An acquaintance of mine - an accomplished pianist - has just described you as "an enchanting player". I knew I hadn't found all the words to describe your playing which in the above piece is the voice of God expressed through your hands. I take it with me every day, as I replay it in my head. Your phrases swell and fade like waves, you create such images with your playing of this piece - no instrumentalist has ever transported me so completely as you have done, anywhere I have watched you.
Thanks for this. Thalberg is underperformed. It's really odd that RUclips doesn't have a single recording of the Don Pascale Fantasy, which is possibly his most famous piece and is up there with any of Liszt's paraphrases. I wish Valentina would record it. She would do a good job, as she always does with pieces of this type.
Very well done [as per usual]! Sigismond Thalberg goes on my list of composers to check out more deeply. He appears to be yet another good composer lost in the fog of the incredible talent of the time, although he was well regarded and quite popular in salons in his region. Nonetheless, I will seek out and listen to more of his music. Ms. Lisitsa is such a polished talent, and so young as well. I can only see her getting better with time, only better. Bravo young lady, and thank you for your contribution to my sanity!
Tell you what: that was lukewarm applause for the greatest living pianist; she just made this piece an incandescent display of out-of-this-world virtuosity, coupled with a complete joy of life. This woman is an amazing person and a genius of the first class. To be born with this prodigious talent must be unimaginable. I love her.
Don't see it mentioned anywhere, either in the title or the comments, but at least one of the prominent tunes is the aria of Count Almaviva in Rossini's "Barber of Seville." Another is the trio in Act 2 from the same opera. So probably the more complete or correct title should be "Grand Fantasy on themes from 'The Barber of Seville'."
Валентина ! Вы умница и огромный талант ! Браво !!! Всем ценителям фортепьянной музыки показываю Ваши записи и при этом добавляю - "Мы оба из Украины"...
I love Valentina's playing. And to make it even more spectacular, the picture and sound quality of this video are so superb it seems as if I'm actually witnessing the concert.
In addition to Marc-Andre Hamelin, you are the most amazing pianist I have ever heard or seen. I believe your name will one day be equal to that of Liszt.
C'est une vraie fête de vous écouter jouer cette musique si joyeuse, si légère ... j'imaginais des fées danser dans une clairière :) Merci Valentina ************* It is a real feast to listen to you play this music so joyous, so light ... I imagined fairies dancing in a clearing:) Thank you Valentina
Valentina, Thank you for bringing this music to life. It is a composition I had not heard before and it is quite beautiful, as is your playing. Your virtuosity goes without saying, but what I love most is your variety of touch; at times you thunder, but other times seem to gently caress the keys. Nicely done.
Not only is her playing divine, even with seemingly 'unplayable' pieces, she pulls it off perfectly. But also, I don't know in the world she memorizes these long, exceedingly complex pieces! And she plays every piece my memory, it's beyond human it would seem.
This is a forgotten composer that preceded Liszt, the difficulty of his pieces is not known to me, it might be written for show off to sound difficult but isn't like a Chopin or Liszt piece would be.
Wish I'd seen your comment sooner. Wife, friends & I are lucky and enthralled. We love Valentina's playing - we've followed her in London & Brussels performances and her playing gets 100% :) And we watch for more !
I can't hear the E on the top of the final chord. Even so, I heard plenty of other notes, including those triple trills in place of the double trills! If I played this, it would take me as long as it takes to perform the whole opera. This piece was intended for someone like V L - and there aren't many like her. Congratulations.
very true to contemporaneous historical accounts of this composer's style -- a little (weak) melody, with just about everything imaginable happening around it, chords, arpeggios, scales... lol But how awesomely performed!
I suspect this piece was either an encore or the last piece of a recital, which explains why the beautiful Bosendorfer was a bit out of tune (unisons) - just listen to the silvery top treble in those rapid chromatic runs! Thalberg - what a brilliant composer! Valentina - yummy!!
Well, I'll be damned. Ms. Lisitsa's playing is nothing short of incredible. I believe Horowitz would offer only sour remarks from sheer jealousy if he still was alive. Phenomenal virtuosos grow old and die, but it is good to know that nature will always grow replacements. Million thanks both to the poster and to ms. Lisistsa!
i've never seen lisitsa SO involved in a piece of music before. she normally plays in a fashion similar to argerich. this must've been really fun for her.
It has been recorded by Francesco Nicolosi, who is perhaps not famous, but he has recorded a LOT of Thalberg. Raymond Lewenthal played it in concert in the late 60s, and there is a recording of the recital.
It is rare to find anyone playing Thalberg, he seems almost forgotton nowadays. Of course he shines on the pianistic fireworks, with his "three-hand sound with two hands" as the most famous (and imitated by all his contemporaries, Liszt included). Well done, grandiose in style....
honestly....I think her brain is just superior in some way meant for playing piano. I mean of course other great players live it and love it and practice like her. But what I mean is how quickly she is able to learn and memorize and know by heart all these pieces. I asked her how long it took her to learn how to play by memory Chopin Etude Op. 10. No. 4 and her response to me was simply, "2-3 hours". That's not just hard work, it's a special ability. A gift.
@ValentinaLisitsa , was this the performance you gave when you first were asked to learn this piece? Such a fun and light peace! Thank you for introducing me to it. (I’m looking forward to hearing you in Pasadena 2022!)
@JoannaMeier I always return to Valentina, have done since I first came across her in 2006. Watched her live many times, traveled abroad to do so and well worth it. Every performance is alive, electric, unique and amazing. Friends who have accompanied me still talk about it & ask how is Val doing :)
I am especially lucky because I've seen - or rather, experienced - Valentina perform this live. She has the ability to "transport" you to sunny places with the sounds she makes. How can I describe it ? Images in sound I suppose, something transcending the piano.
Steinway is only universal piano. Yes, Steinway is great instrument, but it gives still the same great universal sound. Even if you goes strong to the piano... Bosendorfer is much more colorful (same as Fazioli, Petrof and etc). And one nice thing on Bosendorfer: you never hear the sound of dumpers. It's very quiet.
I've seen references to Volodos when people watch Val & I've watched most of the Volodos videos & listened on UK Classic FM radio. 12 fingers, I'd say he has, and some very good Liszt but emotionally Valentina appeals to us (family, friends) as our number one total pianist and musician to whom we'd always return, and her technique to us is better than actually strictly needed to express anything in the piano repertoire anyway.
I agree entirely. They're such a bigots of the confirmed institutionalized authorities. They can't feel the pith, the substance of her character - she's more restrained and less ostentatious, than some others, but she's very genuine in her musical expression and very deep also. She never try to imitate some others - she's always herself, and this is priceless. The harmony of form and content in her interpretations is incredible, stunning. She's technically flawless and her soul is beautiful.
She plays with musicality and no matter how fast the rest of you get your fingers to move it won't count for anything without her communicative priorities in place . so silly allyou people taling about speed as if public virtuoso can't spend notes. Notice first that she is a deep musician . she makes this music better than it is !
Lisitsa's playing probably brings out a poorly-tuned piano more than any other pianist's playing... Such a perfect musician playing such an imperfect instrument... Still, wonderful!!!!
Dear Valentina, Je speelde deze Thalberg fantasy fantastisch. Het is een erg moeilijk stuk en ik heb de grootste bewondering voor je dat je dit stuk kunt spelen. Je kunt het stuk niet alleen maar technisch aan, maar het blijft ook nog eens muziekaal en dat is het grootste kompliment dat ik je kan geven en je krijgt een zeer hartelijke groet van de sybarit schilder landloper Robert F. van Vliet
Do you come to Singapore to conduct Masterclasses and perform here??I really admire your broad exploration of a wide repertoire of music and wish to see you perform in real life...
En efecto Thalberg es poco interpretado. Una de las pocas menciones a este pianista compositor se encuentra en una de las dos obras denominadas interpretaciones de grandes variaciones de bravura (concretamente en : Marcha de los Puritanos de Bellini") ,en que se juntan los talentos de Liszt,Pixis,Herz, Czerny, Liszt y Chopin y Thalberg,considerados en 1837 los seis mejores pianistas del momento. Y la joven Lisitsa rememora ese momento interpretando una obra de Thalberg
I agree. Thalberg certainly takes some getting used to. It can be difficult to find the theme, countermelodies, etc. His pieces are very beautiful but sometimes I get a headache trying to discern the underlying melody. Definitely not my favorite composer but I LOVE Lisitsa and will listen to anything she plays!
More than anyone Valentina has developed otherwise thin technical displays onto the Bosendorfer piano, transforming them into rich tonal orchestrations resonant as only a Bosendorfer can.
Thanks for the wonderful introduction to this unknown piece. ----------------------------- Rolf, Netherlands. I am a collector of classical 78's and lp's Click "otterhouse" above to see (and hear!) some of my collection.
An acquaintance of mine - an accomplished pianist - has just described you as "an enchanting player". I knew I hadn't found all the words to describe your playing which in the above piece is the voice of God expressed through your hands. I take it with me every day, as I replay it in my head. Your phrases swell and fade like waves, you create such images with your playing of this piece - no instrumentalist has ever transported me so completely as you have done, anywhere I have watched you.
Thanks for this. Thalberg is underperformed. It's really odd that RUclips doesn't have a single recording of the Don Pascale Fantasy, which is possibly his most famous piece and is up there with any of Liszt's paraphrases. I wish Valentina would record it. She would do a good job, as she always does with pieces of this type.
What about Fantasia by Benjamin Lees ????
Very well done [as per usual]!
Sigismond Thalberg goes on my list of composers to check out more deeply. He appears to be yet another good composer lost in the fog of the incredible talent of the time, although he was well regarded and quite popular in salons in his region. Nonetheless, I will seek out and listen to more of his music.
Ms. Lisitsa is such a polished talent, and so young as well. I can only see her getting better with time, only better.
Bravo young lady, and thank you for your contribution to my sanity!
Well-stated. I'm more partial to Liszt ,but I am starting to feel that Thalberg may well be underrated.
Amazing ! How beautiful and fantastically played🌺🌺🌺🌺 🌺🌺thank you so much!
Tell you what: that was lukewarm applause for the greatest living pianist; she just made this piece an incandescent display of out-of-this-world virtuosity, coupled with a complete joy of life. This woman is an amazing person and a genius of the first class. To be born with this prodigious talent must be unimaginable. I love her.
Valentina is just great playing a really difficult piece. She can play anything in the piano repertoire!
It saddens and surprises me that so many people commenting here confuse fact with personal opinion.
Bravo brilliance music super
Don't see it mentioned anywhere, either in the title or the comments, but at least one of the prominent tunes is the aria of Count Almaviva in Rossini's "Barber of Seville." Another is the trio in Act 2 from the same opera. So probably the more complete or correct title should be "Grand Fantasy on themes from 'The Barber of Seville'."
Валентина ! Вы умница и огромный талант !
Браво !!!
Всем ценителям фортепьянной музыки показываю
Ваши записи и при этом добавляю - "Мы оба из
Украины"...
Fantástica interpretación de Valentina Lisitsa
Валентина !
Вы умница и, конечно, талант !
Браво !!!
Показываю Ваши видео всем и говорю, что мы
оба из Украины...
I love Valentina's playing. And to make it even more spectacular, the picture and sound quality of this video are so superb it seems as if I'm actually witnessing the concert.
In addition to Marc-Andre Hamelin, you are the most amazing pianist I have ever heard or seen. I believe your name will one day be equal to that of Liszt.
Keep listening to more pianists you clearly have not seen what is out there among historical recordings.
thank you valentina, you make me discover and cherish more and more wonderful classic music!
Thank you Valentina! This is WONDERFUL!!!!!
Beautiful! I love how you really bring out the melody. I often have trouble balancing the left and the right hand.
C'est une vraie fête de vous écouter jouer cette musique si joyeuse, si légère ... j'imaginais des fées danser dans une clairière :)
Merci Valentina
*************
It is a real feast to listen to you play this music so joyous, so light ... I imagined fairies dancing in a clearing:)
Thank you Valentina
Valentina, Thank you for bringing this music to life. It is a composition I had not heard before and it is quite beautiful, as is your playing. Your virtuosity goes without saying, but what I love most is your variety of touch; at times you thunder, but other times seem to gently caress the keys. Nicely done.
Not only is her playing divine, even with seemingly 'unplayable' pieces, she pulls it off perfectly. But also, I don't know in the world she memorizes these long, exceedingly complex pieces! And she plays every piece my memory, it's beyond human it would seem.
This is a forgotten composer that preceded Liszt, the difficulty of his pieces is not known to me, it might be written for show off to sound difficult but isn't like a Chopin or Liszt piece would be.
隔開了外面的涼氣。帶來了喜樂和溫度。謝謝！
It's nice to see someone who adores Ms. Lisitsa's talent as much as I do.
:)
Wish I'd seen your comment sooner. Wife, friends & I are lucky and enthralled. We love Valentina's playing - we've followed her in London & Brussels performances and her playing gets 100% :) And we watch for more !
Super...Valentina thank you...
A genius at work again... fabulous !!!
Absolutely incredible. Bravo!!
is there anything this woman can't play what a virtuoso.
I can't hear the E on the top of the final chord. Even so, I heard plenty of other notes, including those triple trills in place of the double trills! If I played this, it would take me as long as it takes to perform the whole opera. This piece was intended for someone like V L - and there aren't many like her. Congratulations.
Thank you for exposing the genius of Thalberg. I was unaware of his work until your masterful rendition. Beautiful!
yeah, thalberg aint bad... when played like this - awesome
very true to contemporaneous historical accounts of this composer's style -- a little (weak) melody, with just about everything imaginable happening around it, chords, arpeggios, scales... lol But how awesomely performed!
I suspect this piece was either an encore or the last piece of a recital, which explains why the beautiful Bosendorfer was a bit out of tune (unisons) - just listen to the silvery top treble in those rapid chromatic runs! Thalberg - what a brilliant composer! Valentina - yummy!!
Valentina Lisitsa...sei speciale!!! excellent...
I like the reminiscence of il barbiere di Siviglia, finale of Act 1, @ 2:17!
Well, I'll be damned. Ms. Lisitsa's playing is nothing short of incredible. I believe Horowitz would offer only sour remarks from sheer jealousy if he still was alive. Phenomenal virtuosos grow old and die, but it is good to know that nature will always grow replacements. Million thanks both to the poster and to ms. Lisistsa!
You are great!!!!!!! One of the bests!!!!!!
I can't imagine learning to play this from sheet music. Man, are you phenomenal!
Wow, Thalberg has some very inspiring compositions. Well done, and bravo!
Just magnificent.Never heard of the composer.Someone enlighten me.
absolutely brilliant!
i've never seen lisitsa SO involved in a piece of music before. she normally plays in a fashion similar to argerich. this must've been really fun for her.
That was awesome!!! Please post some more Thalberg if you have anything recorded.
It has been recorded by Francesco Nicolosi, who is perhaps not famous, but he has recorded a LOT of Thalberg. Raymond Lewenthal played it in concert in the late 60s, and there is a recording of the recital.
Deserves way more applause.
To 88alan8800
I think Thalberg is a great composer and you can listen to the moses fantasy or casta diva etc.
Grande es, en sus manos se integra ella al piano y nos transmite emociones
thank you for posting, your music is wonderful!!
Wickedly difficult stuff--played beautifully and artfully. Very nice!
It is rare to find anyone playing Thalberg, he seems almost forgotton nowadays. Of course he shines on the pianistic fireworks, with his "three-hand sound with two hands" as the most famous (and imitated by all his contemporaries, Liszt included). Well done, grandiose in style....
Seriously too perfect! Thats a good thing btw.
honestly....I think her brain is just superior in some way meant for playing piano. I mean of course other great players live it and love it and practice like her. But what I mean is how quickly she is able to learn and memorize and know by heart all these pieces. I asked her how long it took her to learn how to play by memory Chopin Etude Op. 10. No. 4 and her response to me was simply, "2-3 hours". That's not just hard work, it's a special ability. A gift.
very good interpretation indeed
@ValentinaLisitsa , was this the performance you gave when you first were asked to learn this piece? Such a fun and light peace! Thank you for introducing me to it. (I’m looking forward to hearing you in Pasadena 2022!)
@JoannaMeier
I always return to Valentina, have done since I first came across her in 2006. Watched her live many times, traveled abroad to do so and well worth it. Every performance is alive, electric, unique and amazing. Friends who have accompanied me still talk about it & ask how is Val doing :)
I am especially lucky because I've seen - or rather, experienced - Valentina perform this live. She has the ability to "transport" you to sunny places with the sounds she makes. How can I describe it ? Images in sound I suppose, something transcending the piano.
I really hope that lisita can come to hong kong
I am your fan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Liszt was a huge fan of him
Steinway is only universal piano. Yes, Steinway is great instrument, but it gives still the same great universal sound. Even if you goes strong to the piano... Bosendorfer is much more colorful (same as Fazioli, Petrof and etc). And one nice thing on Bosendorfer: you never hear the sound of dumpers. It's very quiet.
In absolute awe!
aime cettepianiste.dans sonate de ragmaninov elle est bien ;savais pas que c'était son mari le pianiste alexei kuznetsoff
Yes, i noticed that too...not one bravo. Some people are just musically ignorant. This performance deserved at least 50 bravos.
This is the only video of this piece i could find on the web! I can also be a very bad searcher! But still! I'm leaning forward.
You are the best, I'll be waiting for you here in Italy!!! Come soon ^^
I've seen references to Volodos when people watch Val & I've watched most of the Volodos videos & listened on UK Classic FM radio.
12 fingers, I'd say he has, and some very good Liszt but emotionally Valentina appeals to us (family, friends) as our number one total pianist and musician to whom we'd always return, and her technique to us is better than actually strictly needed to express anything in the piano repertoire anyway.
love the smile on her face when she plays it.
I agree entirely. They're such a bigots of the confirmed institutionalized authorities. They can't feel the pith, the substance of her character - she's more restrained and less ostentatious, than some others, but she's very genuine in her musical expression and very deep also. She never try to imitate some others - she's always herself, and this is priceless. The harmony of form and content in her interpretations is incredible, stunning. She's technically flawless and her soul is beautiful.
2:18 incredible arpeggio, it makes my body tremble with emotion.
ASSOLUTAMENTE MERAVIGLIOSA :)))))
Bravissima!
She plays with musicality and no matter how fast the rest of you get your fingers to move it won't count for anything without her communicative priorities in place . so silly allyou people taling about speed as if public virtuoso can't spend notes. Notice first that she is a deep musician . she makes this music better than it is !
I can't believe what I just watched! She ran through this like warm butter
wonderful val....
Bravo!!
太棒啦！
hi Valentina - if you are there?! When are you coming London to play - or better, Cambridge?
Valentina, you are my friend :-)
It's magic.
Sorry, but I love you!
Lisitsa's playing probably brings out a poorly-tuned piano more than any other pianist's playing... Such a perfect musician playing such an imperfect instrument... Still, wonderful!!!!
On second thought: will anyone repeat Thalberg's Hexameron event in the future?....
This.. live! You are Franz Liszt reborn or better. People present there should be.. I dont know what:)not a single bravo. Johannes
Dear Valentina,
Je speelde deze Thalberg fantasy fantastisch. Het is een erg moeilijk stuk en ik heb de grootste bewondering voor je dat je dit stuk kunt spelen. Je kunt het stuk niet alleen maar technisch aan, maar het blijft ook nog eens muziekaal en dat is het grootste kompliment dat ik je kan geven en je krijgt een zeer hartelijke groet van de sybarit schilder landloper
Robert F. van Vliet
Do you come to Singapore to conduct Masterclasses and perform here??I really admire your broad exploration of a wide repertoire of music and wish to see you perform in real life...
I am happy you noticed!
En efecto Thalberg es poco interpretado. Una de las pocas menciones a este pianista compositor se encuentra en una de las dos obras denominadas interpretaciones de grandes variaciones de bravura (concretamente en : Marcha de los Puritanos de Bellini") ,en que se juntan los talentos de Liszt,Pixis,Herz, Czerny, Liszt y Chopin y Thalberg,considerados en 1837 los seis mejores pianistas del momento. Y la joven Lisitsa rememora ese momento interpretando una obra de Thalberg
I think this piece has a difficult rating.Great!
@sweetnessglyc This is a fantasy based on the opera.
Yes it is.
Bravo!!!!!
Staggering! I didn't know it was humanly possible.
I also second that. It would be a real treat to see you perform Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.
I agree. Thalberg certainly takes some getting used to. It can be difficult to find the theme, countermelodies, etc. His pieces are very beautiful but sometimes I get a headache trying to discern the underlying melody. Definitely not my favorite composer but I LOVE Lisitsa and will listen to anything she plays!
3:48 chills go down my spine.
@Caigga900 it was depressing when i didn't hear more applause at the end.
@iplongnin
yes. and some literature textes says that Thalberg impressed the people much more than Liszt did! in compistion,appergio....
Is this at the center in Bethesda, or is this another venue?
great (who is Thalberg?; I will google it)
SUPERB
More than anyone Valentina has developed otherwise thin technical displays onto the Bosendorfer piano, transforming them into rich tonal orchestrations resonant as only a Bosendorfer can.
You and Thalberg both have 3 hands.
Thanks for the wonderful introduction to this unknown piece.
-----------------------------
Rolf, Netherlands.
I am a collector of classical 78's and lp's
Click "otterhouse" above to see (and hear!)
some of my collection.
at 8:13, what part of the opera is that?
at 8:13 what part of the actual opera is that?