In the first minutes of January 1st, in the new year 2011 – right after the fireworks – I watched a programme on tv-channel ARTE – titled ‘Christmas in Vienna’ – and stumbled upon a beautiful singer with a most wonderful voice, a mezzo soprano from Austria that got me hooked. Her name: Elisabeth Kulman. From now on I’m her fan. On YouTube there’s quite a number of videos dedicated to her, check them out. And here’s from the Christmas in Vienna-programme her honest and touching rendition of Caccini’s ‘Ave Maria’.
Category Archives: Western Classical Music
The music of J.S. Bach : a taste of perfection in an imperfect world
I’m compleeetly touched by this incredibly beautiful Bach-piece, sung so wonderfully by counter-tenor Paul Esswood. As in many of his other works Johann Sebastian Bach manages here to let us experience perfection in an imperfect world. I know some Cantatas of Bach, but not a great number. When or how will I ever find time to listen to all of his Cantatas? There’s still so much to explore… 🙂
Valentina Lisitsa plays Rachmaninoff #1 in Duisburg & Köln in December 2010
Some stunning playing in this blog by Valentina Lisitsa. Two recordings of the cadenza in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto #1: first a solotake filmed by me, then another take of this cadenza – filmed by Val’s husband Alexei Kuznetsoff and at that point with the LSO around 🙂 Both takes filmed at Abbey Road Studios, London, September 2009.
In December 2010 Valentina plays the Rachmaninoff piano concerto #1 twice in Germany with the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln conducted by Jukka-Pekka Saraste: in Duisburg on 9 December and in Köln on 10 December.
An exquisite solotake – filmed by me – of the cadenza in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No.1
And another exquisite take – filmed by Alexei, and now ’rounded’ by the LSO at start and finish 🙂 – of the cadenza in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No.1
November 2010: Poolse componist Gorecki overleden
Afgelopen vrijdag, 12 november 2010, overleed de Poolse componist Gorecki op 76-jarige leeftijd. Zijn 3e symfonie is een mijlpaal in zijn werk en in de muziekgeschiedenis. Uniek qua uitstraling en reikwijdte.
Valentina Lisitsa 14 Nov. 2010 in Vrije Geluiden on dutch national television
On November 14th, 2010, VPRO television’s sunday morning music programme Vrije Geluiden features classical pianist Valentina Lisitsa. I was at the set in the BIMhuis in Amsterdam and before and after the shooting of her playing and interview I took a few pictures that I present in my YouTubevideo above, a video on my YouTubechannel. In my video I combined my photos of Valentina with her playing of the Rachmaninoff/Warenberg Concerto’s second movement theme, a recording that was also made in Amsterdam, in May 2010. In Vrije Geluiden Valentina plays other not to be missed music by Rachmaninoff: Prelude Op.32,no.5, Etude Tableau Op.39, No.6 and Prelude Op.32, no.12. So don’t miss VPRO’s Vrije Geluiden on 14 November 2010, featuring Valentina Lisitsa, Nederland 1, 10.30 AM (dutch time). Extra information for non-dutch people: Vrije Geluiden is Holland’s weekly tv show for ‘serious music’, featuring the best artists and all kinds of great music in the realms of jazz, classical and world music. The recordings – so, also Valentina’s performance and interview – will be published not long after the broadcast on the website of Vrije Geluiden and on Vrije Geluiden’s YouTubechannel.
Unique Halloweenconcert with Valentina Lisitsa in Leiden – 31 Oct. 2010
OMG… you don’t wanna miss this Halloweenconcert with pianist Valentina Lisitsa on 31 October in Leiden… SPOOOOKY ! 🙂
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…
Halloweenconcert’s programme (click on picture above to enlarge)
Halloweenconcert’s location: The Waag in Leiden
Valentina Lisitsa / rehearsal of Chopin Etude Op.25, No.9 G flat major
Motto of this video: ‘one minute of Val’s playing is a joy forever’ 🙂
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Valentina Lisitsa : interview + playing ‘5th’ Rachmaninoff/Warenberg
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
Valentina Lisitsa / livestream webcast recording sessions 24 Etudes Chopin
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.
Valentina and producer Michael Fine
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.
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!
Me and Valentina during a coffee break
Valentina and the whole crew really loved the wonderful response from the livestream webcast’s visitors.
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 ! 🙂
Valentina Lisitsa : solo takes Rachmaninoff #4
On August 7th, 2010, I’ve published two new videos on my YouTubechannel with another 18 minutes of some exquisite playing by Valentina Lisitsa, filmed by me in London, Abbey Road Studios, December 6th, 2009.
It’s some of my footage of Valentina doing solo take recordings of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No.4, as part of her Rachmaninoff Project with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), conducted by Michael Francis and produced by Michael Fine.
For this project with the LSO – that’s bound for release by the end of 2010 – Valentina recorded at the Abbey Road Studios in London Rachmaninoff’s four piano concertos and Rachmaninoff’s Paganini Variations in September 2009 (piano concerti 1 and 2), in December 2009 (piano concerti 3 and 4) and in March 2010 (Paganini Variations).
If you like Rachmaninoff you can’t afford missing Valentina’s exquisite, brilliant, electrifying and delicate ‘Rachy touch’. Listen and enjoy! 🙂