Rachmaninoff Concerto No.3 "Solo" Version 1st mov. (with ossia Cadenza ) Valentina Lisitsa 

LOL. My mind is adding the orchestra!!!! I can't stop it!

Brilliant. Also, when you hear the "solo" version, you realize the genius of Rachmaninoff's orchestration.

It appears she is playing on a Bosendorfer Imperial, the 9'6 masterpiece of the piano world. It has 9 extra keys in the bass, all colored black. This allows the bass bridge and lowest standard notes to be nearer to center of soundboard, creates more soundboard area and allows for more coloring due to 9 very long bass strings ringing sympathetically when pedal is in use.

Her version of the cadenza is unfathomably better than any other pianist. My god, this is the definition of perfection.

Your ossia cadenza is the most powerful thing I've ever heard on the piano

11:41 those added sub-bass keys send chills down my spine...that’s impressively powerful

9:33 is the beginning of the ossia cadenza for anyone who is trying to jump to there! this performance is amazing

Love it! There's something uniquely intimate in hearing and seeing the solo piano part. It's like Valentina is sharing a private and hidden world with us.

I have been listening to Rachmaninov all my life. Listening to your performance brought me to tears. A performance has not done this for quite some time. Thank you. I shall be listening again and again.

I'm convinced Valentina is the best musician alive today. Hands down.. so graceful.. so much emotion. Perfect and flawless.

It's like this playing is cleaning my brain of all kinds of pollution. As fresh water running through.

Valentina is definitely at the top of my list for one of the few top pianists in the world, solo or concerto. She deserves more recognition !

thanks valentina! now the orchestra has some piano recordings to practice along. :_p

I wonder if Rachmaninoff was moved to tears as well by the passage he composed starting at 3:00

The cadenza is honestly one of the best I ever heard. An absolute hurricane. And this is where the Bosendorfer makes a difference. The sound is so rich

great - she is using the contra octave keys Boesendorfer offers..rare!

Really superb. I’ve always thought the cadenza from this is one of the most spectacular things I’ve ever heard. It just gets so continually dramatic like it’s never going to end and you don’t really want it to end.

Only Lisitsa could play a single melody in bare octaves so amazing beautiful!

Number three is my favourite and to my unmusical ears, I like her playing more than other pianists. Just my opinion. To me, her interpretation sounds like water; flowing effortlessly.

Comparing this recording with the one w/ orchestra when Rachmaninov himself is playing, I must say that this single recording only misses nothing. It is truly one of the best music pieces I have ever experienced being performed. He have been listened to various no#3 concerto performances since I am a child, and as I said, Valentina manage it that one do not miss the orchestra - she is not only natural and in a way rude - she is one of the best pianists I have ever heard.

These solo versions are wonderful to hear. Sometimes it’s tough to hear all the notes in live orchestral recordings on RU-vid. Thanks for sharing, great performance!

This is absolutely insane!! The most accurate definition of musical talent

What I love abt these concertos played in minimalist mode - either instrument alone or instrument accompanied by a piano playing the orchestral parts is that I can finally hear & appreciate the full articulation of the solo instrument in question. Its always the case where with a full orchestra playing full blast, the sound & articulation of the soloist will always be drowned out making it inaudible or at best muffled. Thanks much for uploading this!

I'm sure i could hear strings and Oboe at some sections, but it must be the mind playing tricks.

wow!!!!!!!!! just wow!!! I cried and realised the vastness and complexity of the Universe and of the human mind. Thank you thank you

Fantastic, wonderful, the best interpretation of Rach3 I've ever heard! Valentina you are extraordinary! Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!

THANK YOU for playing the theme that starts at 3:06 so slowly... it's sublime!

Valentina's solo performances are actually the most incredible things to watch. Her own hand positioning is so fluid, performing "Rachmaninoff's Third" looks like a cakewalk. :3

Dear Valentina. I am so grateful for the strength, passion and fluidity of your playing. I heard you in Bard College's intimate Olin Hall during the Liszt Summerscape. I understand comparisons to Argerich here, but its fairer to say that your hands, heart and approach are singular -- truly beautiful to watch and listen to.

I would have never guessed that the concerto was so beautiful played in solo, wow, what a surprise! Rachmaninoff knew how to use the instrument. Also that cadenza interpretation is really awesome Valentina, keep up the good work and your strong presence on youtube, it's really appreciated, I'm a huge fan of yours, I hope you will come back to Montreal soon!

This is what I would call playing a concerto totally naked!!! Oh my goodness Valentina! What a wonder you are to behold! You have given us such a rare gift to hear all the nuances without being covered up by an orchestra! You are brilliant! You also have a great videographer by your side!!! Love Love Love your playing! You are for me the best there is and has ever been! You are right up there with Liszt, Rach, Horrowitz, Rubenstein, just to name drop of few!!!! Bless You!!!

ما هذا السحر ما هذا الإبداع ما هذه الرومانسية يا فالنتينا وانت تاخذيني إلى عالم آخر عندما استمع الى عزفك وانظر إلى اناملك الرقيقة إنك رائععععععععة

Cadenza sounds absolutely amazing on bosendorfer

LOVE_U Valentina…!!!!!!

I want nothing more than the Prokofiev Concerto project. Thanks for supplying me with the gorgeous music, it is my dream to see you live one day.

BRAVO! I can't imagine a better rendition than this, I can only hope Mrs. Lisitsa will provide us more beautiful pieces like this.

I am hearing Orchestra too 😱 ... anybody else had the same Feeling

Impresionante.....Astonishing....thanks unpoalder, Mrs Lisitsa is a true genius. ...her prhasing is always saying, always singing right to the heart.

Dear Valentina! I am a huge admirer, and always choose your playing above many others. Today I am finally able to listen to this channel again since August. It disappeared nearly 2 months ago, and today, I can finally listen to your many other recordings which were only on RU-vid (as I believe). I have been craving to listen to your Rach 3 solos and many other live performances..... God be thanked that your videos are not gone and your channel can grow again.... Thank you very much, Valentina!!

That was just absolutely heart-moving, Valentina. It brought me to tears. It was so amazing to hear you playing that piece to the fullest, and without the orchestra accompanying. It was so amazing to hear it done that way, and I really felt your pure emotion and feeling!

can you imagine if the concerto actually started like that with no strings, then an explosion of the orchestra when the first piano run starts! 😍

i just noticed that this piano has more than 88 keys... look at the black keys!! its 98!

Valentina I am so glad you published this piece. My second favorite Rachmaninoff concerto by my most favorite pianist. I finally convinced my daughter and my son in-law to allow my 7 year old grand daughter to start piano lessons largely due to seeing your RU-vid performances. She begins in a few weeks.

i love it the way she plays

Superb. bravo bravo

How is she ever going to find an orchestra that plays at this speed? :D

You can’t help but feel extremely humbled and blessed listening to this.

You make it look so easy, Valentina. Thanks for sharing your talent with us.

J'adore !

The score says "Allegro ma non tanto" which means quickly but not too quickly.Valentina is one of the very few pianists that play this Concerto correctly.Her vivid imagination, technical wizardry and total overall conception eclipses almost everyone else.Unfortunately there are many 2nd rate performances, but this work was intended for the likes of Josef Hofmann and Valentina is quite marvelous.

I can’t understand how you can play that way. Simply unbelievable and marvelous. Thanks dear lady Lisitsa.

Superb idea recording Rachmaninov minus the orchestra. It reveals every note of the piano part that otherwise is covered up somewhat by the volume of the orchestra. It also unvails the capable technical ability of the artist Valentine Lisitsa...a truly inspiring interpreter of the piano repertoire.

When I listen to this I keep asking myself ... how can evil things exist in the world when there is such beautiful music?

When she played the Ossia Cadenza the Grand Imperial Roared like A Mighty Lion.

Having discovered Valentina on RU-vid a few years ago I was thrilled about her taking on Rach 3. A few weeks ago I accidentaly came across this first movement while swtiching the internet radio to Classic FM. I had no idea who was the soloist, but I kept on thinking ”come on, what the * is this?...” Reaching the cadenza I could not bear it any more and changed the station, but curiosity drove me to the Classic FM website to see who made me so nervous. To my complete shock it was Valentina`s recording. No, I`m not envious at her technique and no, I can`t play it. But if we, those who enjoy this music choose to shut up, standards are going to go lower and lower. Ths is the point of my criticism. Moreover, the fact that this concerto has eventually developed into a mere display vehicle (for some) rather than pure music worsenes the situation. For Valentina`s sake I like to consider she can do it right but just chose a wrong way this time. I`ve seen radical improvements in concert pianists when coming back to the same piece after, say, 10 years of reassesing. I do hope I get to see a more thoughtful performance from her in the (near?) future. P.S. This version is, anyway, better than the one with orchestra. Paradox!

Thank you Valentina! You are great!

subtil ! Merveilleux

Per your suggestion, I've listened to Rachmaninoff's rendition of the third with the Philadelphia Orchestra. If anything, I think he played it slightly faster than you. Needless to say you both played it beautifully. Envy does make it possible to find fault with perfection. Please never change your personality nor your musical efforts.

one of my favorite pieces! thanks for making it even more beautiful with your astonishing performance!

Your Rach interpretations are astounding. The sheer power and weight you put into this is incredible!

I'm sure Rachmaninov would have approved of the use of those extra bass notes on the Bösendorfer at the end of the cadenza. Appropriately used and appreciated.

Amazing. And the orchestra is so quiet. It's almost like they're not even there.

Amazing performance of my favourite concerto, I saved it to my RU-vid favourites. So much more detail can be heard without the orchestra playing and I can now hear that detail in the full version making it even better! Many thanks.

Wow...just wow. ♥️

I am a little bit sceptical concerning the playing of the cadenza. In the ossia I think that there is something monumental, something " molto grandioso ", with a growing tension which finds its peak in the part played in chords (10:36). Here I find that there is something a little bit jaunty, something too easy, which decreases the impacts of this great cadanza which has to sound as being difficult. But probably V.L. has a different view from mine.

Every time I hear the cadenza, I feel like I'm entering a church, and hearing a big, big organ playing this... I wonder how it would sound...

I can't find the words to describe how beautiful I find this.

this is one of my favourite pieces ever, I'm so glad you posted yourself playing it! If anyone will do it justice, it's definitely going to be you :)

man she is good

11:55 I swear you can hear the flute.

Wow, what a stunning performance!

She always play on the most beautiful concert grand pianos! She is such a gifted pianist!

I love her playing. But sometimes I feel like her tempos are way too fast . . . like she has a plane to catch. Faster is not necessarily better.

1:00 So much for "ma non tanto"

Valentina is a magician

she is so amazing

Technically it sounded brilliant, but somehow it didn't stir the senses emotionally for me. I'm not sure why.

I had the pleasure to watch her playing in Sao Paulo, Brazil, this piece. Absolutely brilliant!

Valentina you are fantastic! I anxiously await all of your uploads :) and releases. I LOVE your interoperation of the cadenza.

Thank you Valentina . I wonder how much one could control the emotions when play this, if I could barley have a control when listening and watching ! The climax is drastically sorrowful and effective !!

Valentina, this performance was simply amazing! Your technical precision coupled with your touch on the keys is unmatched. I felt an urgency, sadness, happiness and everything in-between. TY for that!

It`s a joy to see and listen. It`s fantastic, i love it 💝💝💝 !

BRAVO VALENTINA....you played this piece to perfection....Will

Valentina-this is brilliant! Bravo.

Thank you for this gift to piano students everywhere: just the piano part and always showing the hands!

Added to my Rachmaninoff playlist 😊

fantastica questa registrazione della solo version! Grazie Valentina sei fantastica!

What a jaw-dropping performance!! The cadenza is so stunning

This is the most amazing piece ever performed, she uses that piano so so well

I like these crescendos and diminuendos in this piece

This was so beautiful, and like many have written, it was really hard not to play the entire orchestra in my head. Ms. Lisitsa, your work is inspirational.

You're amazing Valentina. Thanks for sharing your talent with us. I hope it makes you feel really wonderful and special to know how much joy you've brought to hundreds of thousands (dare i say millions) of people. This music is timeless.

Her wrist rotation give the left hand a sound of fluidity. Great God-given talent for sure.

Quite simply, she makes a very arduous piece look very easy. So impressive on so many levels

Valya, it is simply great. GREAT.

There is so much pain written in with the Ossia Cadenza it gives me chills every time

great job!!!!! It's impossible not to "hear" the orchestra!!

Incredible,I was looking for a solo version of the Rach3,I'm so happy

excellent ms Valentina .. thanka

Merci encore et encore...