. . . her energetic style is most dramatically captured at the end of the Third Concerto, galloping along with a coltish exuberance. She negotiates changes in mood and energy with no undue grinding of gears, though you sense an eagerness when reflective moments transform into passages of more sweeping emotional heft.

. . . the recording doesn't disappoint. Each concerto is a perfect showcase for her talent, and she effortlessly tackles all that Rachmaninov's impressive music throws her way -- from lively bubbling semiquavers in the opening of Concerto No. 1, to moments of understated beauty in the famous No. 2. Fans of Rachmaninov's expansive piano melodies and beautifully soupy Romantic moments will not be disappointed, but there's much more to this album than a few hummable tunes. In tackling these huge cornerstones of the piano repertoire in her debut studio album, Valentina Lisitsa proves it's not just Rachmaninov who should be taken seriously.

. . . this is a thoroughly engrossing account of one of the 20th century's greatest bodies of piano works. It has all the power and passion you'd want, without any of the grandstanding and excessive rubato that sometimes goes with it. What makes it different from many competing accounts is that Lisitsa has at many points followed Rachmaninov's own Rachmaninov recordings rather than the published scores. The young Michael Francis does a tremendous job of keeping the music moving while allowing that vital ebb and flow of expression.

Lisitsa bringt Melodien zum Schweben und virtuose Passagen zum Glitzern. Dass die 39-Jährige neben einer makellosen Technik auch klare musikalische Vorstellungen hat, wird rasch klar . . . Valentina Lisitsa bringt sich mit dieser Aufnahme als ernst zu nehmende Pianistin ins Gespräch.