Described by critics as a "bona fide angel playing" and an "electrifying pianist", the Ukrainian-born Valentina Lisitsa has been receiving rave reviews since her arrival in the United States in 1991. With her multi-faceted playing described as "dazzling", Valentina is at ease in a vast repertoire ranging from Bach and Mozart to Shostakovich and Bernstein. With her highly individual and fearless approach to every work she performs, she has been greeted by enthusiastic audiences throughout the world.
Born to a family of non-musicians in Kiev, Ukraine, Ms. Lisitsa began playing the piano at the age of three and performed her first solo recital at age four. But unlike most music prodigies, Valentina did not think about a career as a concert pianist. She had a different dream - to become a professional chess player! With a minimum of practice time, she sailed through the Kiev Conservatory, winning competitions along the way, by relying on her extraordinary sight-reading abilities and photographic memory. Valentina attributes her effortless technique to hours of mindless repetition of the most difficult passages while simultaneously devouring a books that interested her, which she kept open on her music stand. This way, she explains, she was able to convince her family that she was practicing. It was only when she met Alexei Kuznetsoff, a fellow student at the Conservatory and her future partner in life as well as in duo-pianism , that Valentina started thinking about music seriously. Mr. Kuznetsoff, a very serious and knowledgeable musician, became the major influence on Valentina's transformation from dazzling virtuoso into extraordinary musician.
The first major enterprise undertaken by the young couple turned out to be not only a great success but a turning point in their lives. They decided to prepare for the most important two-piano competition in the world -"The Murray Dranoff Two Piano Competition" in the United States. In one year of intense work they achieved something which ordinarily takes decades--becoming a seamless unity as a duo-piano team.
Their "reward", in addition to winning first prize in the 1991 Competition , was an opportunity to move to the United States and launch a career as one of the most highly -esteemed piano duos in the country , beginning with their orchestral debut at the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center in New York .
Although they didn't know it, the solo career of Ms. Lisitsa was about to take off as well, thanks to a bit of luck, if one can call it luck to find one unplayable piano at a scheduled two-piano recording session. Rather than calling the day off it was suggested that Valentina try recording some solo works. This impromptu recording session resulted in two more CDs - but this time solo CDs - and the launch of Valentina's highly successful solo career. Soon she was performing in the world's most prestigious concert venues, from New York's Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall, to Vienna's Musikverein, to Amsterdam's Concertgebouw. Having well over 30 concerti in her repertoire, she crisscrossed the globe performing with such orchestras as the Sao Paolo Symphony in Brazil, the New Zealand Philharmonic, and the Prague Chamber Orchestra.
Valentina is also frequently invited to participate in chamber music performances with such prominent musicians as the cellist Lynn Harrell, violinists Ida Haendel and Hilary Hahn. She has recorded eight CDs for the Audiofon Record Company, and her DVD of the 24 Chopin Etudes is the first in a series of her music videos. Two more DVDs-one of Schubert-Liszt songs and another of virtuoso masterpieces, including Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit and Liszt's Don Juan - are scheduled for release in the fall of 2006.
Valentina Lisitsa is a Bösendorfer artist.
I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4
Rachmaninoff Etude Tableau Op. 39. No.6
Rossini-Thalberg Fantasy on "Barber of Seville"
Chopin Etude Op 10. No.4 c sharp minor (from the DVD)
Chopin Etude Op.25 No.6 g sharp minor (from the DVD)
Chopin Etude Op.25 No. 12 c minor (from the DVD)
Hello! Valentina......I love your music...your pianism..... I love your performances...(es. Rachmaninoff concert.n°1...) I love Valentina Lisitsa "the pianist" Baci ....Angelo
Thanks so much for the Add–and your friendship. We enjoyed your music very much. Thanks for sharing it with all of us. It's a pleasure having you among our friends!
We've just added two new blogs about Umano, plus four more new compositions, making ten on our space. We hope you and your friends visit us and enjoy our music, too.
We wake up every morning and play the music of the new MySpace friends who have arrived at our site during the night. It occurred to us that these friends (you are among them) are almost universally positive, whether they be novices or legends, and without regard to their station in life or the country they occupy.
Although it's not an original thought, it also occurred to us that we couldn’t hold a verbal conversation with most of these friends, but we have bridged that gap by expressing our art honestly with each other.
We all have been filling the world with our music and art, in the hope that our messages of love and human understanding will have an impact on the world at large.
What a gift and what an opportunity we have received from this technology!
Ciao Amici, una grande news per il Concorso Flores 2009! Quest'anno al primo classificato va una borsa di studio del valore di 500 Euro offerta dalla famiglia FLORES , la coppa di Vincitore del 1° Concorso Luca Flores 2009, e 4 CONCERTI da tenersi a Firenze nella stagione 2009/2010 offerti da TEATRO METASTASIO PRATO (Metastasio Jazz 2010), Musicus Concentus, Scuola di Musica e Arte Il Trillo, Trattoria 4 Leoni. INOLTRE LE ISCRIZIONI SONO STATE PROROGATE AL 10 LUGLIO! Forza, vi aspettiamo numerosi!
Dear Val... we miss you a lot in MX City!!! hope next year you can perform something in here.... Wish you're having a great time, oh, wonderful piano muse, hehehe...
Greetz, Valentina! How are you?.. touring as usual? :) And what have you been up to these days? I've moved from Portland, OR down to Monterey.. I know it's been forever and a day, and I'm sorry! But.. I've actually and finally posted a New Blog :) Hope you'll stop by to read it? oox Catherine B.
Sunset color notes on Pori Jazz Give my life the Jazz and the Melody May you have the Best Summer of your Life http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2838901/ http://www.inbaseline.com/person.aspx?person_id=2473739
Hello Valentina. I must say I consider you one of the most talented young pianist I have ever heard! Your style, tecnic and musicality, with Rachmaninov is amazing! Million thanks for being my friend and all my best regards. Michel
ThanXXXX very much dear Valentina that I'm on your buddylist now and you are on my one :)) Welcome to the circle of the world-best pianists. I really like your tunes and how you play them :)
Hi!! Valentine Thanks for the add. I love your sound. Music is great and eternity. Please listen to my music when you have time. And please give me your opinion. Have a great success!!
