Rachmaninoff Prelude Op 23 #5 g minor

[Stricker]

I remember hearing this in the Mission Impossible N64 game!

[Mosotti]

Dear Customers,

If you have a problem with the current pink & back setting, just imagine a black dress and a pink piano.

The Management

[94jmcorrea]

that's what happens when those who choose how you dress hate you intensely... breathtaking performance though

[SchrutenatorSC]

Too fast and choppy in my humble opinion. Don't get me wrong, this is an awe-inspiring performance, and I will never be able to play it this well, but I think it needs more substance, more of a manly march feel than an angry child banging madly at the piano. But still awesome performance, nice job

[bnizzio]

Valentina Lisitsa is amazing! This is my favorite version of this piece. I hope you keep playing for a very long time, you're great.

[TheVaskular]

It's so awesome

[andrejko3005]

More i listen more i like her playing :) Wonderful

[TheWater911]

I keep having a hard time re-finding this video.

It is personally my favorite song and this is my favorite interpretation.

[aStrimbu]

@TheWater911

Favorite it?

[ttslipknotrulez132]

@aStrimbu lol right

[DavePianist]

It's interesting that your musical interpretation of the piece shares a lot of similarities with the ones with Nikolai Lugansky. If I hadn't watched him I'd probably think your version is the best.

[piano0011]

This is wonderful! You play very well! I have just uploaded my interpretation of this work! Please feel free to listen and comment!

[christinendanelian]

what a gangster

[LoftyProduction]

what the hell is the fingering for when she starts that descent with the left hand at 0:47 till about 0:49 ... I've tried different ways I just cant get it.

[etudepatetico]

@LoftyProduction Starting on the F# at the top of the descent:

F# - 2, Eb - 3, D - 1, C - 2, Bb -3, A - 1, F# - 2, Eb - 3, D - 1, C - 2, Bb - 3, then at the bottom A - 1, F# - 2, D - 3 then jump to 1/5 on the G pedal 8ve.

Hope this helps. Am learning this one myself at the moment, the section leading up to this run down is very difficult, particularly on the last beat of each bar (semiquaver runs up alternating between 8ves and single notes). Best of luck, slow chord practice helps.

[DtaTheGreat]

@LoftyProduction WIth the right hand, she is using fingers 1 and 5 for the white keys, but the fourth finger for the black keys.

[scottjop656]

@DtaTheGreat This is what i do too! :D

[styflersmom]

masterpiece!!!! I'm having a hard time learning it....and if it helps, I have nothing against wearing the pink dress..because she just AMAZING!!!!!!

[arcturian627]

Did anyone else give a little chuckle when you saw that pink dress come out in the midst of those notes? xD xD

[DropDeadModest]

I love you Valentina! <3

[LAnonHubbard]

Beautiful!

[jEnJeNN128]

Who cares about the dress when she's utterly amazing and makes this piece seem so simple.

[MusicisLife373]

one day, one day, ONE DAY! i will play this piece i just started learning it and its so fucking hard playing slow isnt that bad but playing it a the right speed which = quite fast, is fucking very hard ive got along way to go before i can even play the first page properly

[14231423ben]

@MusicisLife373 I started learning this about a month ago too (*high-five*! lol) and yeah it's really hard..After alot of practising (A-LOT) I can play the whole piece now, but much slower + mistakes and stops here and there on the last pages..but I'll keep practising till I'll be perfect!

YEAH!

[diegowsanchez]

im valentina's biggest fan :D

[richclayderman]

@diegowsanchez you'd think, but actually you're right below me...

[MrSAINT235]

baaaaa

[MUSIC200756]

I like this piece thats all i have to say

[MegaTomco]

it is great very impzant, mistic and heroiqe. GREAT VALENTINA!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kari19881]

yeah... i also think the dress is out of place...

[Rufftyroff]

I feel russian now, makes me want to dance to this.

[colourfulwithaU]

This isn't my favourite interpretation, but what I really respect about it is the sparing use of pedal. It lets the piece breathe. I love that.

[ctsfinestjon]

@colourfulwithaU vladimir horowitz has the best interpretation.Tell me he doesnt

[blackness1747]

@ctsfinestjon , no actually he doesn't , that would be Gilels

[DropDeadModest]

She could be wearing a gorilla suit and I'd still love her, so shhh people! :-)

[qqwad]

what's the point with the pink dress?

[kristof23]

a Pink dress is not good for this music Valentina!!!!

really....

[belegSJ]

@kristof23 Well the DVD is called "black and pink", so I think the dress is necessary. :P

[VideosAlcides]

Aqui encontro a beleza...

Bravíssima, Valentina!!!

[simonetr81]

simply beautiful...

[giunipero]

I had no idea Gweneth Paltrow was so talented!

[MelodyOfOblivion99]

Funny, I just got the strongest urge to go and watch Pirates of the Carribean... xD And amazing playing.

[LeAzEMOval]

dont rush!!

[TikiFury]

does any one else relate the first part to a sort of "pirate" environment?

[AbbieLOLZ]

it actually does remind me of like Pirates of the Caribbean haha xD

[winkandrun]

TikiFury: It reminds me of Russian dancing pirates.

[sanguinewolf24]

wow.. I just wanted to listen to this while doing homework, and I couldn't take my eyes off of her hands - such beautiful playing

[weiRdFishYorke]

I agree! I use it for homework too, but I never get much done of course watching her hands.

[Elinachka77]

Умничка!

Russians! Этим все сказано, браво!

[pigeonrandle]

It is easy. Any fool can see that.

[Temptezt]

dam, it looks so easy for her o.O

[valeo626]

tedbohne have you heard richter's interpretation?

[valeo626]

russians!

[suchaBigKiddo]

i've heard of this before..

[GreatUnwashedMass]

I'm disappointed in this version. It seems rushed and un-enjoyed, but I am making the comparison to the very best performances.

[tedbohne]

perhaps the best rendition to date.

[123AssFace123]

amazing but i dont think the dress goes with the song

[CroBenji]

just close youre eyes :)

[timpanitimptim]

@123AssFace123 Yeah! Lol. I mean, you have to be a muscle woman to play this song, and she's wearing a little princess dress.

[raneenwh]

@123AssFace123 I don't think the dress goes with anything!!! :-D

[DeepskyGirl]

@raneenwh uhauhauhauhauha!!! LOL!!! I agree XD

[D0g63rt]

"Black and Pink". They're not supposed to fit together perfectly. That's the theme.

[1Sedicar]

@123AssFace123 yeh I agree. its slow like songs like Fur Elise.

[migas28]

@123AssFace123 yeah it should be more like a black, long dress or so

[Honeykissfire]

@migas28 It's from her DVD Pink & Black. The Pink is the dress and the black is the piano, simple as that.

[migas28]

@Honeykissfire yes, i know it's for the Pink & Black DVD, I just don't think the color it suits her very well.. but i love the playing anyway, so

[Chachboon1]

Like putty in her hands!

[oberon06]

i like the little arpeggio on the right hand at the end of the meno mosso

[legallucy]

fabulous!! listen to rachmaninoff playing this i think his playing style is unmatched

[jmichaelrout]

That's not a fair comparison; Rachmoninoff had three hands.

[Ellinidara]

haha,agree.:-)

[vergan0se]

@jmichaelrout ARE YOU CRAZY?? CAN YOU DO IT BETTER THAN THAT??!?!

[1donpizarro]

@jmichaelrout At least ...

[Thunderflower367]

ooo i really like her ending with teh pause before the final staccato.

[Scriabin28]

It sends chills up and down my spine, too!

[pianodesu]

I don't like the sound of bass of this grand piano.

It's rich but not powerful. Valentina Lisitsa played this exteremely well but I think this piece doesn't suit Bosendorfer. Check out Valentina Igoshina's version on Steinway, It sounds more soft and powerful.

[Jannothy]

why that pink dress?!

[decky90]

Because it's cool and different :)

[finntrollminrivfader]

because of her dvd.. Black and Pink

[jonehanty]

弹的真挺好 不骄不躁的 。。。而且还是一女生 真不错！

[PAlexR66]

C'est magnifique, envoûtant, ... lorsque l'on vous regarde jouer, on est hyptonisé ! O_O

De plus, vous jouez avec une telle aisance, que l'on pourrait presque croire que c'est facile, et pourtant Dieu sait que ce prélude est difficile (je l'ai joué aussi), mais vous jouez parfaitement bien.

Rien à redire, c'est parfait :)

[CodyNelsonMusic]

I'm thinking a little too fast, not impassioned enough, nor powerful enough in the middle. Not necessarily bad, but not the best.

Overall, a very technical recording. About what is expected from Lisitsa.

[iwantahat]

can someone tell me what level of difficulty this piece would be classified?

[ColdZer04]

The Highest difficulty immaginable.

:P

[watcher613]

you obviously haven't seen the Cziffra arrangement of Sabre Dance :-P

[pianocanival]

From hard to very hard...

I played this some months ago (( I should post it someday )), the first part requires tons of jumps and very light wrists, the second part requires lots of expression and legato, and the multiple voices makes it more difficult, the third is similar to the first, the real difficulty of this piece comes when playing it without tiring, and most importantly, without pain in the arms!... I bet the best version of this is Gilel's

[asdfhuliashduflasihf]

Moderate. It's not a hard piece to learn but it's easy to make mistakes when performing. The most difficult bit would be the multi-voice part in the middle section. That takes a little getting used to.

[Scriabin28]

No, it's not a hard piece to learn, but the technique involved is certainly not "moderate". To pull this piece off effectively demands excellent technique and artistic taste.

[tedbohne]

for hanabreaks, it's good you hold this pianist harmless because from the point of view of one has played this piece countless times, you're not likely to hear a better presentation. Close or even would be Garry Graffman, or Evgeny Kissin. Or perhaps you should listen to Sergei Vasilyevich play it himself.

[cdcrazyk]

i like it a lot

[ClickMusicale]

Beautiful technique!

[tedbohne]

Watch Horowitz play this. As usual, his fingers are largely straight out. THIS i find impossible. Rachmaninoff's Third piano Concerto in 1978 with Zubin Meta. Rachmaninoff himself gave Horwitz permission to make changes for his (horowitz) performance.

[PoopShitMario]

HAHAHA such a manly looking face, princess costume dont' change that XD

[themastererer]

I think she's pretty personally, not too mention insanely talented.

[Free411]

lol. she is dressed up as princess peach, well it looks like it atleast. but good playin...im such a begginner... :((

[hanabreaks]

I have nothing against Valentina in general but... I don't like this version. It's seems, i don't know, too expeditious in the first part. Lugansky's one sounds above all the other ones to me.

[rapperscanttakeahint]

I agree. Gilels tops this too. Lugansky's is just incredible

[YazDawg]

I practice this piece all the time and she makes it look easy.

[zets666]

if i tried to lift my hands up all the time really fast like she does i'd loose my place and play the wrong notes. i dont get how people do that.

[JakWho92]

they practice while you sleep ; )

[gimmeyonumbah]

yeah

and i don't know what notes to accent in the left hand during the arpeggio part :(

[xxaprunexx]

It's pretty much muscle memory... thats the only way you can do it. When you get to the point where you can play a fast or difficult piece looking away or with your eyes shut, that's muscle memory too!

[jurriepurrie]

not enough power

[haneyenah]

you do it then bitch

[blankpianist]

agreed

[uprooy]

I would prefer a more mysterious start, with a strict steady tempo, then, in the middle of the eye of the hurricane, pian(issim)o, and then again a mysterious start of the thunder again, strict steady pace. During the last notes, the thunder should be mysteriously gone with the wind.

But with La Campanella and the Chopin studies you've proved to be a world top pianist Valentina. Congratulations.

[SirArmengol]

Princess Peach plays the piano!? lol! Really nice vid

[marypoppins87]

She has incredible strong fingers. And as for the middle section: Stunning! Love that she does not over-sentimentalize!

[nielsbc]

Very well played! Thank you for posting this video.

[fyipwang]

I agree with foxyjohnuk that sheplayed middle section very well. The key to play the middle section of this piece is that has to sound like two pianos are playing because both hands have to play different melodies. I have listened many of great pianists playing this piece and I only find 3 of them did it clearly that way. Check out Horowitz, Richter and Giles. Hofmann is also great.

[Diomedes22]

Prokofiev does it the best by far.

[foxyjohnuk]

her middle section is the best i've heard, not so sure about the dress though!

[YayforComments]

just not enough energy. kissin makes this peice seem like its going to explode. granted he's a little rushed, but the peice seems to warrant it in a way.

[rautibo]

wow the keys are not right look at them :S

[b1llybrown]

you have so much heart

[arabianrose89]

I love this song.

[onecip]

LISITSA E ALLEVI THE BEST!

[dottbd91]

allevi?ahahahah paragoni allevi con lisitsa?ahahah allevi nn è niente a confronto!!!!!!!

[figuresk8r2009]

my favorite interpretation of this song yet.

[huyt8]

Wow... wonderful...

[pianofan789]

Hi Valentina,

I just discovered your videos and I'm absolutely amazed. You are by far my favourite pianist !!

thank you for sharing !

[YayforComments]

hah youre british aren't you. you guys and your U'S!

[dgkm83]

I like it much more when Gilels plays it (slower).

[senripiano]

I like it slower too. It`s like you can really hear the beautiful melody of this piece... :)

[yellingLoL]

it's hard to get a good feel of this piece from this recording because the sound dies instantly. they should have recorded elsewhere

[Creammacker]

nice playing but whats good with the dress lol

[PuptoPetra]

Well, I just listened to two Horowitz performances from 1931 & 1981 - both quite different from each other and neither remotely like Lisitsa's. If anything, her interpretation seems more to me like Richter's, but I think Valentina brings more passion to the middle section somehow.

[Rachturne]

im sorry but she plays it almost exactly like he did. listen to his, then hers, then his, then hers.

[GorbyGwapoh]

tiresome.hehe..,.

[mimibyrd]

I rather like her interpretation.

[cloud26793]

amen to that...

[zxcvb249]

hear Horowitz

[PuptoPetra]

The whole thing's fine by me. She's wonderful!

[ipotenusax2]

great pianist , dut what a orrible dress !!!

[Raffzeee]

The DVD was called Pink and Black...hence the Pinkness of her orrible dress

[mulleysue]

she plays this really really well. very crisp and clean, she really knows how to play. in my opinion she plays the middle section far too fast, i liked it much slower so i could really focus on being as lyrical and smooth as possible to contrast with the first and last sections. although she still accomplishes playing it lyrically.

[danedaworld]

I totally agree, but i have to bring up a point. It is her interpretation. This is part of what music is about: interpretation!

[medviation]

nice! very clear notes!

[MusicoNato]

queria aprender a tocar tão relaxado assim como ela!

[captaincookies]

je ne comprends pas bien le retour au "tempo primo" à la fin de la seconde partie, puisque le tempo primo est visiblement quasiment préservé pour cette dernière. Le ralentando n'est pas vraiment justifié, si ce n'est pour pouvoir placer l'accelerando qui est demandé dans la partition. C'est bien la seule anicroche, cette interprétation est absolument fantastique...

[MichaelNilloc]

Yeah, but she plays it so lyrically.

[MichaelNilloc]

That was amazing!

[CarlaUY]

Love the play

Hate the dress!!!

She is SO good!! I love her left hand!

[Linque13]

Valentina, come to Brazil! To São Paulo!

[hannahkii]

omg.... how was that even possible O_O

[lucyblackmusical]

excelente........la verdad los comentarios sobran es sobervia , arrognate y a la vez noble.....

[CardinalDextrous]

It's excellent, but I prefer Gilels' - this is very slightly too fast in my opinion. Her Op.39 #6 is phenomenal though. My favourite of this one is by the late Youri Boukoff - definitely worth a listen if you can get your hands on it.

[geshanev]

idk i think gilel plays it a little too slow but everyone has a different opinion right? ;)

[julywapo]

wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[silhouetted321]

It's a stress to play Rachmaninoff. His music lives it's own chaotic life and tune, which only adds the brilliance.

[ValentinaFan]

Beyond reproach. Please see the SAME piece she played recently "Live in Seoul. Encore #3.". Val always makes the piano sound the way it should ! Amazing, really commanding and authoritative.

Re other comments: I have Argerich recordings (seriously good she is - no dispute, and a musician worthy of respect), and yes Kissin is a very good pianist but for us (wife, me, friends) Valentina has managed effortlessly to mesmerize us at her concerts besides capturing our hearts & souls musically.

[Desmonddd2002]

LOL ValentinaFAN I totally see your praise of Valentina in YOUR NAME

[sdfgdsgfsdfg]

martha argerich would be proud of you...!

[stefacream]

Valentina, I love You :)

You're playing so wonderful!!!

Your interpretation is amazing, you are playing the difficultest pieces with so much elegance. I think you are best living pianist of the world.

[Ellinidara]

Absolutely amazing.

[Mysdir]

AMAZING!!! so clean and perfect

[Raffzeee]

So clear and non-fussy.

[ud752]

once again, she plays things I never heard in the song before. She emphasizes things the others overlook. This is why I like her interpretations probably the best.

[sophieemylenee]

AMAZING.

This and Gilels' are my favorites.

Her fingers look like they're dancing during the lyric section; it's really beautiful to watch and hear.

[MountCashelTuck]

Valentina do you have any advice for playing this piece?

[wordwise3]

Always wonderful. Aside from a slight tendency for her tempo to speed up a bit during fast and difficult passages, I think she captures the spirit of the works in a more decisive, authoritative, and reliable way than Argerich or Kissin.

[organboi]

hmm, i didn't know Gwyneth Paltrow played the piano...wow!

[ColdTearSP]

I love everything from Rachmaninoff. So emotional; eager, anger, sadness, romantic~

[ezeElPochoLoco]

I've heard it live in musikverein of Vienna... naturally played by valentina..

[orgelfan]

Valentina, I love You :)

You're playing so wonderful!!!

Your interpretation is amazing, you are playing the difficultest pieces with so much elegance. I think you are best living pianist of the world.

[MussoGorski]

Great, you are a virtuoso of your own kind!

[busylifemeto]

Probably a toss up between Valentina and Gilels. Equally different I think.

[bandong123456789]

she is very much like martha argerich in playing

[jegspillerpiano]

She is nothing like Argerich, she is far better. Lisitsa is solid, well-crafted, brilliant and powerful, Argerich is talented but erratic and superficial very often.

[angelfuree]

Good god, that was beautiful. Valentina deserves all the praise she gets. I see youtubers leaving really cheesy comments on videos of attractive female pianists who don't deserve it much, but man does she play SO WELL. Soooo much talent.

[lacrymosa85]

she's like a female Kissin

[fio1990]

better than kissin ;)

[clumpofdirt77]

BRAVO valentina! i have studied the piano for a very long time, and have heard countless pianists. A few of them have been very impressive. But then i ran across you, and i'm amazed. you are simply the best pianist i have ever seen, or heard.

[lecheparavaka]

I didn't know that angels can play piano that good...

[soulmach]

You should be the richest and most powerful woman in the world!!! :-)

[bahman1363]

pErFeCt

[Praisegrrl]

Absolutely amazing!

[julywapo]

I♥LISITSA

[FlamePz]

Bravo! Great interpretation, love it.