Valentina Lisitsa plays Schubert-Liszt Die Taubenpost

[ErnestSDavis1]

Just delicious!

[001Asoer]

Do you have the Schubert-Liszt Ave Maria?

[ungava100]

Unspeakably beautiful performance. It has been such a long winter between Liszt and Lisitsa. I will be adapting fragments of such playing into my spontaneous improvisation for years.

[happyboy86]

Valentina, I think your Schubert is WONDERFUL. Question for you (unless you want to keep it as a secret, that would be ok lol) : Would you say that the rotation of the forearms is a big part of your technique? I mean, is it an important aspect of your technique. You seem so fluid and your sound is just always well balanced. Love your playing, thank you.

[AlcidesConstante]

And, like an awakening to bright fresh morning after nightmarish dream, we encounter Die Taubenpost ("Pigeon Post" - Seidl), Schubert's last work written two weeks before his death. Simple lines, charming melody, sweet verses - yet there is something incredibly wistful about this piece.

(Excerpt, DVD Program notes, Valentina Lisitsa, Stephanie Cook).

[AlcidesConstante]

Now I know how this can be possible... :-)

[Karlytyya]

She makes it sound easy... passionate.... and beautiful. But it is hard (believe me, I´ve tried to learn it) and it is really beautiful. I close my eyes and relax with the melody and experience power of music!!!

[CoolKuan520]

I VERY LIKE U TOUCH THE PIANO.

[audiomagman]

This performance is absolutely marvelous. Supreme piano playing and a perfect musical comitment and understanding.

[478493]

Enraptured with this...just gorgeous! Thanks Valentina

[blindphil]

she molested those keys* ever so gently

[joedoves]

Absolutely gorgeous performance.

These transcriptions show Liszt's missionary zeal in spreading wonderful music to his contemporaries. I think Schubert would have been delighted.

[stevey226]

*Listens & Watches* Pfft, this is easy. I'm going to learn it, I expected more from Valentina, despite this piece being beautiful... *Looks at the score* Valentina... I bow down to you

[davkakach]

Terrific performance.

[wnaenni]

Sie spielen einfach wunderbar!!!

[horacio220]

excelente es una de mis pianistas favoritas

[glance777]

es war mir eine Freude

[felix0911176727]

Flawless playing...

[felix0911176727]

Flawless playing...

[VideosAlcides]

There are passages in Abshied and Die Taubenpost, for example, that easily vie with the most technically challenging writing in the whole piano literature. But if these are performed as they should be, the listener will be unaware of the difficulties, as Liszt left no place for virtuoso showmanship in this work.

(Extract from the Program notes, Valentina Lisitsa, Stephanie Cook).

Really, Valentina, the listener doesn't notice the extreme degree of technical difficulty...

[Totennebel]

@VideosAlcides

The piece sounds rather easy, but it is in fact really difficult to play.

[wborgstro]

Valentina is certainly unique among all pianists. SO NATURAL. Her delivery is mesmerizing.

This ALSO is one great upright grand piano tuned and rebuilt to perfection.

[KiNgOfKaRaBiNeR]

nice piano play good technique but its Schubert not Chopin.. She takes it way to freely in my opinion

[mikern2001]

I think this video is made in pieces, and that she separately recorded this piece, and it has been video edited. And I think she pays to have her videos pop up first.

[worf1400]

I'm sorry but you're mistaken.

I've seen her live...as close as the 6th row in Orchestra Hall -Chicago, IL. She plays here at least once a year. She almost has an infallible technique. Even if there is some minimum editing in a video...she plays them even better live. (:

[gomdm]

Between 2:51 to 3:39, it takes my breathe away.

[gomdm]

Bravo!!!!

After this one, I felt in sleep. The best relax music of all time

When will you tour US?

[VideosAlcides]

O ritmo é o aspecto mais ancestral, intenso e orgânico da música... e nesta peça destaca-se de forma marcante...

Brava, Valentina!

[VideosAlcides]

A música é um doce... o tom de Sol Maior e o balanço das notas graves é muito bonito!

E com o seu toque, Valentina, fica difícil encontrar as palavras certas...

Simplesmente maravilhosa!

[19bud59]

Wonderfull piece of music. Love watching her play. Brilliant. Just by watching Valentina play, surely improved my own pianoplay. Also, she is a very good source of inspiration, just watch her play with such ease and enjoy. The more you listen the more you learn, you will get very valuable lessons from Valentina if you watch and listen with your heart. Great musician. Pleasure to listen to.

Thank you. Hope to seen you Live sometime.

[Mazokn]

So touched by her performance. It entertains even without the sound but just her fingers dance on the piano keyboard. May Allah give me an opportunity to kiss her hand for once.

[HypnoSurf22]

I agree. I only hope I have the chance to watch her live one day.

[kiitoob]

she is very natural...

[Chachboon1]

That melody just comes out of nowhere! Especially around 1:38, WOW!

[buildingblox]

Just when you thought piano playing could not get any better! I am astounded. I adore her what she does with her relatively small hands (vis à vis Liszt's) she looks like she is stroking the keyboard. I am humbled quite lot...teary smiley o::::)

[gouloum2222]

hmm ... i think valentina lisitsa has big hands even compared to liszt. ;)

[AznBoarder]

oh my..... she is absolutely amazing on the piano... her hands are so beautiful I can't even fully explain how amazing they flow and play the keys...

[scratch8d]

she has quite a different style to anyone i have heard in my limited listening experience

[kage1369]

true :) she already is one of the leading pianists of her generation, she has her very own way of expression and lightens the classical music with new colours.

[Kuartz42]

Just amazing.......

[dokkkia]

she carresses the piano ...i've been listening to her for such a long time and i can't get enough of her. I studied piano a long time ago and I know how it feels to play with such passion.. lucky her to be so gifted!

[crogersrx]

That is one lucky Bosendorfer to have such a godess playing on it.

[ipmoic]

The wave of the future? Commercials accompanying videos? That's what sucks!

[uffizzi19]

her hands are gorgeus, beautifuls, her face is as a god...sihe is cute and unique...

how willbe in a prviate life? must be cool know her...

[FILIGREE1]

I can help with your question: Amazingly she is a bricklayer by trade and only plays the piano in her spare time. She is never happier than when walking her pit bull terrier, 'Tyson'. Her boyfriend is a night club bouncer and is known to particularly appreciate her interpretations of the Beethoven sonatos.

[xiangyik]

:) are you expecting anyone to believe that?

[uffizzi19]

she is divine...

[HarveyTruffaut]

Sending fresh flowers to you, and gently bowing to your talent.

[KriLae]

Well I have healed now for a while. The music sounds a bit differently.

So the music may be like the books. An experience counts.

[dokkkia]

she's a wonder, Valentina!! i can't have enough of her, i listen and listen and listen ...

[lilyladyinma]

From her video Schubert/Liszt watched on large sized LCD TV. There is something unique if you view carefully! I won't tell though....shhhhh! It might ruin the fun of the DVD for those purchasing it.

[greenrock483]

comme il joue c magnifike ! incroiable

<3

[TheSmurffather]

C'est une fille ... et oui elle joue tres bien x3

[cardangel16]

Her touch is incomparable....wow.

[gianpaga11]

Vorrei dire solo: Grazie Valentina per tuttle le emozioni che ci sai dare! Con grande affetto.

Che magnifica musica...

[KriLae]

with those flowers of greatest sorrow.

And to me this memory reminds with the clarity as it was myself who stood there somewhere.

[KriLae]

described it like this.

"Your mother had became a young, cheerful and beautiful lady while we were walking there with the flowers in her hands"

Well they reached to the coffin there this old lady lied.

And my mother got something like a nervous shock while standing there, so that she cried out with an almost desolate sorrow while the flowers from her hands falled on the body of Babuška.

And my grandmother wished it was herself who lied there.

So some of Babuška lies there somethere

[KriLae]

So this was enough for her! You cant have KGB officers, estonian partisans and religious little girls in your small apartment at the same time!

So this was the last time for Babuška to babysit my little mother.

But the time went on and Babuška had to live occasionally were it was possible. She had 5 boys, with my grandfather as the youngest.

And she died then my mother was about 15 or so.

So my mother Marika and grandmother Hilda went together to church to say farewell.

My grandmother

[KriLae]

So this Babuška (she made her signature as like this: +++ , so a true specimen of an historic rural lady) did a babysitting to my little mother. And she was so proud among other Russian old ladies who lived that time in Tallinn, to take my little mother secretly with her to Russian church.

My grandmother Hilda didn't know that! And she was totally shocked then unintentionally finding my five years old mother in front of her bed begging in weird way something about Gospody.

[KriLae]

she had to play every time then our quest did become explosive.

So she got an experience of being such a pianoplayer. This pianola (a gift to her from my grandfather) she played then is now 60 years old and is played by my son for the prize of a computer time (he likes Runescape).

Well, my mother had a Babuška (This is unbelievable that I cant remember her name! Every time I happen to go there to see my grandfathers grave, I read it, but this name of her is so unusual that I cannot remind it)

[KriLae]

Lembit (a man just came back from Siberia) at another side of this table.

My grandfather was a son of a rich Russian rural family whose home is still in use in Petšore (at western border of Russia) as a kindergarten (at least it was during soviet era).

And their father died in Siberia 1941.

So these family events were really something unusual. My grandmother told that once Vladimir and Nikolai went on fighting each other with hands.

And my mother Marika was then about 10. She learned piano.

And

[KriLae]

Well, this piece remind me something.

This did remind me something which wasn't initially my memory but my grandmothers.

I have become from an estonian-russian family with my grandmother Hilda as an estonian and my grandfather Nikolai Petrovitš as a russian.

This union was an almost something unthinkable. You could imagine one of my grandfathers brothers Vladimir Petrovitš (an KGB officer) sitting in one of our familieparties at one side of the table and the brother of my grandmother

[KriLae]

Dear Valentina,

wish You a nice Valentina`s day, and to your friends, parents, dogs and cats too!

You seem to be an human-campfire, around which one gets an amazing warmth.

You know Arthur Schopenhauer has told (it was something like that) that the only true joy one can have, is a joy because of itselves.

So wish you this best joy!

Kristjan.

[tato4527]

perfect technique.

[yourforte]

This is beautiful

[ValentinaFan]

While Valentina is a fantastic pianist technically she also has everything to offer musically and you only have to contrast this playing with her virtuoso showpieces to see what I mean. I couldn't believe what I was seeing & hearing when I first came across her and we all just HAD to chase around (London, Brussels) to watch her play. We look forward to the next time ! She duos with Hilary Hahn and brings their pieces to life without overpowering the violin.

[gnome667]

love this song! candles + darkness = Halloween party!

[jackjiezhang]

I Love That! When I get a real grand piano I will set up just like that. It creats the artistic mood.

[FILIGREE1]

Despite the candles, it's the best posting of her on Youtube. Beautifully played!!!

[FILIGREE1]

Why the candles? Isn't the playing good enough?

[givemetime123]

Très belle vidéo, ça sonne comme sur un vieux piano,très beau touché tout en caresse félicitation...

[goobleglob]

her hands just dance so beautifully with each other.

[solbriller1]

So musically and Schubert-like played. Would like very much to hear you play Impromtus and Moment musical.

[wenarto]

another 5 stars, i cannot get over watching this, since I sing this, I understand well your feeling...what a show, thanks

[goodridgewinners]

I am smiling. Truly beautiful. Schubert-Liszt would be proud. Perfect Dynamics and touch.

[floydrharper]

Heartbreakingly beautiful..

[RachStudy]

I am a great fan of your piano playing; always impressed by your technic and interpretation.

Out of curiosity, you might be able to answer a simple question: how long would it take for an intermediate/advance pianist to complete the study of the Rachmaninoff #2? Useless to say, your Rachma #2 is superb and I listen to it almost every day... yes, I am the inermediate / advanced pianist, but can only dream about playing the way you do. Chapeaux bas, Madame.

[jonnyboy126]

I am not Valentina Lisitsa but I can tell you that the Rach 2 is an extremely demandind work, in all repects. My professor makes her students play 3 Rach etudes and all the op. 32 preludes before we can play the rach 2. what are some of the pieces that you have learnde already?

[pdincelli]

Thank you for your answer. I have played some of the Rachma preludes, Chopin Studies (4 of them), Listz (orage from années de pelerinage, reve d'amour of course)... have been studying the Rachma 2 2nd movt for three months and it is decent. 10 first pages of the first movt... Studying 6 hrs a day + 1hr technic a day... will power, work, can achieve a lot. I gave myself two years......

[jonnyboy126]

you could do the rachmaninoff very well, technically, but it is such an emotional piece that you really have to concentrate. good luck!

[pdincelli]

You are absolutely right. Some pieces are technically accessible to many, others, which require a huge emotional input can stay out of reach... I'll let you know. For the time being, it is draining...:-)

[LVB1770]

ValentinaLisitsa,

Your are a truly gifted artist! Your tone,touch, emotion and joy shine and sparkle so well. I just LOVE your playing! Your are so wonderful. Thank you so much for your posts! I can't wait to get your Chopin Etudes DVD.