~Author: Scoresby
Friday October 19 2018 - After a slew of theatrical performances in the past few weeks, it was wonderful to delve into a spare solo piano recital. That is not to say this was banal in any way, just a change of atmosphere from the past few performances I've seen. The sold out 2 hour recital Igor Levit gave in Zankel Hall felt ascetic, austere, and spiritual all at the same - it was thrilling. Mr. Levit performed selections from his new album aptly named Life, which was conceived after the death of a close friend of his. While I had a chance after the performance to listen to the recording this weekend after and it is wonderful in its own way, Mr. Levit’s playing was far more transfixing live where the colossal dimensions of speed and dynamics were evident.
Above: Composer/Pianist Ferruccio Busoni
Mr. Levit set the serious tone of the evening at the start of the program with Brahms's transcription of Bach's Chaconne for the left hand alone. Many pianists perform Busoni's ostentatiously romantic transcription instead, but this work fit Mr. Levit's program well. It uses only the essential materials of the original without any excess added to it, a far life affirming work in that regard. Mr. Levit's focus was apparent, keeping the work moving with a quiet tone, precision playing, and laser focussed on flushing out the structure of the piece. While this work can sound monotone in the wrong hands due to the register of the piano not changing much, Mr. Levit managed to suss out a variety of textures ranging from crisp staccatos to organ like pedal points in difficult scales.
After a brief applause and letting in latecomers to their seats (it was a shame this happened, as by design this program seemed to move seamlessly from one work to another - and Mr. Levit seemed intent on playing without interruption) Mr. Levit launched into Busoni's incredible Fantasia After J.S. Bach. I had only heard this rarity on a few recordings before as it is an incredibly difficult work that weaves together Busoni's own themes with elements from Bach Chorales, specifically the a few parts of BWV 776, the fughetta from BWV 703, and the prelude from BWV 602. It is a monumental, life affirming work that Busoni wrote to memorialize his father.
During the improvisatory-like introduction, Mr. Levit took his time slowly spinning out the chromatic line. Despite the relatively slow tempo, Mr. Levit never seemed to be wandering - the music was driven forward with exceptional focus. Following the introduction there is a Debussy dreamy passage that sound light and contemplative. As the various Chorale themes are introduced, Mr. Levit made the piano seem like an organ - letting each chord decay for a long period of time with a grand tone. As the piece reached its climax, Mr. Levit finally unleashed the full sound of the piano during the reworking of the fughetta of BWV 703. He sped up his tempo and managed with preternatural ease to craft each voice in a clear, while making a large crescendo through this charge to life. The music continues though as Busoni has other things in mind. Mr. Levit built the next busty climax with that same focus until the works bittersweet ending. He stretched out these final few chords to the point where the audience seemed to think the work was over with some of the last sweet chords (even on person starting to clap), Mr. Levit moved to the dark minor ending - a true memorial that is life affirming and solemn.
Letting the sound decay first, but without breaking concentration - Mr. Levit marched headfirst into Schumann's last piano work: Variations on an Original Theme. In the middle of composing this work said to be inspired by a theme given to him by 'ghosts', Schumann attempted suicide by throwing himself in the Rhine and when the work was finished went to the Asylum where he lived the last years of his life. While Schumann's style is apparent, this is a more subdued idiom for him: placid and docile. While as beautifully crafted as before, this sounded like a coda of sorts to the other two works - lightening the mood.
The second half of the program had the same spiritual focus appropriately commencing with Liszt’s transcription of “Solemn March to the Holy Grail from Parsifal, S. 450”. This transcription was written during Liszt’s late period and so it has the characteristic somber, bare sound with forward looking tonality. Mr. Levit’s languid tone in the bass during the introduction sounded like the rolling strings in Wagner’s score. This incessant left-hand melody continues through the entire stretch of the work – Mr. Levit managed to have the incredible focus to keep the piece together with one guiding line throughout.
Above: Mr. Levit; Photo Credit: Robbie Lawrence
Mr. Levit then performed the Busoni piano transcription of Liszt’s sprawling organ piece Fantasy and Fugue on ‘Ad nos, ad salutarem undam’, S. 259 after Meyerbeer. This is a grandiose, virtuosic work and beautiful work – but incredibly Mr. Levit managed tame even the most difficult sections into something spiritual. During flashiest sections with extremely difficult runs, Mr. Levit would play the scales/arpeggios softly, as if just adding texture to the base melody. Not only does this musically bring out the melody of the piece instead of emphasizing virtuosity, it also it shows incredibly control/mastery from a pianistic standpoint. Not to say this was a boring interpretation by any means – if anything it was the most satisfying performance I’ve heard of this work: vivid with detail and never sounding over-the-top. Instead a dark journey toward the heavens.
As an encore, Mr. Levit played the wistful Rzewski work Mensch (from Dreams Part 1). While long for an encore (10 minutes or so), it was the perfect ending the concert with Mr. Levit seamlessly playing Rzewski impish style imbued with jazz, blues, folk music all with a Debussy-like dreamy layer. Perhaps this is the most austere concert I’ve seen in many years, but I look forward to hearing Mr. Levit’s thoughtful performances again. While I don’t necessarily agree with the way he plays, that is moot when the playing is so wonderfully rendered.
-- Scoresby