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Unique Halloweenconcert with Valentina Lisitsa in Leiden – 31 Oct. 2010

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OMG… you don’t wanna miss this Halloweenconcert with pianist Valentina Lisitsa on 31 October in Leiden… SPOOOOKY ! 🙂

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OMG… Valentina in a coffin! Click on the picture above to enlarge

So, if you dare… on 31 October 2010 things get ‘scary’ in the Waag in Leiden when ‘spookish’ classical compositions will be played by daredevil-pianist Valentina Lisitsa in a HALLOWEENCONCERT! Tickets can still be ordered via Stadsgehoorzaal Leiden.

One of the pieces Valentina will be playing at the Halloweenconcert is the solo piano version of Liszt’s sensational Totentanz…

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Halloweenconcert’s programme (click on picture above to enlarge)

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Halloweenconcert’s location: The Waag in Leiden

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Valentina Lisitsa : interview + playing ‘5th’ Rachmaninoff/Warenberg

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Here’s my not-to-be-missed latest YouTube-report with brilliant pianist Valentina Lisitsa talking about and playing the Rachmaninoff / Warenberg “5th” Concerto. Check it out and let me know what you think.


Part One


Part Two


The complete raw footage of Valentina’s playing of Rachmaninoff / Warenberg in Amsterdam

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Valentina Lisitsa / livestream webcast recording sessions 24 Etudes Chopin

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On August 17th, 18th and 19th 2010 I attended in the Beethovensaal in Hannover Valentina Lisitsa’s rehearsal (17th) and recording sessions (18th and 19th) of the 24 Etudes of Chopin. While a live-webstream was running during Valentina’s playing and Alexei (Valentina’s husband) was putting it on his cameras, I did some webhosting and on the 17th I also filmed some of the rehearsing.

In the upstairs studio there was producer Michael Fine, assisted by Tammy Fine and sound engineer Wolf-Dieter Karwatky.

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Valentina and producer Michael Fine

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Alexei (Valentina’s husband), Valentina and producer Michael Fine

Valentina played on a veery beautiful Steinway D Hamburg, prepared and taken care off by piano technician Gerd Finkenstein.

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Valentina in the Beethovensaal in Hannover

The 24 Etudes were played by Valentina with great artistic depth and a deep understanding of Chopin. There were tiny details and truly magnificent colours that I had not heard before in her playing of the Etudes. Truly amazing!

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Me and Valentina during a coffee break

Valentina and the whole crew really loved the wonderful response from the livestream webcast’s visitors.

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Right after finishing the recordings Valentina takes a look into the chatroom and starts chatting

As soon as Valentina had finished Op.25-12 she switched to another keyboard and entered the chatroom for a final talk with the viewers and ‘followers’. Big Fun for evryone ! 🙂

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Valentina Lisitsa practices live on the web until Independance Day

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I don’t think any of the world’s best classical pianists has ever done this… but she does. Out of loyalty and gratitude to her worldwide following Valentina Lisitsa is running a live webcam inside her practice studio at home until the 4th of July (midnight to be exact).

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Buffy, one of Valentina’s cats, joined in at some point and started a piano duet… what a treat! 🙂

The use of technology to connect with an audience, like no other pianist Valentina Lisitsa knows how to do this. Her live-rehearsals involve working on recital and concert programmes that she has to perform next month. The number of pieces she’s working on in these rehearsals: 55 ! That’s FIFTY-FIVE, yes, and more than half of the material is Continue reading →

Valentina Lisitsa: Rachmaninoff/Warenberg Piano Concerto #5 2nd Movement

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Now Listen to this!

Valentina Lisitsa plays the theme of the Rachmaninoff/Warenberg ‘5th’ Piano Concerto’s 2nd movement, recorded in Amsterdam. A very beautiful interpretation, that imho combines and fuses a poetic delicacy with soulful temperament and powerful passion that only Valentina can bring out to the listener. I’m sure you’ll enjoy her playing here as much as I do.
This piano concerto is an arrangement by Alexander Warenberg of Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Symphony. The recording presented here is used with permission and part of video-material shot by Alexei Kuznetsoff (Valentina’s husband) in Amsterdam, May 2010, that features Valentina playing piano solo parts of the Rachmaninoff/Warenberg Piano Concerto #5.
Valentina was performing in The Netherlands in May 2010. On 29 May 2010 I did a video-interview with Valentina in Rotterdam on the Rachmaninoff/Warenberg 5th Piano Concerto after she played the concerto with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra on 28 May 2010.

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Me and Valentina after the interview in Rotterdam

I will present this interview in a video-report later on this year combined with the video-material, shot in Amsterdam, of Valentina playing piano solo parts of the ‘5th’ concerto.

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22-5-10: not to be missed recital by world class pianist Valentina Lisitsa in Leiden

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On Saturday 22 May 2010 electrifying world class classical pianist Valentina Lisitsa is performing in Leiden, The Netherlands. She’s gonna play an exciting and daring programme: two Beethoven Sonatas (the ‘Mondschein’ and the very complicated ‘Hammerklavier’) and all(!) 24 etudes of Chopin. For more information on the location and sale of tickets, click here. On Friday 28 May she will perform the Rachmaninoff / Warenberg 5th Piano Concerto (European premiere) with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. Both concerts are really a must for evry lover of classical piano playing.

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Valentina Lisitsa during a rehearsal in the Abbey Road Studios, London, December 2009 (photo: Pieter de Rooij)

I consider Valentina Lisitsa a once-in-a-generation pianist and one of the best classical pianists ever. To illustrate my words I’ll present below ten videos of Valentina that show the immense range of her musical powers. Most of these videos are from her Youtubechannel, which is actually the world’s best visited channel of a classical pianist. I also would like to refer to my Youtube video-documentary on Valentina’s Rachmaninoff recording project with the London Symphony Orchestra that can be found on my Youtubechannel, along with other videos I made last year in London of Valentina talking and playing. If you live in Holland and you like classical piano then don’t miss this great opportunity to hear the one and only Valentina Lisitsa live on stage in May 2010 in Leiden and Rotterdam.

1. Rachmaninoff / Etude Tableau Op 39 No. 6 “Little Red Riding Hood“

2. Liszt / Totentanz

3. Rachmaninoff / Piano Concerto No.2 minus orchestra, 2nd movement

4. Rachmaninoff / Piano Concerto No.1, 1st movement, Cadenza (my recording)

5. Chopin / Etude Op 25 No.12

6. Chopin / Etude Op. 25 No. 6

7. Chopin / Etude Op 25 No.7

8. Schubert/Liszt / Schwanengesang #13, Die Taubenpost

9. Balakirev / Islamey

10. Robert Schumann / Traumerei

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Halloween Concert Valentina Lisitsa in Leiden 31-10-2010

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Voor wie het aandurft… op 31 oktober 2010 gaat het spoken in de Leidse Waag en klinken de engste klassieke composities in een HALLOWEEN CONCERT met daredevil-pianiste VALENTINA LISITSA ! Kaartverkoop via de Stadsgehoorzaal Leiden.

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Klik enkele malen op de foto hierboven om het concertprogramma te vergroten

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De Waag in Leiden

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On Youtube: my portrayal of piano genius Valentina Lisitsa

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Here’s my Youtube video-portrait of piano genius Valentina Lisitsa, based on an interview I had with her in London, April 2009. I’m sure all Valentina’s fans will be interested to hear her talking on her music and career and for those who don’t know her yet -it seems there are still many music lovers out there who haven’t been introduced to her music- I think Valentina might well be an unexpected surprise, a musical gem they’ll no doubt like to hear from now on. Check out the video!

valentina-and-me-1_kleinMe and Valentina after the interview

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