Valentina Lisitsa - Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto Nº 3 in D Minor, Op.30 (Part 2 of 5)

[789armstrong]

thats the way Rachmaninoff wanted it.Like Horowitz like Valentina.Stunning!

[feldkhon]

This isn't the best performance of Rach #3, I agree, not the best performance from Valentina. But don't forget this Cadenza is one of the hardest thing written for a piano and everyone can have a bad day. If someone wants to criticize Valentina as a musician, I beg him to listen before som of her Liszt or Chopin. She creates beauty in a way that few can.

[Sidecarmachine]

Valentina may not play the most beautiful cadenza, but comparing it to the cadenza Rachmaninoff plays, i find this one to be extremely accurate.. I personally prefer Bronfman's but that doesn't mean it is the best. Valentina just plays it very well and slightly slower than Rachmaninoff himself.. Oh and the sound of the recording is not the best also

[lenny2046]

I love her videos, but this... from 1:16 to 2:24 is a complete disaster, absolute horrible... but she is a great pianist (a bad day maybe?)

Go Valentina, you can more

[tjtheplay]

But unfortunately it sounds like she played this right after she saw her family get killed in a terrorist bombing or something.

[tjtheplay]

But unfortunate

[tjtheplay]

She's my favorite pianist but unfortunate

[nikon052952]

ive been reading these comments .. in my opinion valentina is the most talented ... hands of an angel...i find it hard to criticize a recording from a hand held digital camera.

[zachattack19942]

Thank you, have never heard her play Rach 3 except of the sample videos at Abbey Rd. Studios.

[Nstrumentalist1986]

who ever dislikes this is a fuckin faggot

[kingjepoy]

The cadenza is probably one reason why Valentina had never uploaded this performance on her channel. One of those bad days. The other is the orchestra. If I had an orchestra like that, I'd also butcher the cadenza in protest.

[danieldumanescu]

I can hardly believe my ears. This is a disaster. What's the point in being so fast here? Covering the huge amount of mistakes?! Oh, and that right pedal can do a lot of service when, well... not horrifically abused. I'm so sorry for Valentina, but this is not music at all. It's noise. Real pianists, when they have such a bad day, they have the strength of NOT playing at all. The consequences are way more acceptable that way.

[NOSEhow2LIV]

This is ghastly, messy, noisy & unmusical

[DanieloIndispensavel]

Say, did any of you actualy played the candenza, because i'm «trying» to learn it, and unless you can play it, you really shouldn't talk trash of it. I say bravo, and if I ever play the hole concerto 3/10 as god as she plays, all die happy.

[Rachmanfan4life]

@DanieloIndispensavel So you are saying unless we are all great classical pianists, we can't have an opinion? Most of us are not great singers blessed with a great voice, but we know in tune and great sound when we hear it. How about sports, most of us are not professional soccer players, yet we know a great player vs a lesser skilled one. So only professional people can have an opinion? I don't agree....most of the ppl on this board know this music well....and what is good or not..to them

[chapichapo00]

Very bad cadenza, one of the worst in Youtube. Some amateurs play it better. Sorry for all the Valentina's fans, but it's awful. Maybe it's why she's not a so great pianist.

Compare with Bronfman version, for example,you'll see the difference.

[belegSJ]

@chapichapo00 I agree that this isn't the best 3rd concerto cadenza out there - and definitely not the best played by Valentina. There was a more recent version of her playing this in YouTube, but unfortunately it was removed. Now THAT was amazing! Valentina truly conquered the cadenza there, with her head held high.

[dundy991]

Cadenza is too much: "I know, I can, let me show you!"

I don't like it. Accept for that, everything she does is... incandescent!

[smnnbdy]

I'm very dissapointed about the cadentza:( I wasn't expecting from Valentina such a performance....maybe she had a very very bad day!!It happens to every pianist

[Erik83474]

Sorry, but the cadenza just sounds awful. This isn't music. I'm very disappointed by this performance. It's so unidimensional: just quick notes, notes, notes...

[Erik83474]

Sorry, but the cadenza just sounds awful. This isn't music.

[IVlr3vil]

And it's for this reason, why Horowitz, Argerich, Rachmaninoff himself, Lugansky and other pianists follow the toccata cadenza. Andre Watts, tried to solve the problem with a hybrid cadenza. In terms of structure, the ossia is similar to parts of C# minor prelude, which Rach recorded himself playing and that's why most people play this a bit slower to let the "bells" ring.

[IVlr3vil]

What's difficult about this cadenza, isn't just the notes. Sadly, this sounds more Liszt (over-pedaling) than Rachmaninoff (who followed the Anton Rubinstein method of clarity and pedaling to reinforce clarity). Rachmaninoff, also preferred the toccata because the recapitulation was far too grand. Interpretively, it's harder to make sense what's going on in this concerto and the ossia is thrown off context. If you compose, you should know why Rach didn't like the ossia. Not because it was hard.

[kingjepoy]

the cadenza went a little haywire but that's because it's very difficult to begin with. Playing live doesn't make it easier. Still, i'm a big fan! Brava!

[pincheruso]

Messy....already ...the pianist....

[mrcpawlus]

Alexmorollo, The listeners ear and comprehension is different from one person to the next which is a blessing in comparison with no difference at all. Lisitsa is 39 or 40. I would think maturity is of a comparative nature specially in classical interpretation. Argerich, Kissin, Kern and others present their own style and interpretations and sometimes egos get in the way. I find the Eastern classical training and influence is producing better performances and Lisitsa fits well here.

[LoftyProduction]

MY GOD, WHAT HAS SHE DONE TO THE OSSIA CADENZA!!? SHE'S ABSOLUTELY BUTCHERED IT!!!!

[mrcpawlus]

The Ossio Cadenza was listened to many times and felt as though it was as close to if not better than Rachmaninoff or Horowitz with the original additions which few can pull off let alone be musical. Valentina's emotional musicianship is of such a high order that it speaks for itself which makes her performance of the Cadenza a blazing success when balanced with her high emotional interpetation of the entire concerto.

[alexmorollo]

@mrcpawlus

I respectfully disagree, I think she's simply too young to play this concerto. Of course, many pianists play it at ages even younger than her, Kissin for example, but to much critique. Lisitsa is in her late 30s and like everyone in their 30s and younger (don't get me wrong, myself included) lack the emotional maturity of someone the age of say Argerich. Lisitsa clearly has the all the technique require to take on this piece, but is just too young to fully understand how to play it.

[alexmorollo]

I'd also like to add that Lisitsa is still by far, one of my favorite pianists.

[Rachmanfan4life]

I love her...but I find her playing (always) too fast. I just saw Olga Kern live and it's just a very different sound. They are both exceptional, but it's like someone told Valentina "hey...it's a race to see who can play this the fastest"...and she said.."ok...watch how fast I can run through all the notes.." I know she tries to remain true to Rach himself, but maybe its me....just flying though notes is like missing too many 'moments'....of soul in this great work. Just my thoughts...

[gatojedi777]

I am not a music expert, but from a "common listener" point of view think I agree with you. I particularly like how Rafael Orozco plays the Rach 3.

[gatojedi777]

Still, I find Valentina Lisitsa's playing amazing.

[shaermy]

@Rachmanfan4life

I totally agree with you!

Although I don't like Lang Lang, I like the way he plays the cadenza. Some parts of his playing are too fast, but he does have those 'moments' of soul in this great work. The problem is that a lot of people look at his face and don't close their eyes to listen to the wonderful sound. Just my thoughts...

Anyway, Valentina did a very great job, like always!

[ninomagla]

@Rachmanfan4life

i agree with you, but one of my favourite pianist is valentina, she has non-human technique :) but i'm kind a disappointed, with Rach 3 performance, i also listened to Olga and then i was interested how would sound Valentina, it's realy good that she plays fast but there are some moments when it needs to slow down, for example from 1:31 this part performed by Olga was fantastic, i have listened a lot of performances of Rach 3 and only Olga was fantastic.

[steps222]

@Rachmanfan4life Your point is taken in parts of the 1st movement, but--for me--in small parts, only. It's the free, rhapsodic quality that moves me. Isn't it just this kind of varying reaction that makes listening so great? I don't even hear the same thing in the same way when some time has passed. I've heard Kern live, and have several recordings. She's impressive, but much more flamboyant, theatrical, etc. than Lisitsa. VL is the more interesting artist, I think.

[pnewcombutt]

@Rachmanfan4life

I can see what you mean. It's kind of a subjective thing. It depends on how you are feeling the music. It even depends on your mood at the time of listening. Like, if I'm in a very passionate mood or am really energized by a piece of music, I naturally want it to go faster! But not out of control of course. I think Valentina sometimes borders right on the edge of that balance. Either way, I love her energy. My all time favorite interpretation of Rach 3 is by Martha Argerich :)

[mudyar]

@Rachmanfan4life I cannot tell what piano VL is performing on. I know she prefers a Bosendorfer and think the clarity of that piano enables one to play faster,without overly blending the notes,which I believe can occur on a Steinway.which has richer harmonics..I have grown used to listening to Rach on Steinways, and prefer it performed on that instrument... 

[Drunk3nFist]

Wow... I am mesmerized by her ossia cadenza... It's as if she is not human..

[jorgeliebermann]

Yo que no creo en la reencarnación,pienso que Valentina Lisitsa tiene mucho de Liszt y de Rachmaninoff.Este concierto es muy difícil y no se puede abordar sin medios excepcionales.Aquí están FRANZ LISZT y

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF.BRAVOOOO...!

VAL

[jorgeliebermann]

Sólo comparable con Horowitz en sus cuatro versiones (Coates,Reiner,Mehta-audio- y Mehta -video-),y Wild (Horenstein,De Almeida).Es sublime.