianos and other musical instruments do not speak lol. finally valentina lisitsa just banged out this rachmaninoff prelude. it was too loud throughout and too fast.

[@the_sheet]

Edward Ferdon short answer: No You seem to forget that this was an impromptu session, not some carefully prepared recording. It was the spontaneous nature that really hit me. I like live rock music and jazz recordings; so, to me, if it was imperfect slightly raucous and that allowed some passion to radiate from the video, then "two thumbs up" from me!

[@edwardferdon2161]

Peter Connor you're so correct peter and i retract my comments about her rendition of this piece since it was not played in a formal setting such as in recital. mistakes can be forgiven here. in any case, i think most connoisseurs of the piano would agree that valentina lisitsa is a great talent and a virtuosa pianist.

[@emmaobrien2613]

her speed is amazing holy shiiizzzz

[@vladimircastro6481]

Just one word: Brilliant!

[@GCIYCTVHJ]

She is a golden goddess at piano

[@BenjyTempleton]

I've been watching and subscribing to her videos for sometime now and am a BIG fan! How enjoyable it is to watch such a talented and lovely human continue to develop and grow into a truly Gifted Artist and Performer. Thanks for your video postings!

[@LJBSasha]

Given that this was spontaneous and not fully-prepared, I dare say that she has nothing to be ashamed of!!!! How many of us would be ready to dare do this, especially given that this was being recorded for KZbin broadcasting?? Honestly? I say all the more, "Bravissima" - real passion and fantastic technique - and the rhythm is truly propulsive. Yes, I could envision a somewhat slower tempo; but to each one's own... Either way, no metronome needed!!!

[@nightmareTomek]

She's the only one I've heard so far, who really emphasizes the little solo between both hands in the pianissimo-part. I think, I'll fall in love with her just because of that :) O_o I once spent much time arguing with great pianists about how important I think this part is...

[@maryyueil]

Love this piece, I play it quite often. I love her rendition.

[@tamcocar]

Wonderful! She is brilliant!

[@BjornHegstad]

Loved how you didn't cut the vid after the performance, but let us see a bit more. Valentina is so adorable!

[@laf1090]

one word: brilliant.

[@AaronCarrington]

Probably the best iv ever seen/heard it played.

[@vickiehorowitz1934]

oh my I hope you've checked out the many many other pianists who play it so much better since you posted this!

[@AaronCarrington]

@@vickiehorowitz1934 Wow, 12 years must be the longest reponse time ever 😆

[@Tabby0127]

I can watch you play this piece over and over again. Just hearing the song and watching how you play it is mesmerizing and giving me a few ideas on a piece that I am working on. I just have to remember I got pedals on my piano...lol

[@garriemcneill6021]

Brilliant!! Loved the extra effort in this performance. Would love to hear Lisitsa Play Rachmaninov cello sonata for piano and cello with a Cellist of her level. 🙌👏👏

[@marcokokee5374]

i have to say, you play this piece with ease, like that so much, i like you very much ventina lisitsa. thank you.

[@christian1000bla]

molto fantasico! absolutely superbe! Fantanstisch!

[@donnellobrien]

I love this! This seeming impish nymph belies a strength and power of piano mastery.

[@drdeuelbz4173]

PERFECT !!!

[@fromanotherstar]

this is amazing.....

[@albertobasaglia7274]

Bravissima e bellissima ! Mi piace Rachmaninoff !

[@zygi225]

Rewelacja wielki talent :)) słucham z ogromnym podziwem i zachwytem :)

[@VictorNërokaroki]

She plays great, fast, strong and alive! The best. I cant hear slow.

[@vickiehorowitz1934]

Dude you have to hear more great pianists okay thus piece. Not even close to best.

[@VictorNërokaroki]

@@vickiehorowitz1934 just my opinion. ok? dont cry

[@Asigner4u2]

Terrific!!

[@sagadeeventos]

@tomatoplot for the educated ears, there are even more wrong stricken notes (i.e. at 2:41 and 3:05) that don´t stain the beauty of her interpretation; nevertheless the military sections "Alla marcia" actually didn´t draw my attetion, what really impressed me was her lyric performance of the middle part "Poco meno mosso" (1:17 - 2:20). I was stunned. By the way... some slipped notes are very usual when a pianist is asked to play a piece outside their current repertoire, and plays just to be kind.

[@tomoki2080182]

Very smooth!

[@aro22012]

@jihadsoup it means that if someone plays a piece emotionally , sometimes they change the tempo in certain parts of the musical piece trying to bring it close to their personality and perception... That's why you can't use a metronome to express yourself ...

[@rina5394]

It was a very superb performance.

[@ReturnOfTheStienway]

Wow! That middle section... Nice to hear her on such a small piano, also.

[@moozain]

She is definitely a World Wonder

[@nelsonpardo8333]

Muy bien excelente

[@arckanon13]

wonderful!

[@L.M1792]

The minor pieces are wonderful. And an abdominal flutterer to finish with. Taken with an almost child like thanks, bashful almost, thanks be to that.

[@ColoradoViews50]

She attacks the piano with authority, I like that. Perhaps a bit too much at times, but many others are too soft imho.

[@a6282]

Thank you for your comments. I guess we have different ways of listening to performances. Since we have musical memories, every performer we hear is judged by how he/she sounds compared to other performers we have heard in the past. Like it or not, this is how we perceive things as humans and I don't think it is possible to escape from this. When you hear something like this and that played by LangLang (also on KZbin), there is no choice but to say this is not as good as what I've heard.

[@koshersalaami]

I actually prefer her reading to Lang Lang’s.

[@مسعدالشعب]

It's absoultley amazing perfect i reALLY like Valentina, but i saw at the last part when she goes ascending and then descending there is an unexcepected change of metronome. but still it's FANTASTIC!

[@reine157]

Valentina is my favorite pianist, She is awsome and so talented.

[@Hobott]

@a6282 I think, there's a misunderstanding of the role and goal of the performing music art. Each performance must be judged not by some imaginary participation in some kind of race, but by its effect. Once it fulfills its role to provide an enjoyment, evoke an admiration and delight, so hence this performance is first class, and there's no matter then who's better - Gilels, Richter, Kisin, Matsuev, Horowitz or Lisitsa. Every true artist has his own personality.

[@bobhairgrove]

I'm glad that I'm not the only one who notices that! And these things are not just "mistakes" ... listen to her other recording of this piece from Seoul: same thing she does with the text.

[@edgaryeung4582]

Wow~Wonderful

[@СтаниславЕршов-к3е]

Самое яркое музыкальное впечатление моего детства была услышанная мною в фильме прелюдия Соль минор Рахманинова! Позже,подростком я решил преобрести касету с записью этой прелюдии и с тех пор я на протяжении примерно 25 лет я пытался найти исполнительницу(почему-то именно женщину),которая МОЖЕТ играть Рахманинова.И вот месяц назад я нашёл в сети этот ролик! На первых тактах я сам себе в слух сказал:"Валентина МОЖЕТ!!!"! Вот она подача,вот энергетика! А ваша мимика Валентина,после исполнения...!

[@FindTheRhythm]

LOVE Valentina

[@PureBassO]

if you see more of her she will play in the way that your saying she changes depending on what she plays

[@zygi225]

wielki talent oraz ogromny podziw z mojej strony :)

[@СтаниславЕршов-к3е]

Валентина ЛУЧШАЯ!!! БОЖЕСТВЕННА!!!

[@Nobbi111]

Great !!!!!

[@gatesurfer]

Y'all should understand that the way she plays it here may not be the same way she plays it in concert, or on a different piano. Musicians--at least good ones--form an idea of what a piece is "about,"-- the mood, the structure, the pieces it's made of. When they play, they're trying to make that all work together, but they react to the sound they hear and the feel the instrument gives them and make adjustments as they go. Only automatons expect to play a piece the same way all the time.

[@mercedesmartinezrubio1428]

Divina, brillante!!!!!!!!!

[@Khorne19]

I too noted many mistakes as well. she's an incredible talent, and lightning fast, but this is an exceptionally difficult piece, by the master Rachmaninov.

[@kovarex]

I practise this piece, so I played many interpretations of it, your is the best one I found (This applies for all the pieces so far ^^) I also love the fact, that you made few slight mistakes, which reminds me, that you are not god, but human, and it also slightly reduces the frustration of my fight with the piece :)

[@moonpagan]

@ chrisz178 ~ Anyone who has ever studied music knows that fundamentally there is always rythm and a metronome gives a person a reference point when first studying a piece or just brushing up on a piece as well. From that reference point you move into the legatos and passion oriented rythmic moderations. That's why someone as advanced as Valentina is using a metronome. She knows exactly what she's doing. :) Ron. ( ;-} >

[@eduardopaiva982]

maravilhosa 👏 não vi ainda ninguém a seu nível...vc é espetacular, Deus abençoe ricamente esse dom, pra não existe outro melhor, vc é a maior pianista do mundo 👏👏👏👏 Deus abençoe ricamente sempre 🙏💕💝😍

[@andrewjohnson3578]

this is my dream. to become anywhere even close to the pianist this woman is. and she is the reason I play! well that and my grandmother. but she inspires me to do better In eberyway possible!! she is in fact mepy favorite pianist!

[@ComputerSam]

Brava Valentina!!*****

[@michelroussanne906]

Merci !

[@Arsen738]

Классно сыграла! И вообще она очень классная и приятная женщина! Спасибо!

[@benjamingallus7448]

Absolute beast!

[@IVlr3vil]

Last but not least, I don't believe you should compare them by digital recordings. Gilels, Richter and Horowitz have passed away and we'll never hear them "live," but we can at least pay for and listen to Lisitsa and many amazing pianists perform. The emotions and feeling are completely different when the sound is heard in person, this video does no justice to what an actual piano sound can do. I had a crazy dream where I heard Rachmaninoff play and funny enough, no recording beat that dream.

[@carlwcampbell]

Bravo!!!

[@PieterdeRooijHolland]

yes, a perfect match! :)

[@AdamS32828]

I've got that exact piano, but in Satin Ebony made in 1909 in New York!

[@cgmuzic4119]

Just check out her performance video on her youtube channel.It will throw every doubt out of the window...

[@Distefanix]

GREAT

[@anthonytavarez1092]

waoo Perfect wonderful Rachmaninoff!!!

[@lePistolero]

yeah ball's in! I love your playin Valentina!

[@mercedesmartinezrubio1428]

Valentina... mi preferida, artistaza, genio con virtuosismo, me encanta escuchar sus interpretaciones.

[@koshersalaami]

I like the way she thinks.

[@epinedas]

Her left hand is amaizing

[@MFTie]

how can there be dislikes. I'm so annoyed man :| Well played, you're the best *O*

[@DrOli]

You just answered your question in one way or another.

[@Hobott]

@Mocka731 I think, this is a very important quality and virtue - not to care about your own mistakes while you're playing, not to pay attention to it - this is stability of the nervous system of the artist during his performance onstage, without which he is doomed. I remember, Richter said about his triumph in America: "I didn't deserve it- I played half notes wrong..." But anyway he's RICHTER - a genius.

[@otiebrown9999]

Always skilled.

[@Rreflex123]

BRAVO

[@Carlos-vj9ot]

Eres una crack 😻