1908: Ravel Rachmaninoff Valentina Lisitsa

• Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937): Gaspard de la nuit, M. 55:
• 1 Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit, M. 55: I. Ondine 07:27
• 2 Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit, M. 55: II. Le Gibet 07:07
• 3 Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit, M. 55: III. Scarbo 10:20
• Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943): Piano Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 28:
• 4 Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 28: I. Allegro moderato 13:53
• 5 Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 28: II. Lento 08:13
• 6 Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 28: III. Allegro molto 12:59
• Total Runtime 59:59

Info for 1908: Ravel Rachmaninoff

Valentina Lisitsa juxtaposes two great works written in 1908, in whose interpretation she demonstrates both the depth and virtuosity of her playing: Maurice Ravel's "Gaspard de la Nuit" and the Piano Sonata No. 1 by Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Valentina Lisitsa first made a name for herself as a pioneer of classical music on the internet, gaining an audience of millions via her YouTube channel. Since 2012, she has also performed in major concert halls around the world.

Her title "Queen of Rachmaninoff" - also the name of the joint project with naïve - indicates how thoroughly Valentina Lisitsa has tackled the technical difficulties of this repertoire that is central to her, which includes not only her favourite composer Rachmaninoff, but also Mussorgsky, Beethoven, Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Scriabin and Ravel.

Lisitsa’s production company, Queen of Rachmaninov (QOR), is, she says, ‘an “audiophile” label drawing the inspiration from the Golden Age of pianism and following in footsteps of the musicians who inspired and influenced me - Hofmann, Rachmaninov, Sofronitsky, Schnabel, Backhaus - while taking the advantage of the best recording equipment available today. The naïve team and I are speaking the same language and I am very excited about this new partnership!’

Pierre-Antoine Devic, Head of naïve classique, said: 'Valentina has a very special status in the international music world. For naïve and for Believe, this new signing marks a major step in our rapid development in the classical music genre. We are thrilled to welcome you into the naïve family, Valentina!’ while Romain Vivien, Managing Director of Believe, added, ‘This new partnership between Valentina Lisitsa and naïve perfectly matches Believe’s mission: providing artists and producers with the best expertise and commitment at every step of their creative and go-to-market processes, with fairness and transparency, in a fast-changing and digitally oriented music world. I know Valentina and naïve can reach great successes together!’

Valentina Lisitsa, piano

Valentina Lisitsa
With her multi-faceted playing described as “dazzling”, Valentina Lisitsa is at ease in a vast repertoire ranging from Bach and Mozart to Shostakovich and Bernstein. Her orchestral repertoire alone includes more than forty concerti. She admits to having a special affinity for the music of Rachmaninoff and Beethoven and continues to add to her vast repertoire each season.

Valentina Lisitsa was born in Kiev, Ukraine and began playing the piano at the age of three, performing her first solo recital a year later. She gained a place at the Lysenko Music School for Gifted Children and later studied at the Kiev Conservatory under Ludmilla Tsvierko. In 1991 she won the first prize in The Murray Dranoff Two Piano Competition together with Alexei Kuznetsoff. She now resides in the USA.

With more than 30 million YouTube channel views, Valentina Lisitsa is one of the most watched classical musicians on the Web, using digital innovation to champion classical music and performance. She has performed in venues around the world, including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and the Musikverein. In May 2010, Valentina Lisitsa performed the Dutch premiere of Rachmaninoff’s “New 5th” Concerto in her debut with the Rotterdam Philharmonic, and in August 2011 made her debut with the Orchestra Sinfonica Brasileira under the baton of Maestro Lorin Maazel.

Valentina Lisitsa has recorded three independently-released DVDs, including her best-selling set of Chopin’s 24 Etudes. Her recording of the 4 sonatas for violin and piano by composer Charles Ives, made with Hahn, was released in October 2011. In addition, Ms. Lisitsa has recently completed recordings of the complete concerti of Rachmaninoff and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the London Symphony Orchestra under conductor Michael Francis.

Her 11-12 season features debut performances with the Helsinki Philharmonic, the Colorado Symphony and recitals at Ravinia, Festival of the Arts Boca, Teatro de Colon in Buenos Aires and the Casals Festival, chamber engagements, and a solo recital in June 2012 at the Royal Albert Hall, London

Valentina Lisitsa records exclusively for Decca Classics.

Booklet for 1908: Ravel Rachmaninoff