Valentina Lisitsa, piano - Beethoven, Appassionata - Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, opus 57 (2)

Valentina Lisitsa, piano - Beethoven, Appassionata - Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, opus 57 - Movement 2 (Andante con moto - attacca) ~ Rehearsal run before recital in Musikverein, Vienna ~ *** Publicity for the Ukrainian pianist Valentina Lisitsa may parade her presence on MySpace and YouTube, but everything about her Wigmore Hall recital suggested that the 19th century is her natural habitat. (The Independent) *** On Tuesday, the picturesque village of St. Paul was the site of a stunning performance of Beethoven&Sonata Op. 57 (Appassionata). The performer was Valentina Lisista, a supermodel-slim Ukrainian with golden locks who is marketing herself as a romantic. The label might not do her full justice. Passionate as this Appassionata was, its real distinction lay in its rhythmic steadiness and epic architecture.This was a superb illustration of Beethoven&joint mastery of the classical and romantic ideals. It was impressive also on the technical level. The cascading arpeggios of the first movement were brilliant and the semiquavers that motor the finale were admirably distinct. (The Gazette) *** Ludwig van Beethoven&Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, opus 57, colloquially known as the Appassionata, is considered one of the three great piano sonatas of his middle period (the others being the Waldstein sonata, opus 53 and Les Adieux, Opus 81a). It was composed during 1803, 1804, 1805, and perhaps 1806, and is dedicated to Count Franz von Brunswick. The first edition was...