Mastering and analog recording by William Makkee

Recorded to 1/4-inch tape on a Studer tape machine, lacquers cut by a Neumann VMS 80 cutting lathe

“An impressive Romantic showcase from the YouTube sensation pianist… Valentina Lisitsa proves its not just Rachmaninov who should be taken seriously.” — Classic FM (Rachmaninov review)

Valentina Lisitsa takes virtuosity to new heights with a dazzling recording of Liszt’s most technically challenging work, the unplayable El contrabandista, which the composer conceived as a spectacular encore to his recitals. The controversial work, rarely recorded and here delivered in a brilliant performance by Lisitsa, is the lynchpin of a recital CD of popular Liszt works.

In championing Liszt on her latest album, Lisitsa was keen to address some of the long-standing preconceived notions of him as a crowd-pleasing showman rather than a composer of huge creativity, incredible diversity and groundbreaking originality. With that in mind, she has chosen a program featuring the thematic riches of the ingenious Hungarian Rhapsody No.12; the Ballade No.2 in B minor, with its inspired mix of the dramatic and the lyrical; the paraphrase from Verdis Aida; and the composers take on Schuberts Erlkonig and Gute Nacht (fromWinterreise).

A fiery performer who lives on the edge artistically and likes to take risks, Lisitsa recorded one version
of the recital direct to analogue tape, transferred without edits for a special edition LP product. She simultaneously recorded in high-resolution 24-bit digital audio to make the most of the modern music format.