Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Valentina Lisitsa in Practice.... LIVE

did not see the Brahms. Mostly CHopin.

What does stopping and practicing hands separtely have to do with anything?

It just means she felt a passage needed that kind of practice. It doesn't mean there were hiccups(whatever that means) or wrong notes. Many pianists do this kind of practicing all the time, no matter what stage of learning a piece is at including "finished".

Anyone else having problems with the audio today? I can't get any sound at all, only the picture.

How do you know how she memorizes?

There's an interview on youtube where she's asked about her photographic memory where she says she prefers to use muscle memory because if she uses a different score than she risks having a blank.

Here's the interview if your interested.

She is live right now.

What a privilege that was! I met her at a masterclass / party after her concert in Washington DC and was very impressed. Not only as a concert artist but as a very comfortable person to be around. She popped into Cathy Harl's store (where the party / master class was being held) and like a magnet, the pianos drew her to sit down and play! There is a thread here at PW in the party section. About 2 yrs ago now.

Cherished memories. She even taught me during the master classes! She was so patient and gave such good advice.

I have her practicing in the background while I work at the computer for the week.

We can support her by purchasing her tapes/CD's, DVD's and attending her concerts!

Actually she says that photographic memory has advantages and disadvantages for her. Then she says that photographic memory is "definitely a plus". And she starts mentioning muscle memory after a question about fingering.

Finally, all pianists use muscle memory to some extent and few, if any, professional pianists use it exclusively. So I can't see what point you were trying to make by talking about her "holding a piece in muscle memory which must take time". Everyone does it and it "takes time" for everyone.

what is she playing right now?

Well I'm not sure what she was playing then but right now (7:58 Pacific time) she's playing Chopin's 4th scherzo. :]

She's practicing the Emperor concerto now (6/30 8:30 am PST).

I know this sounds crazy but... I find this more exciting than an actual performance would be.


-Jason

It's totally hypnotic. I often meant to just check in for a few minutes but ended up staying for hours. In a way, I'm glad that the live feed will end by July 4th. This is interfering with my (already scant) practice time!

I know this is off-topic, but is your icon from Nodame Cantabile?
I think many people on this forum would really like that series!

I think I'm also experiencing a childhood-nostalgia affect. I grew up with my father playing several hours a day. He's not at professional level, but he did work up things like the Prokofiev 8th sonata and the Diabelli variations, and hearing this kind of practicing, with its starting and stopping rhythms, brings those days back a bit.

-J

The point I was trying to make that the method she uses, in my experience, creates a blank spot in muscle memory, but if she uses her photographic memory first and overtime moves the pieces to muscle memory then it's very effective.

Also yes she mentions her use of muscle memory after asked about fingering, but she still said she preferred muscle memory. Whether or not she meant that she prefers to use muscle memory over photographic I'll allow you to decide.

I've found in my very short time of studying that, your right, it's highly ineffective if not impossible to use exclusively muscle memory.


Now I think I've poked enough holes in my statements to satisfy all of the fans and debators.

Now this looks mighty interesting, I need to catch the stream live - doesn't seem recorded "shows" are available.

I have watched Ms. Lisitsa on and and off the past few days and have truly enjoyed her practice.

I have a comment, tough, on music scores, which I feel is going to draw fire, but this is just my opinion:
The other day she commented online chat that she was looking on the Internet to download the score of Chopin’s ‘La Ci Darem la Mano’ Op.2 Variations and mentioned that she had never had that score before.

I don’t know whether because I’m old (and old fashioned) or maybe my university background, but I had in my mind the view that professional concert pianists (i.e. Brendel, Schiff) are very picky about their scores and go thru great lengths to verify accuracy, good sources, etc. Also, at least in my mind, pianists get acquainted with a lot of music, eventually having sight-read all available music by at least all mainstream composers. So maybe Ms. Livitsa just wanted to sight-read that score.

But, if like she had posted on the live practice Website, she needs to prepare 55 pieces, some brush-up, some new (and Chopin Op.2 is apparently new to her repertoire), I was shocked to see that a professional pianist will simply go on the Internet and download what he/she may find instead of carefully reviewing sources and getting Henle, Peters, etc.

Just my opinion. (now shoot me).

Chopin Op.2 isn't new, she released a DVD of it a couple of years ago. It is an excellent performance, but as far as authenticity to the score goes it isn't particularly accurate. This fact does not bother me in the slightest.

Also, she was talking about finding the score to buy on the internet, not to download.

Yes, debrucey. You are right. That music is not new to her. I happen to have the DVD I just un-earthed it after your comment reminded me of it (Black and Pink - Liszt Don Juan the best in it in my opinion).
What threw me before was the comment (I know I read it correctly) that she had never owned the Chopin Op.2 score.

It's not a choice of one or the other. She uses photogrpahic memory, muscle memory, melodic memory and maybe other kinds also. Everyone uses at least the second and third appropaches. I'm quite sure she uses harmonic analysis memeory also since a person at her level would automatically be able to analyze a piece that way without almost any speicial thought.