Valentina Lisitsa at the Royal Albert Hall Recital Interview VIDEO

Valentina Lisitsa performed at the Royal Albert Hall on 19th June 2012 to an audience of 2,500.
Royal Albert Hall is the main venue for the annual proms where eminent pianists such as Lang Lang perform.
How did she get the gig? Ukrainian born Valentina is a Youtube sensation with her high quality videos, she's had over 43 million hits,  I can appreciate this as my own youtube channel has had 77,000 views. As a result of her astonishing success, Valentina has been signed by Decca Classics record label.
I was listening to an interview Valentina had with BBC Radio 3's Sean Rafferty, and she practices an astonishing 13 hours a day!

Her programme at the Royal Albert Hall, which was based on a vote from her fans includes:


F. Liszt
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12

Mozart
Fantasy in C minor K.475

Schubert-Liszt
3 songs:  Des Mädchens Klage, Der Doppelgänger, Erlkönig

Beethoven
Sonata Op 27 No. 2 'Moonlight'



Rachmaninov
Etude–Tableau  Op.39 No. 6
4 Preludes: G major Op 32. No. 5, G sharp minor Op 32 No. 12, B minor Op 32 No. 10, G minor Op 23 No. 5

Scriabin
2 Poèmes Op. 32
2 Etudes: Op 42 No. 3 'Mosquito', Op 65 No. 1

Chopin
3 Nocturnes: C minor Op 48 No. 1, D flat major Op 27 No. 2, E flat major Op 9 No. 2

Liszt
Totentanz S.525

Here's the concert! 


An interview from Valentina Lisitsa




Interval Interview
During the interval, there was a video interview with Valentina. From the interview, we learn that Valentina has a 7 year old son. In 2007, she posted her first Youtube homemade video, mainly because she was looking for an audience. The first video caught on, and went viral, and more videos were subsequently uploaded.  Every day, about  50-60,000 people watch her videos,  equivalent to an entire stadium's audience. And she answers questions from Twitter, and her favourite piano is the Bosendorfer, and the piano she plays at the Royal Albert Hall is the Imperial model. She enjoys playing Fur Elise as a charming relaxing piece, that contrasts all the virtuosic works she plays.  She loves listening to pianists of the golden age such as Backhaus, Hoffman, and Rachmaninov. Valentina has absolute pitch.





Official Release Party at Royal Albert Hall