All Pianistic roads really lead to Liszt- via Lisitsa...Valentina that is...

So many beautiful virtuoso pianists and so little time.... we heard from Yuja Wang now its Valentina Lisitsa from Russia (with love).  The superlatives used to describe this woman and her playing continue to pour in even from the harshest of critics.  She possesses a fluidity of style that seems to say to all the different schools of thought, this is the way it should be played!


Lets begin this session with a wonderful video tribute and introduction to Valentina Lisitsa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1VnAdqEjRs&feature=related

Franz Liszt, the greatest virtuoso pianist/composer that ever lived provides the brilliance and difficulty that only someone of Lisitsa's calibre can truly handle.  Excellent video here to prove my point about this wonderful young lady.  Liszt's famous La Campanella from his Paganini variations
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD6xMyuZls0&feature=channel

Here is his Wagner Spinning Song arrangement:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_7_FPtG0Mk&feature=related

Liszt's most difficult Hungarian Rhapsody, #12 is performed here by Valentina:
yes, Liszt could sometimes sound a little bombastic as, maybe, in the first 3 minutes of this one but, oh my, after that its all pianistic glory as only he could render!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBhRm9p5hig&feature=channel

Liszt 1st Piano Concerto as performed by Valentina Lisitsa   part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb6i0KQTWic&feature=related
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFuiozEGjIY&feature=channel

Lisitsa performing  the famous Horowitz Carmen variation by Bizet.  Its amazing to me that she plays this considerably faster than Horowitz in the most difficult places with not a hint of loss of articulation!

One thing about the super-virtuoso class of pianists.  There are only a few of them around in any generation.  Their repertoire is vast and consists of the most difficult music to which they perform it flawlessly and at a level above.  Russians Valentina Lisitsa, Evgeny Kissen, who we will visit later, and a few others are members of this class of pianists.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPB0K-RCJQE&feature=related