Bizet/Horowitz - Carmen Fantasy (Valentina Lisitsa piano)

[aston0708]

Anybody who fails to recognise that madame is a virtuoso is fooling themselves.

Im pretty sure shes a match for pogorelich et al but contrary to them her repetoire is huge. faustian technique with an adgile mind to match a lady going places and quick.

[MrStevenAbootman]

There's not the coherence Horrowitz's piece has.

[humbher3]

bellisimo!!!! clap clap

[humbher3]

Great version clap clap .. but few mistakes at the hardest part at end show us the difference between Lisitsa and what Horowitz can play in his time

[TheFzj]

Fantastic!

[TheHankster30]

My apologies to all of you Horowitz worshippers, but I think her performance of this piece is better. And I'm not just saying that because I'm in love with her. Along with her fabulous technique, she has what Horowitz himself used to refer to as "jeu perle", which he describes as a certain ease and elegance in playing. Impossible to define, but you know it when you hear

[MadamDoolally]

lisitsa is a hoax, as any asian pianist....

[ThePianoguy89]

@MadamDoolally She's not even Asian and she's an extremely gifted pianist.

[xcomposerpianistx]

I think Valentina is a very strong pianist, but here she was good at the beginning...then she asked too much from her fingers.....what makes me wonder about Horowitz is the complete mastery and total control...you hear each single note, always! He was coming from another world.

[Gutad23]

Amazing!!!

[atombomb31458]

she obviously has great talent---but gets a bit sloppy and loses focus.

[TELarson58]

As much as I love Valentina's playing I have to give this one to Horowitz. I give the nod to Horowitz mostly because he achieves greater clarity in the left hand figures.

[gsarci2011]

what version is this?

[zachattack19942]

I wonder how many years this was ago.

[pianojustine]

SORRY???!!!



[KegPatcha]

She makes it look so SO easy. She enjoys playing so much!

[neobiki]

Quite a nice face, beautiful hands and gorgeous hair.

[mlaux72]

Not so bad ... but not Horowitz. Sometimes she suffers ... tempo is to be revised also in relation with techincal challenges ... 

[Kurremkarmerruk1]

Madonna che schifo…

Horrorwitz.

[davidsusu]

Her technical and coordination capacity is very serious, but this is almost meaningless as musical present.

[slapmyfunkybass]

but can she iron?

[wrw28405]

The platinum blond of her hair combined with her pale complexion and thin fingers give the impression of the walking dead when garbed in black, like an imprisoned ghost tied to this world by the ivory keys. Incredible. It makes for good stage presence, and her playing is remarkable.

[ander2365]

my god... o_o

[renekey]

That's a mounster! fucK! amazing!

[severineuum]

f*** hell !!!

[telenatan]

Валечка,если я даже не скажу,что Вы лидируете в десятке самых Великих Пианистов всех времён,то Вы сами должны это твёрдо знать,-столько восторга рождается при исполнении любого произведения Вами и,главное,что в это время создаётся впечатление,что Вы являетесь Автором играемого произведения!!!! Вечной Вам жизни на Земле с Великой Музыкой!!!!

[atlantargh]

Great right-hand double-thirds at 2:41

[pianoxpert]

As a pianist myself, I think she is brilliant. This is an older version of the Carmen Variaitons she is playing. Horowitz changed and revised this transcription several times over the years. She is an excellent pianist.

[42621946]

Diese lockeren, spielerischen Finger...unglaublich!! Ich liebe sie, die Frau, ihr Spiel, diese stupende Technik, ihr Gefühl für die musikalische Sprache!! Ihre Wildheit bei vollster Kontrolle und diese klangliche Transparenz, von der Interpretation, den intelligent geführten musikalischen Übergängen nicht zu reden!! Einfach Phantastisch!!!

[NOSEhow2LIV]

Very sub-standard playing, with her own variants sounding like she's lost her way,(even if she hasn't!). Labored in style & pace, the piano quickly out-of-tune,(as always with VL),this shows her limits even more than in standard repertoire,(where you expect her to be clueless&boring).Horowitz himself,(young or aged),beats this hollow in virtuosity, or try young Yuja,(backstage on practice piano!)for true devilry!

[sztruce]

Totally fantastic! Spasibo Vam Valentina

[uhartchristian]

Valentina Lisitsa is incontestable one of the very leading pianists at the moment.

She has a solid technical background with ability to relax at any moment and she has a natural born musicality which comes with a good understanding of structure .

There is no doubt that her career can be compared to Martha Argerich or similar....

[fredericfranc]

Shitsure, this is a Ukrainian dude, the Russians don't get this blond, unless this is a bleach job, I am straining my eyes in the direction of those roots, can you espy any darkness there, incipient? Was it a failure of good taste for Horowitz to have composed these so called variations? Fuck, sometimes a guy just wants to raise a little hell, it is legit. So Valentina does does a reasonable pound-out job on these. Everybody talks about her (fuck it, it is a him) struggling over there....

[TemperedWell]

Lisitsa is a fine pianist, but she's no Horowitz 

[steinwaygrande1]

@TemperedWell How dull if every goddamned pianist was a Horowitz ! She is unique.

[TemperedWell]

@steinwaygrande1 I agree. So why doesn't she play her own transcription of some other piece? I don't hear her bringing anything original here except for some banging and overpeddling at the end to drown out the technical difficulty she is having.

[TemperedWell]

sorry, I meant pedalling, not peddling, although maybe she is doing that too.

[steinwaygrande1]

@TemperedWell I just said "How Dull if every goddamned pianist was a Horowitz" not questionining her playing abilities. Have you ever stopped to consider she might have been having an off day, as many piainsts can have from time to time ???????????????????

[lsbrother]

@TemperedWell

Horowitz was a fine pianist but he was no LIsitsa

[TemperedWell]

@lsbrother Amazingly insightful, original, and creative comment.

[lsbrother]

@TemperedWell

glad we agree!

[tpiskor]

@lsbrother you guy's have to be gay..not that there's nothing wrong with that.

I look at her playing and fall in love.You and TemperedWell want to catfight with her.Too funny.

[belegSJ]

Oh my GOD I love this video! :D Especially the slurry sound the audio has when Valentina bravely smashes the piano (the piano probably never recovered from that trauma LOL) .. I love the stormy but yet sudden ending of this piece! I really hope Valentina would record and upload a new (and a high quality) version of this piece to her own channel!

[BradipoNinja]

EVIL !!!

[MrFortepianist]

In the end she made many mistakes, but finally thought up her own cadenza. Bravo!

[steveaulie]

Well, I think Valentina is superb in this performance. She's sprinkled her own subtleties throughout, adding even more interest (and difficulty) to the already-exciting piece, and she's heaped on more demanding effects and vicious tempos adding up to a startling ending. (I think she borrowed a little from another Horowitz version in the final octave cascade.) She's a gift. Bravo!

[SilverCross2003]

Its different from Im used to hearing, but her style definitely captivates me. Cant ask for perfection from anyone and that includes the best. Love it.

[Hengrid]

Well, Valentina was good at first - but then she struggles at the back like it's a mess so, really not the best. I'd rather go for Horowitz or Yujia Wang. Sorry. Dislike my post if you like, lol.

[Liszt31]

@Hengrid Are not at all agree, but they are opinions.

[tpiskor]

@Liszt31 She's Wonderful!!!!

[7777Scion]

@Hengrid I don't see, and most importantly DON'T HEAR, anything of the sort. Video quality impacting your opinion? But I must say this - respectfully - do you actually believe that an artist of her caliber would put on a public performance that is a "mess"??? 95-98% great playing.

[ClassicMusicOnly]

@7777Scion

Honestly if you can't hear here struggle in the end..you must be deaf.

Although I enjoy listening to this performance, a lot. Its interesting and different. I would pick this over Wang personally.

[gouloum2222]

@Hengrid the audio doesn't help too ...

[debrucey]

@Hengrid I am a huge fan, but still happy to admit when she does something I don't like. It's a shame she gets carried away in the second half of this video, cos I think the first half is sublime.

[SilverCross2003]

@Hengrid i agree.... the beginning was great, she made it sound like there was a woodwind accompanying the piano... and her rendition was soothing.... but towards the end, the embellishments crowded out the melody... i cosign your comment 100 percent. Love Valentina still though lol.

[vitalwords]

@Hengrid Hey Dude its not called MESSIN UP .... that u can name as HER VERSION ........ <3 Valentina foreva

[MyExGirlf]

Valentina struggles in this... props to her for the first version of it, though, much harder than the latest version of this hugely technical piece. From 3:10 to 3:22 on you can really notice a decrease in tempo in that very fast and difficult to play section. Still a great version in itself. :) I like Horowitz and even Volodos and Yuja Wang better, just for overall clarity.

[SilverCross2003]

@MyExGirlf yes i agree... in terms of clarity, Horowitz and Wang take the cake for me.

[Spiritakis]

So, to continue here, if you can't grasp the subjectivity and the intimate and personal nature of art, I am not sure who from us two is more retarded.

As for my playing the piece, are only pianists allowed to express opinions about piano performances, especially opinions not pretending to be anything but personal?

[Spiritakis]

Another modern virtuoso who thinks that Horowitz's Carmen Variations are a mere technical exercise for your piano muscles. There is much more than that in this piece.

Valentina is not even technically at Horowitz's level, let alone musically. At about 2:20 there is a true cacophony. The finale is all but inlistenable banging.

Appalling performance!

[ytschlittk]

@Spiritakis did she tell you that she thought that?

this is a great performance, or can you

show us a better one....

thumbs down for this comment!

[Spiritakis]

@ytschlittk

Did she tell you to make this comment?

No, she didn't tell me anything. It is obvious.

Of course I can show you a better performance: Horowitz himself, either his TV concert from 1968 (not available on YouTube) or his live performance from the White House (1978, available on YouTube).

Nobody wants you to agree, but what makes you eager to inflict your opinion on people who disagree with you?

[ytschlittk]

@Spiritakis The fact that you are an idiot. That makes me want to inflict my opinion on you.

Of course Horowitz's performance is the best. It is unbelievable. It's his arrangement. His performance is *THE DEFINING* performance. I meant can you show us a better performance - performed by yourself?

By your logic nobody should play Chopin's music because they'd just get it wrong?

What you say about Valentina taking this as a mere technical exercise is retarded.

[Spiritakis]

@ytschlittk

OK, I am a retarded idiot and you are a brilliant genius. Are you happy now?

You're missing the point, dude. Completely, at that. There is no such thing as definitive performance (not "defining", check your dictionary). That's why everybody should play Chopin as originally as he or she can.

My judgment of Valentina and Horowitz's performances is based on purely musical grounds: the former is just banging, the latter is infinitely more musical. This is purely subjective of course.

[ytschlittk]

@Spiritakis First, yes there is a definitive performance. If the composer plays his or her own arrangement to their own satisfaction, and endorses it as such, it is the definitive reading.

Second, your initial claim was an assertion as to what Valentina *thinks* about the piece. This is absurd and is no way supported by the way she plays it. And if it were, then it must be so subtle that for you to pick up on it you must be able to play it better. So you are the one missing the point.

[Spiritakis]

@ytschlittk

OK, obviously we are both missing the point. As expected, since we obviously have very different opinions of pretty much everything.

For my part, there is no such thing as ''definitive'' performance. Otherwise, some pieces by Rachamaninov should never have been played by other pianists. I am glad this is not the case.

And when I said what Valentina thinks, I of course meant that this is what I think, based on what I hear. I thought this is obvious.

[ClassicMusicOnly]

@bceugene12345

speaking the truth, of her struggling with this wonderful piece.

[ClassicMusicOnly]

@bceugene12345

Well,

Your sarcasm and ignorance is quite to annoying for me to take, but I'll reply to straighten out your uneven facts, and missed context.

There is no such need to twist what I was trying to write at that moment just to make you look as smart man. I am not a "amateur armchair know it all partisan classical music snob". I am actually a Classical pianist studying in Vienna under Professor Krysztof Milczinski.

I was not giving her advise or trying to critique her. I was just

[killingppl]

Last part was too fast....

[slowdog294]

You are the master...

[violeta054]

She's a great pianist but honestly she had some trouble with this piece, no one like the Great Horowitz :). But I really like her too

[Desireyso58]

Valentina. Eres excelsa. !!!

[Thu3s3n]

beautiful girls plays piano :P

[ClassicMusicOnly]

Well,

As many times as I have critized Lisitsa, since she was always compared to Cziffra and I am a Cziffra-Horowitz Fan, this just blew the wind out of me. I literally could not believe what I was hearing in 3:11 ! With all fairness to Lisitsa, it was amazing, but you could tell she was struggling at the end when she started out so fast. After each set of chords. 3:13-3:14 , 3:18-3:19 , 3:22-3:23. But besides that, it was incrediable. Not mentioning, that this is Horowitz's first version.

[JupiterIV]

@ClassicMusicOnly Not EXACTLY Vlad's first.

This is the lesser-known first set of revisions that he made in '42

[ClassicMusicOnly]

@JupiterIV

I stand corrected. I apologize for my mistake, I actually noticed it only after I posted the comment and was constantly wondering why no one replied correcting me.

Thanks anyways.

[JupiterIV]

@ClassicMusicOnly Well at least someone DID correct you, but you're welcome.

[Desireyso58]

ES MARAVILLOSA.

[ohtrustme]

Poor piano. You are excellent Valentina Lisitsa.

[Migael77]

The coda was just plain sick!

[richclayderman]

she's amazing

[cafity]

i was screaming at 3:11... I'M NOT KIDDING!!!

[hotbebimauz]

thats sooo unbelievable!!!!!! no matter what piece she plays, her hands always look so relaxed! it is like thay are flying! i havent seen this at other pianists...shes really brilliant

[TheGabyboop]

She looks so pretty!

[folecar]

horowitz would have laughed..

[gouloum2222]

@folecar why ?

[GlimpseInTheLife]

@folecar of your comment...

[pffortes]

Next to Horowitz', which is the benchmark for this piece, this is the most electrifying version that I have heard. PLUS, her interpretation is so original. She has created an amazing and unique performance without falling into the trap of becoming a second rate copy of Horowitz.

[zurzica51]

valentina? are ok girl? that piano still alive? =O

That's a great playing! didn't knew this version

thanks for the video

[MasterJessav]

I tried to uload this video in 2008 and it was removed... what the hell? So it is ok now?

Well whatever haha thanks for uploading it

[richclayderman]

just two words: HOLY FUCK!

[richclayderman]

@Zorro1854 i'm sorry? was that a... what the hell was that?!

[VideosAlcides]

Fantastic, incredible, wonderful!!!

Thousands of stars!!!

Valentina Lisitsa, the best!!!

[pianostruggler]

Wow! I wish I could play like that. Sadly that will never be.

This piece looks technically incredibly difficult.

I love those beautiful long fingers rippling over the ivories with blinding speed.

[capojitsu]

@pianostruggler "Whatever your mind can conceive and believe it can achieve."

[chrisclr]

@pianostruggler never say never. If you put your mind to it, you can do it. PS change your user name.

[serene06]

Her hands look really massive to me

[889michael]

When was this video captured?

[galapz]

horowitz plays this more agitato

[uhartchristian]

it seems as if she would come out directly ferom the good budapest liszt conservatory. its the similar way in technique. combined with intelligence..... a better career than Argerich I think.... a really interesting leading pianist.

[TikiFury]

This is not, however, the same version Horowitz played in...(whatever the place is you all know which video i'm talking about haha). This is one of the hundreds of versions that Horowitz did from his variations. Seriously he had lots of them. If you watch the cadenza right at the end you'll see that it differs from one video to the other. This one is considerably more complicated and Valentina managed to play it wonderfully.

[allthenamesrtook]

this variation is no harder than all of the others and there is only 12 variations composed by horrowitz the others are what other professionals have done. but valentina is one of the greatest pianists and she smiles all the way through :) i love her plays chopin op 10 no 4

[frederickfrederikfre]

5 *****

[MrVladimirHorowitz]

Im afraid to say this, but Mr Horowitz plays it better

[somedudeplayingpiano]

well, he made the arangement :P, so it's not the wurst thing to say

[Ellinidara]

@MrVladimirHorowitz ,,,Pardon Mr Horowits,but I totally disagree with you:-)

[x2thay]

You wish, lol.

[poepper]

well id say horowitz plays it better than anyone else. horowitz' octaves sounded like thunder in this piece...

[Steinwaytoday]

This is really an excellent performance. God, I would like to see her play this now. Her technique seems to be much better now, and I like her colors better, too.

[solbriller1]

!!! :):):) !!! The best

[lecheparavaka]

horowitz and valentina are my favorite musicians, i seen valentina, i missed horowitz...

[MATIAPI]

EXELENTE

[NuovoCurioso]

Brava Valentina....eccezionale!!!!!

[LAnonHubbard]

Absolutely incredible!

[uhartchristian]

She plays it better than Horowitz.... which is incredible but true.... She makes a miracle hear.

[asdfhuliashduflasihf]

fantastique!

[alexandrupipe]

Hello Valentina, you're the biggest world music pianist. I hope that some day come to play like you. You are amazing, the best. I'm from Romania but living in Spain. When you come to Barcelona for a concert or a few lectures?

You gotta come. Here you have many admirers. Greetings and hope they may one day come to Barcelona you can see. See you soon. Alex.

[MountainDelight]

So glad this video is back. One of my favorites. She makes it look easy!

[Jesslyncool]

WOW

[edtskyline]

I preffer Yuja Wang about this piece

[sal50811]

yeah i agree wiht you!

[Tsachir]

Both Valentina and Yuja are great pianists but there are some striking differences between their performance.

First - each plays a slightly different version. Valentina's seems more difficult.

Second - Valentina's playing is much more colorful. It has more moods, more fire and it is also faster. However, Yuja produces a very clean sound and never misses a note. Yuja sits straight while Valentina likes to bend over the piano. I think Yuja's version is more dignified and I also prefer Yuja.

[asdfhuliashduflasihf]

Yujia is a bit boring and monotonous for my liking...

As far as clean sound goes, I think the recording quality of this video is not really good... that's why you get the fuzzy sound when valentina hits the lower notes.

Valentina does a few flubs here though, not denying that, but this was when she was pretty young and this was probably just after she decided to take piano seriously. Still, she manages to give the piece a lot of colour and her left hand as always is <3

[janmarimba]

unbelievable! The best recording I have heard. Thank you

[mio8092]

Wow~~~~This video back again

[brucesan]

I really want to get hold of the music for this. From what I can tell shes pieced it together herself from two different versions horowitz played throughout his life.

[Nimtemel]

Incrível como sempre ^^

[juanm429]

I remember the first time I saw this video, about 6 years ago. I never thought I'd see it again. Thank you for posting this.