Valentina Lisitsa: Live at the Royal Albert Hall

By Carl Armstrong Valentina Lisitsa filmed live at the Royal Albert Hall on June 19, 2012 marks her debut on the Decca label.Playing for over 2 hours on her Bosendorfer piano. The program consists of the following pieces:Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody #12, Liszt Totentanz, Liszt/Schubert "Ave Maria", Liszt/Paganini Etude "La Campanella",3 more Liszt/Schubert transcriptions including "Erlkonig, 3 Chopin Nocturnes in C minor, D flat major,and E flat major, Scriabin 2 Poems opus 32, and 2 Etudes opus 42 #3 & opus 65 #1, Beethoven "Moonlight" Sonata, Rachmaninoff Etude Tableaux in A minor opus 39 # 6, Rachmaninoff 4 preludes opus 32 #5, #10, #12, opus 23 #5, Mozart Fantasia in C minor K 475. Recorded in Dolby Digital Stereo Surround Sound and beautifully photographed, with lots of closups of her hands, students as well as connoisseurs of great piano playing will be overwhelmed be her dynamic style, countless expressive insights, and transcendental virtuosity that is always at the service of the composer. A bonus feature is the Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody #12 before which Valentina speaks to the audience in a very candid and personal way expressing deep gratitude to all those that have made this stunning debut possible. Her program is exciting, never boring, and easy to listen to, making this DVD a true collectors item.