Chamber Music
October 25, 2009 • 3 pm • 4673 Delafield Avenue at the Meyers' Residence


Valentina Lisitsa







Valentina Lisitsa, piano
Francisca Mendoza, violin
Veronica Salas, viola
Bruce Wang, cello

Program
Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2
Quasi una fantasia
Adagio sostenuto
Allegretto
Presto agitato

Richard Strauss - Piano Quartet C Minor Op 13
for violin, viola, cello and piano
Allegro
Scherzo: presto
Andante
Finale: vivace

Intermission

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat major, opus 81a, Les Adieux
Das Lebewohl (Les Adieux - The Farewell); Adagio - Allegro
Abwesenheit (L'Absence - The Absence); Andante espressivo (In gehender Bewegung, doch mit viel Ausdruck)
Das Wiedersehen (Le Retour - The Return); Vivacissimamente (Im lebhaftesten Zeitmaße)

Johannes Brahms - Piano Quartet in G minor, Op. 25 for violin, viola, cello and piano
Allegro
Intermezzo: Allegro ma non troppo
Andante con moto
Presto: Rondo alla Zingarese


 Described by critics as an "electrifying pianist", and one who plays like " [a] bona fide angel,” the Ukrainian-born Valentina Lisitsa has been receiving rave reviews since making her Mostly Mozart Festival debut at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall. Ms. Lisitsa is at home in a vast repertoire ranging from Bach and Mozart to Shostakovich and Bernstein and her orchestral repertory boasts 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 repertory each season. In 2010 she will perform Rachmaninoff’s “New 5th” Concerto with the Rotterdam Symphony. She is also taking on the ambitious project of recording all 32 of Beethoven's sonatas.

With her highly individual and fearless approach to every work she performs, Ms. Lisitsa has been greeted by enthusiastic audiences around the world. Her 2008 recital debut in Vienna's Musikverein Golden Hall received multiple standing ovations from the highly discerning Viennese audience. Valentina Lisitsa’s 2008-09 season included more than 80 performances world-wide.

Born in Kiev, Ms. Lisitsa began to study piano at the age of three and performed her first solo recital at four. After her studies - first in the Lysenko School of Music and then in the Kiev Conservatory – she moved to the United States and shortly thereafter became a citizen. She has performed in the world's most prestigious concert venues, and among recent collaborations have been tours with the Sao Paolo Symphony, the New Zealand Philharmonic, Warsaw Philharmonic and Prague Chamber Orchestra.

Ms. Lisitsa has recorded 8 CDs on the Audiofon label and 3 independently released DVDs including her best-selling set of Chopin's 24 Etudes, which long held the coveted #1 spot on the Amazon.com list. A highly anticipated new CD featuring Beethoven, Schumann, Thalberg and Liszt is scheduled for release in 2009.

Valentina Lisitsa is a Bösendorfer artist and often plays the flagship Imperial model.