© Peter Rigaud Dresdner Musikfestspiele: Piano wizard with a message — Piano recital by Igor Levit
Dresden, Kulturpalast — Main Hall
About the Event
Igor Levit describes himself as a “citizen. European. Pianist.” And indeed, as he once told Die Zeit, the charismatic, politically engaged artist wants to be “more than just the man who presses the keys.” But when he does press them, every evening becomes a magical moment of piano music. One such moment is now coming to the Kulturpalast: the multi‐award‐winning pianist will present a program whose second half is devoted entirely to the great Romantic piano repertoire. In addition to Liszt's famous “Dante Sonata,” the program will feature a selection from Mendelssohn's “Songs Without Words,” characterized by their lyrical beauty. Levit recorded these in 2023 as a deeply personal artistic response to the attacks on Israel. The first part of the concert is devoted to Dmitri Shostakovich's Second Piano Sonata, composed in 1942 in memory of his teacher Leonid Vladimirovich Nikolayev. The impressive solo recital opens with Maurice Ravel's “Kaddish” – one of the most moving Jewish‐inspired works in music history.
Program
- Maurice Ravel – »Kaddisch« aus »Deux mélodies hébraïques« (Fassung für Klavier von Alexander Siloti)
- Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich – Sonate für Klavier Nr. 2 h‐Moll op. 61
- Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy – »Lieder ohne Worte« e‐Moll op. 62/3 (Trauermarsch), a‐Moll op. 53/5 (Volkslied), a‐Moll op. 62/5 (Venezianisches Gondellied), A‐Dur 19/4 und e‐Moll 102/1
- Franz Liszt – »Après une lecture du Dante«. Fantasia quasi Sonata aus »Années de pèlerinage. Deuxième année: Italie« S 161
Artists
| Piano: | Igor Levit |
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Address
Kulturpalast, Schlossstr. 2, Dresden, Germany — Google Maps
