Igor Levit has devoted fifteen years to exploring Ludwig van Beethoven’s piano sonatas – works that occupy a central place in the pianist’s artistic life. He made his debut with the Sony Classical by recording late works by the Bonn master. Years of intensive work resulted in the release of Beethoven’s complete piano sonatas in 2019. Yet tonight’s programme shows that Levit’s exploration of this repertoire remains ongoing.
Beethoven’s sonatas are a milestone in the history of keyboard music. They have often been likened to the New Testament, with Bach representing the Old. They may be seen as a bridge between music-making in the home and the virtuoso concert repertoire, while also forming the foundation of modern pianism. In these works, Beethoven absorbed the achievements of his predecessors, tested the limits of the genre and, with each successive sonata, opened up new horizons. Above all, he pushed the instrument beyond its previously known limits, challenging pianists in the process. It is no coincidence that he is often said to have drawn from the instrument the potential of an entire symphony orchestra. His music bears witness not only to turbulent, impassioned emotions, but also to deeply moving, intimate lyricism and a hypnotic, almost fairy-tale narrative.
For this recital, Igor Levit has chosen four sonatas reflecting different stages of Beethoven’s creative journey: from the First Sonata, published at the close of the eighteenth century, through the dramatic experiment of Op. 31 No. 2, to the lightness of the later Sonata in G major, Op. 79, and the monumental sweep of the ‘Waldstein’ Sonata.
Bartłomiej Gembicki