What a surprise to see this video! University of Miami Gusman Concert Hall is just over two blocks from my house. I happened to be there for this performance. I'm just as impressed seeing this video as I was when I saw her in person. "It's a small world after all." Thanks!

I watched bits of the Rach #2 concerto, and though I'm not intimately familiar with it, I enjoyed her performance. Then I listened to her Chopin 25/12 etude (minus the bits at the beginning and end that were cut), because I'm working on it. She lost me there. I'm not sure how to describe what I thought was bad about it. It's like it was very mechanical and to uniformly loud through the whole thing. Her phrases did not flow with the wave/undertow analogy like I imagine they should be. Perhaps it only sounded that way because she played it on a Bösendorfer? Does she always play on a Bösendorfer? Also, I heard several wrong notes in there, which makes me wonder how much she practiced it. It can't have been very much, because she's obviously got a lot of technical ability. The Ashkenazy recording I have makes me wonder the same thing, because he plays it so slow.

The 25/12 (and all Chopin's etudes) is one of those pieces that tests the pianist's limits. About VL's performance, she played it very "safely", if you know what I mean.

Pete

Oh my, yes.

Yes, I believe I know what you mean. But I find that most pianists who go for anything "complete" - whether it be all 27 Chopin Etudes (or just 24, or 12), or the complete Chopin works for solo piano, like Ashkenazy did - there are always sacrifices/compromises that are made, where some pieces get the love and attention they deserve, while others are only given the attention necessary to make it through the piece. So, I guess I feel like this one wasn't really loved by either Lisitsa or or Ashkenazy, at least by the recordings I've heard.

There were some recordings that Ashkenazy greatly improved from the "Complete" publication to the "Favourite Chopin" recording, though, especially the B-flat Minor Sonata. Aside from what I feel is excessive liberty with the tempo, that recording of that sonata is probably the most impressive I have heard. The recording from the session that was used for the complete publication was only decent in comparison.

I heard her play a hefty duo recital with Hilary Hahn a week ago. They played the Franck Sonata, the Ives 3rd Sonata and the Brahms A major as well as a Mozart Sonata; Hahn also played the Ysaye solo Sonata in G major. Difficulties do not seem to exist for Lisitsa ( or for Hahn) and she played her part without overpowering the violin but she never "accompanied", her playing was always the equal of the violin and she took center stage in the appropriate places. She has plenty of power but uses it sparingly, and she never made an ugly sound. The Mozart was the best piano Mozart I've heard in a long time; her scales and passage work were astonishingly clear and precise and the whole Sonata sang out and danced along without ever sounding dry or mannered; a great performance. The Ives Sonata was incredible ( the piano part is MUCH harder than the violin unless I'm mistaken); her phrasings and colorations were superb. There's an inner movement of the sonata that has some very rapid repeated note and scale passages of extreme difficulty; she tossed these off as if they were nothing at all. They both understood the piece and dove right into it; for me it was the highlight of the evening, a real musical adventure. Of course there were those in the audience who were were audibly grousing about "the damned modern music" but hopefully they were assuaged by the rest of the program, which was superb as well. Hopefully I'll hear her in a solo recital someday.