Customer Reviews

Black and Pink

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We (I write this on behalf of myself and another fan) came across Valentina on the internet and soon realised this is a very exceptional artist. She has a Myspace with a following of awestruck admirers many of whom are very good instrumentalists/musicians themselves. This is consistent with our view of this pianist and of the Black and Pink DVD. To state that Valentina is a world class lyrical virtuoso is putting it mildly.

I watch Black and Pink often, to reward myself when I feel deserving. To watch this DVD is to be taken on an adventure, to lose oneself in Valentina's musicality which rises above even her pristine and vivacious pianism. Having watched other renderings of Reminiscences of Don Juan we can say we like Valentina's the best. This is not to decry anything but simply to say we find hers reaches us in particular ways. For one thing, while Valentina has colossal virtuosity there is none of the mushiness or bangy sound that so often accompanies "virtuoso" playing of Liszt. I note that she even manages to bring the crispness more associated with playing of Beethoven to this piece, which is very refreshing in its effect. Yet she builds up tension throughout. A study of the score suggests she picked many of the difficult ossias, and added we believe a few things in the left hand here and there. Around six minutes there's a chromatic thing in the right hand that moves quickly down the piano, she adds we think some sort of rhythm in the left hand just below the melody. We leave purchasers of this DVD to confirm or refute these points - but the upshot is that this performance is worth listening to and worth exploring. There is a blinding episode when she reaches the big jumps (let's face it, there's not a jump Valentina can't handle) where both hands reach wider and wider and, while she could have been forgiven for slowing them down a bit, perhaps that's a part of the "con bravura" that Liszt originally intended.

As for the Ravel we find Valentina's take on this to be very romantic, not too mysterious or rough, in fact very nice to listen to. Some people however may be opposed to that, but Valentina is a very individual pianist and we like this approach. Her pianism is staggering, as if no difficulties exist. One is reminded of her 24 Chopin Etudes DVD in that respect - no visible effort. The arpeggios are stunning, perfect and clear, even those that are done by both hands. Pianistically it's all 111% perfect. The left hand in Gaspard is amazing, only Virtuosis deal with those pieces anyway ! Is Valentina ambidextrous ??

Good to see that she takes Le Gibet as seriously as the rest - we miss that in a lot of pianists when suddenly they are given a slow piece to perform, one in which they can't "prank" much.

I admire Valentina's Rachmaninoff prelude in G minor, having wrestled with it in the past. Not many pianists manage to carry this piece off with such precision and finesse despite its heavy chords combined with large jumps so unmercifully, and I was gratified to hear the "hidden" melody brought out so clearly in the slower middle section. I now have two very masterful recordings of this piece - Richter's and Valentina's.

La campanella - so many recordings have been made of this piece throughout the globe. Valentina's is kind of a standard, every note shines clearly through, and it leaves the listener with a "good taste in the ear" as indeed does the entire DVD.

The DVD I possess has a menu and chapter selection. Note also that on her Myspace there is a maintained list of Valentina's forthcoming concert appearances in venues in various parts of the world - my wife and I have seen her live; we found it a mesmerising experience.

To me, this DVD presents a concert program which, logically, starts with the classical intricacies of Chopin's Op. 2 Variations, continues with four deeply-felt and exquisitely performed Rachmaninoff Preludes, and then ends with dazzling performances of two of Liszt's shorter works and the mammoth "Don Juan" paraphrase of highlights from Mozart's opera (including variations on the same aria utilized by Chopin in his Op.2 Variations). Ravel's Gaspard then functions as a glittering "encore".
The Chopin is an early and rarely heard work for piano and orchestra, played here as a piano solo. Ms. Lisitsa's delightful performance makes a strong case for doing so, since many (including me) would have missed hearing this charming work otherwise. The Rachmaninoff Preludes are presented as artful and eloquent paintings in sound of the composer's inner world. Ms. Lisitsa then rides to victory in Liszt's Grand Galop, not only by easily surmounting the difficult challenges the piece offers, but the easy ones as well. She is the only performer of this work I have heard who accepts Liszt's obvious invitation to make the repeated notes announcing the theme sound like a galloping horse. This element of great fun wins by a nose against some otherwise very formidable competition. The adjective "brilliant" also applies to her performances of La Campanella and Don Juan, the latter involving some extreme tempi that are not arbitrary, but flow from a firm conception of the larger work.
Here are some suggestions for a future Valentina Lisitsa DVD. Beethoven: Op. 106; Liszt: Fountains at the Villa d'Este; Ballade No. 2 (with Liszt's original "big" ending, of course, not the toned-down revised version). Judging from this DVD and her previous Chopin Etudes and Schwanengesang, it would be wonderful.

Excellent sound recording. Beautiful and professional photography. Good music selection. Ms Valentina Lisitsa brings a sparkling interpretation of Liszt, Chopin and Rachmaninoff. The perfect balance of technique and emotion.

After reading many of the reviews for the various DVDs available from Valentina Lisitsa, I decided to purchase Black and Pink and see for myself. The program of works by Liszt, Ravel, Chopin, and Rachmaninov was certainly well chosen to show off Ms. Lisitsa's formidable talents.

I do not have any musical background so will refrain from commenting on the technical aspects of her performance. However, I thoroughly enjoyed each of the works presented here and, comparing her performance of Liszt's Reminiscences of Don Juan with Lang Lang's on his `Live from Carnegie Hall' DVD, much prefer her calmer and more dignified and authoritative style.

After being critical, in some of my other reviews, of the conductor or soloist's appearance, it is good to be able to say that on this recording Ms. Lisitsa wears two evening gowns (one obviously black, the other pink) that are both extremely attractive and very flattering. This would mean nothing if she was merely of average ability, however, for someone whose mastery of the keyboard is exceptional, this attention to presentation makes her stand out from all others. A small point of criticism would be to mention that the extremes of lighting used in the filming of this recital are not really necessary and add little or nothing to the quality of the performance. I look forward to acquiring more recordings of this artist and hope that we might have the opportunity to see her filming, with a quality orchestra, some of the concertos of Chopin, Saint-Saens and Rachmaninov.

It's the best "gaspard de la nuit" I ever heard, and moreover, we can also see Valentina, not simply listening to her.
Her technique is impressive, and she gives to Ravel musique a great expression, that is not obvious to render.
I compare his performance to the ones of N. Angelich or M. Argerich, and I prefer Valentina, especially in "ondine"
Stephane Hanriat

A recommander aux amateurs de pianiste et de pianos dont le son et le jeu n'est pas standardisé. Le bösendorfer pour cela n'a pas d'équivalent même chez stenway. Quant à la pianiste, son enthousiasme est ahurissant

Mixed opinions on this one. The playing is effortless and brilliantly virtuosic. Truly, she must rank among the foremost technicians of our era.

Having said that, the big pieces on this recording, in my opinion, lack character. The Don Juan fantasy lacks drama and personality. It doesn't breath much. It doesn't have the "operatic" feel that a good performance of this piece should. Compare to Lang Lang's Carnegie Hall performance of the same work (also on DVD) and you'll see what I mean. The Grand Gallop lacks fire and demonic flare. The playing is effortless but the phrases are blah - it's like a mechanical piano. Compare to Cziffra's performance (also on DVD) and you'll immediately notice the difference. Of course, Cziffra is the standard - but it helps sometimes to compare to the standard. The Ravel - good heavens. Where is the nocturnal mystery, the rushing water, the hanging corpse, the sinister gnome? The music should conjure those images, not simply perfect arpeggios (though the arpeggios here certainly are perfect).

Only the short pieces come across as real artwork. The Rachmaninoff preludes are filled with real Russian melancholy and entirely unique voicing and phrasing. These were truly wonderful. Perhaps Valentina's personality is just more suited to Rachmaninoff than Liszt or Ravel. Nothing wrong with that. Ashkenazy's only attempt at Liszt back in his younger days was harshly criticized and I don't think he ever attempted it again. But all in all, with the exception of the Rachmaninoff, these performances were as unmemorable to me musically as they were impressive technically.

The photography was well done. Nothing crazy, but there was enough variety to keep your interest. There was plenty of focus on the hands. The sound is PCM 2 channel stereo, but sounds just fine. In fact, for piano music, I'm not so sure surround offers much. Here the sound is clear, full and well synchronized with the picture. There was no problem with the sound quality on my disc, as compared with the earlier reviewer. However, the DVD menu is defective - it starts playing right away and does not offer you the choice of picking a given track. For that, I have to skip forward manually (not the end of the world). The piano is a Bosendorfer concert grand and has a wonderful sound. The DVD is packaged in a non-standard DVD case - thinner than usual, but adequate.

Okay, I have to say a few words about the "theme." Personally, I don't like the whole pink dress/black dress thing. Somehow I find such gimics rather insulting to the prestige of the artist. If if was the artist's idea, I guess that's okay - I respect her artistic freedom. But if this was some goofy vehicle on the part of the DVD producer, please no more. Concert pianists are not show dogs. Nobody requires Murray Perahia or Alfred Brendel to dress in artificial costumes, so let's extend the same respect to female artists. Market the DVD based on the music, not the dress. Okay, that's all from my high horse.

So, if you like fast, brilliant, effortless piano playing, you'll like this disc. If you like performances with nuance, drama and real feeling, I don't think you'll find that here (with the exception of the Rachmaninoff). But also don't give up on this pianist. Her recording of the Chopin Etudes is very fine and I'm looking forward to getting her DVD recording of Liszt's transcriptions of the songs from Schubert's Schwanengesang. I also wouldn't mind playing her in chess - so few women play.

The poor production of this DVD does not do justice to a fine artiste. The visual qualities of the pink sections of the DVD are diabolical. The fuzzy out of focus sections of the DVD are not appropriate, just frustrating for the viewer. Some of the weird abbreviated camera angles and fading efforts are appalling and the appropriateness of the continuity questionable.

Thankfully one can close ones eyes and listen and hope to rip the audio tracks to a CD to avoid the horrid picture show. Neither Valentina nor the lovely Bosendorfer deserve this treatment.

Thankfully the black sections of the DVD are better. The level of Valentina's playing technique is sometimes astounding and the rich lower tones of the Bosendorfer are an enhancement. Some pieces are challenging, outside the technical ability of many better known professionals. Others are a shear refreshing delight and several on this DVD and elsewhere in my opinion stand equal in comparison for interpretation with the best exponents on any recording.

Valentina has a lovely personality; it will be very interesting to see how her performances mature. If you want to fall in love with the piano, can ignore some of the awful camera work, and hear what a really competent artiste can do this DVD may encourage you to look for her further recordings.

Fortunately, the aesthetics of the pink dress did not permeate the rest of this marvelous performance. Effortless playing of the virtuoso pieces, all done with grace and smile. What a delightful experience!
But there is more: the piano by an Austrian piano manufacturer, L. Bösendorfer Klavierfabrik. Bösendorfer appears to be perfect for the music of both Liszt and Chopin. Its rich, dark, orchestral sound with powerful overtones together with a very sensitive keyboard response provide a great vehicle for a great music. (And the piano on this recording was made long before Bösendorfer became a subsidiary of Yamaha...)

L'interprétation de Valentina Lisitsa est excellente, notamment Liszt concernant les Réminiscences de Don Juan, qui à mon goût, est bien supérieure à la prestation de Lang Lang (Live at Carnegie Hall)...

Concernant le DVD, une petite erreur s'est glissée dans le menu "Tracks", où l'on trouve deux fois le prélude Op. 32 n°5 de Rachmaninov, au lieu de l'Op. 23 n°5 ...

Par ailleurs, la qualité de l'image me semble un peu faible sur un écran HD par rapport à d'autres DVD, l'image est parfois pixelisée.

Un bon, très bon moment musical en tous les cas ! Un DVD à recommander sans hésiter.