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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
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28 members (APianistHasNoName, crab89, Fried Chicken, CraiginNZ, bwv543, Cominut, Colin Miles, 9 invisible),
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 2,607
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I disagree. I like her as a musician, despite her flaws.
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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 4,983
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IMO
Although modest, Piano Again does have enough musical experience and standards to know the difference. And I agree with her. VL is sharing her talent with others and should be commended. I have enjoyed seeing her approach to practice and learn from her, just by watching and listening.
"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything."
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,173
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FWIW, I shared her YouTube page with my piano teacher (who has been teaching for 45+ years) a while back, and he said he found her playing "entirely convincing."
And yes, of course she's promoting herself. How else does anyone get to play anywhere? She's not doing too badly, either, in a professional sense.
I went to hear her play with the violinist Hilary Hahn a few months ago. They are regular collaborators, and Valentina is given equal billing, including a solo piece on the program (she played a Chopin Nocturne). I thought she did a lovely job with everything while not upstaging the violinist. I also attended a master class she gave (and I played for her, albeit not very well!) and was impressed by her technical knowledge and graciousness. She is a real musician.
Recovering cellist, amateur pianist. ![[Linked Image]](http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:m8hBGJHyDFlGeM:http://www.asinari.it/cello.jpg) Check out my blog ! ![[Linked Image]](https://www.pianoworld.com/ABF_Medals/5medals.jpg)
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 19,862
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
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Joined: Jan 2003
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she had a practice 'show' on before. It seemed everytime I checked she was practicing. I love how she sits so low.. and her hands really do caress the keys stroking them. my technique is quite different... which is why I am me, and she is she.
accompanist/organist.. a non-MTNA teacher to a few
love and peace, Õun (apple in Estonian)
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 6,701
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Do we get to watch her brush her teeth ... or make her breakfast?
Has this what it has come to? We get to watch artists practice?
Yamaha AvantGrand N1X | Roland RD 2000 | Sennheiser HD 598 headphones
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 92
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Valentina Lisitsa is the coolest.
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,226
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Gosh, some of you people are so mean. There's room for all kinds of approaches, and isn't it better, particularly for us amateurs, to be open to that? Especially with someone as technically accomplished as Valentina, and with her obvious love of playing the piano. If I could play at a fraction of her ability (both technical and musical) I would be very happy. IMO, people are "mean" because they have enough musical experience and standards to know that Ms. Lisitsa as a musician is nothing particularly noteworthy, and the amount of attention she receives is totally out of proportion to her talent. That she is the subject of so many threads here is purely a function of her YouTube and internet presence, and is not an indication of some kind of wonderfulness, particularly when compared to other successful pianists of her generation. She has been a very smart and innovative self-promoter in that regard, and I admire her gumption in breaking new ground, but it doesn't mean she is a great talent. Somehow, it seems that generating "buzz" (which is Lisitsa's true talent) has itself become more important than what the buzz is about. In a strange way, she's more like a meme than anything else. That's a rather harsh assessment, wr. It's part of the job for a concert pianist to promote him or herself. Valentina's chosen to do this in a 21st century way. As for her musicianship, it is very complete. She may not do it for you, or me, but there are others who enjoy what she does.
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 960
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Quite honestly I think anyone who considers Lisitsa's true talent is "generating buzz" are showing just how little they know about the subject.
Her memory alone has made her a significant performer in the world of music. Her accuracy is nothing short of fabulous, her interpretation may not be what others think of as best but to call it anything short of supremely competant is lacking reality.
We can all argue interpretation, with little merit.
Her willingness to share her performances with non-payers makes her truly remarkable in the modern world and as does, for me, her unique and priceless ability to inspire, educate and cause me to aspire to better myself.
A true great.
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,474
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Quite honestly I think anyone who considers Lisitsa's true talent is "generating buzz" are showing just how little they know about the subject. I don't think anyone is being "mean" about Lisitsa. What some posters may be reacting to is that a brilliant self-promoter (and a very accomplished pianist) is getting significantly more exposure and accolades than the Murray Perahia's of the piano world who don't have the "it" factor.
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 960
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If a product is not good it doesn't matter how much you promote it, people will see through it pretty quickly.
People return to Valentina Lisitsa time and time again because what she is promoting has genuine merit.
People are entitled to have what favourites they wish, no matter for what reason, but a quote that Lisitsa's "real talent is generating buzz"?
For me it is disappointing that anyone defends such a negative comment.
It is so inaccurate as to be unreal.
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 501
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Dave, if you don't want to watch her practice, then don't watch her, for heaven's sake! I for one think it's a privilege to watch any professional caliber artist or group practice or rehearse regardless of the instrument they play. As an amateur musician I know that there is a lot I can and do learn from them. I'm sure I could learn a lot from many of the folks on here, for that matter. For those of us that are getting something from her live practicing, you don't really need to rain on our parade now, do you?
Lee
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 854
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She knows these pieces by heart and now she's just going through the moves in a rather stale and robotic way. She does it with such ease and that's very impressive, but I would like to see her practice when she starts with a brand new and difficult piece.
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 3,652
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3000 Post Club Member
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She knows these pieces by heart and now she's just going through the moves in a rather stale and robotic way. She does it with such ease and that's very impressive, but I would like to see her practice when she starts with a brand new and difficult piece. In general I admire VL's abilities. Her videos I find quite convincing and compelling. Having said that, I too listened a bit this morning and have to agree with the above assessment. She wasn't putting a lot of personality in her efforts this morning. It was more run through a bunch of pieces to make sure the wheels wouldn't fall off the wagon (that's what usually happens for me) in a semi-performance situation. We got to hear the pieces in a semi-performance situation but the urgebncy of playing well for a live audience wasn't there.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 6,701
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Dave, if you don't want to watch her practice, then don't watch her, for heaven's sake! I for one think it's a privilege to watch any professional caliber artist or group practice or rehearse regardless of the instrument they play. As an amateur musician I know that there is a lot I can and do learn from them. I'm sure I could learn a lot from many of the folks on here, for that matter. For those of us that are getting something from her live practicing, you don't really need to rain on our parade now, do you? I watched her for a minute or two and that was that. If you get off on watching someone polish a piece that they've already polished, great. I would get more out of watching the final performance ... or learning her technique for making an omelet.
Yamaha AvantGrand N1X | Roland RD 2000 | Sennheiser HD 598 headphones
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 6,651
6000 Post Club Member
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Has this what it has come to? We get to watch artists practice?
I have to tell you, though I know where you're coming from, there are quite a few pianists past and present that I would love to watch practice, if only for a short time.
"And if we look at the works of J.S. Bach — a benevolent god to which all musicians should offer a prayer to defend themselves against mediocrity... -Debussy
"It's ok if you disagree with me. I can't force you to be right."
♪ ≠$
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 433
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She just finished playing her four Scriabin pieces that are listed for the upcoming concert[s]. I particularly liked the way she played the second Op. 32. Very convincing, very nice. Looking forward to hearing this live, instead of through my computer speakers. Now I might have to plan on getting there four hours early instead of two...just in case. What the heck...I'll bring the second volume of Alan Walker's Liszt bio (I just finished Vol. 1 today)...
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Joined: May 2012
Posts: 6,177
6000 Post Club Member
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Do we get to watch her brush her teeth ... or make her breakfast?
Has this what it has come to? We get to watch artists practice?
nice comparison!!! *not*
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 114
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She is mediocre.
And PLEASE stop insisting that those who find nothing special about her are just jealous or know nothing about the subject.
She has a limited emotional capacity. She pretends to be musical by doing these tricks that somehow convince a lot of people (for example, playing the right hand literally almost a second after the left, weird dynamic changes in the right hand that are meaningless and unnatural). She isn't delicate, nor intense, nor fresh, nor creative.
She certainly does not sing with her playing.
The technique coupled with amazing pianos are the only thing that stands out.
I'm talking about sound here. Not the faces or movements she makes - judging from them I would say she is a magnificent pianist.
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 2,607
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"And PLEASE stop insisting that those who find nothing special about her are just jealous or know nothing about the subject."
Was anyone insisting that? I merely insist that it's subjective. You are entitled to your opinion, and I am entitled to mine.
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Joined: May 2012
Posts: 6,177
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She is mediocre.
And PLEASE stop insisting that those who find nothing special about her are just jealous or know nothing about the subject.
She has a limited emotional capacity. She pretends to be musical by doing these tricks that somehow convince a lot of people (for example, playing the right hand literally almost a second after the left, weird dynamic changes in the right hand that are meaningless and unnatural). She isn't delicate, nor intense, nor fresh, nor creative.
She certainly does not sing with her playing.
The technique coupled with amazing pianos are the only thing that stands out.
I'm talking about sound here. Not the faces or movements she makes - judging from them I would say she is a magnificent pianist. I actually agree with all of that. I do think it's cool to watch a famous pianist in her room practicing live though. (even though her playing bored me greatly)
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