Valentina Lisitsa plays "Schwanengesang" (The Swan Song) by Schubert (Transcription by Liszt)

A truly visionary work 2005-10-06 This latest DVD of Valentina Lisitsa is a thoughtful essay that communicates on so many levels - philosophical, aesthetic, mystical, visual, aural, and intellectual. One has to remember that Liszt's arrangements of Schubert's Lieder were written not to dazzle the audience with the performer's pyrotechnics but to take the listener by the hand and lead him into to the rarified realm of the Schubertian poetry. These piano pieces are not mere transcriptions but illuminations, gleanings, or commentaries of one artistic genius (Liszt) on the works of the other (Schubert). Similarly, this DVD is a clever extrapolation of that idea. Valentina, an artist of truly prophetic vision and extraordinary prowess, brings to life this philosophical discourse between Schubert and Liszt. In the process, the line between performance and mystical act is blurred. The artist and her crew behind the camera never insert themselves into a conversation between the two geniuses but intelligently articulate the main outline of the discourse.

One should remember that the main difficulty with a song transcription lies in its loss of the programmatic content. When a singer performs a song, the listener hears both the intellectual content (words) as well as its emotional carrier (music - pitches, rests, dynamics etc.) However, once the song is transcribed for the piano, it is implied that the listener is familiar with the original, and the piano transcription serves as a musical postcard whose flat image is a memory anchor that brings to life a familiar scene, all in one's own memory. What if the listener never heard the original song material? Valentina and her crew came up with an ingenious idea of supplying subtitles, much like it is done in most modern opera houses. Thus all the channels of communication are open - THE INTELLECTUAL in the form of the supplied lyrics, THE VISUAL - the superb video sequence that begins as an act of worship by lighting the candelabra, and THE AURAL in the form of the ineffable and mercurial playing of the artist herself. Lastly, one interesting detail caught my eye: the artist plays all pieces from memory (her memory is legendary), yet music is placed on the stand as if it were a sacred scroll, similarly to an open Bible on the church pulpit. What a nice touch - I read in it a subtle artistic statement, "I follow the spirit of the score, not the letter."
To sum up, this DVD is a truly visionary work of beauty and depth.

Amazing Valentina! 2005-09-15 Ms. Lisitsa's performance is simply amazing! She makes the technical difficulties of playing these works look effortless and has captured, and even amplified the mood of each song superbly. Most impressive is the way she can get right to the core of each individual work. She has clearly given much thought to how each song should be interpreted and has done a wonderful job of putting her own stamp on each one.

Unless they have no soul, anyone who watches and listens to this recording will immediately feel the somberness and foreboding in "Die Stadt" and "Kriegers Ahnung" and the eerie nightmare atmosphere of "Der Doppelganger", as well as the beautiful flow and clear melodies of "Abschied" and "Standchen". Ms Lisitsa's handling of the canon-like second repeat in "Standchen" is nothing short of miraculous. She succeeds in playing the multiple melody lines and accompaniment in a way that sounds like it is a "piano-four-hands" performance. I could go on and on, but my main point is that she has really succeeded in capturing the subtleties of each song so clearly. BRAVO!!

The DVD sound is excellent with the clarity, timbre and bass power of Ms. Lisitsa's reconditioned 1925 Bosendorfer captured realistically.

Pianist Alexei Kuznetsoff, someone who clearly understands this music, did production, direction and editing. I was certainly not expecting such a dramatic visual concept. The strong initial mood of the DVD is set with Ms. Lisitsa walking into the room carrying a single candle and then proceeding to light a candelabra. Only a few camera angles are used and the feeling is that of attending a live, but very private, event. Editing is sparse but always complements the music. The viewer also has the option of English or German subtitles (or none at all) which are appropriately sized and do not interfere with viewing Ms. Lisitsa's flying fingers. The dramatic, "high-key" lighting also really fits the music. The video ends with a single candle being extinguished -- a fitting dramatic touch signifying the end of Schubert's last compositions.

Highly recommended.

- Amazon