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PEOPLE & ARTS Thursday 21 March 2019

Igor Levit not content to be heard only through piano

By RONALD BLUM the first time at a recital in
Associated Press Princeton, New Jersey, in
NEW YORK (AP) — Igor Le- February 2016, watching
vit arrived at John F. Ken- from an upper level and
nedy International Airport’s looking down as if from a
Terminal 1 ahead of his first drone. Prokofiev’s Piano
concert at Carnegie Hall’s Sonata No. 7 got his atten-
main Stern Auditorium. It tion.
was the last day of Febru- “The music was compel-
ary and his entry didn’t go ling. It was unusual. It was
smoothly. powerful in a technical and
“It was actually four hours,” in an emotional way,” Rob-
he recalled. “There were erts said. “I think I wrote this
900 people standing in the in my review to the group,
line — approximately 900 it was like an octopus with
people — it was packed to all these tentacles. It was
the stairs, to the escalator, like he had eight arms and
and they literally had one not two. It was like synchro-
window open. Nothing was nized swimming. It was like
working, nothing. There ballet and pianism com-
were no announcements bined in a way.”
made. There were kids. Liz Ostrow, a recording pro-
There were old people. It ducer also on the Gilmore
was just a disaster.” committee, was especially
Winner of last year’s Gilm- impressed by a perfor-
ore Artist Award, given This March 5, 2019 photo released by Carnegie Hall shows pianist Igor Levit performing with the mance of Bach’s Goldberg
quadrennially to a pianist Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York. Variations at the Park Av-
along with a $300,000 prize, Associated Press enue Armory in December
Levit is among the most Ninth Symphony — the EU and cap the recording with day one.” 2015, staged by Marina
probing young artists in anthem. the Evans’ composition as Born in Nizhny Novgorod, Abramovic with a piano on
classical music. His website This is not an artist content an “amen.” Russia, Levit moved with a moving platform.
describes him as “Citizen. to speak only through his “There’s literally nothing his family to Hanover, Ger- “He’s true to the intent of
European. Pianist.” Steinway. He is fluent in that makes me feel bet- many, when he was 8 and the score and then he finds
Before a recital of English, German and Rus- ter about it,” Levit said. “I then to Berlin three years an ability to say things that
Beethoven piano sona- sian, and he uses Twitter won’t lie to anyone and ago. His Beethoven is in de- are his own within that,” she
tas at Brussels’ Palais des to expound his views. He pretend to be this arty guy mand as the 250th anniver- said. “He’s able to make his
Beaux-Arts in November has become more reticent who says that music helps. sary of the composer’s birth own statement within the
2016, on the morning af- about engaging on the No. Nothing really helps. I approaches in 2020. confines of the music that
ter the U.S. elected Don- web. don’t think about it daily Chris Roberts, a Gilmore was written and that takes
ald Trump president, he “Twitter is not a debate now, but whenever I think artists committee member, intelligence and thought-
addressed the audience platform. I used to think it about him, it’s as it was on recalled hearing Levit for fulness and technique.”.q
and said: “Today is a dark is,” he said on the morning
day, yesterday was a dark of his Carnegie concert, a
night. Yesterday the great- Beethoven third concerto ‘The Last Act’ is a compelling thriller
est economic power in the with the Vienna Philhar-
world has freely elected monic. “But I kind of more
a bigot, an opportunist, and more feel what used By JEFF AYERS way to start his new life, he
an angry and dangerous to be this phenomenally Associated Press agrees to the deal.
man as their new presi- light, fantastic platform, “The Last Act: a Novel” His stint starts off badly,
dent, as their commander which I really, really love (Dutton), by Brad Parks and it gets worse as he
in chief.” He criticized Brex- became undisputedly an Tommy Jump has worked learns that his mission is
it, the French far right and angry, schizophrenic bad in theater for a while, harder than he imagined,
German neofascists, then place.” but with a fiancee who and the information he’s
told the crowd: “The time This was four days before is pregnant, he realizes trying to get is also want-
of staying in my comfort his 32nd birthday. His latest that he has to get a real ed by people willing to kill
zone is over. As long as I recording, “Life,” a two- job to generate a steady to get it.
have a voice, as long as I disc set released by Sony income. A friend Tommy Parks takes on the worlds
am able to raise my voice, last October, is a tribute hasn’t seen in years ap- of white collar crime, bank
I will not let these aggres- to his friend Hannes Malte proaches him with a lucra- fraud and the drug war in
sive people destroy my so- Mahler, a German per- tive job offer. Now working “The Last Act.” The heroes
ciety, my world.” When he formance artist who died for the FBI, his friend of- and villains shine, and the
played Beethoven’s Piano in a bicycle accident in fers him a lot of money to writing makes the narra-
Concerto No. 3 for the First July 2016. Among the mu- take on an alias and a six- This cover image released by tive believable and in-
Night of the Proms at Lon- sic is Frederic Rzewski’s month sentence in a mini- Dutton shows “The Last Act,” tense.
don’s Royal Albert Hall in “A Mensch,” Liszt’s tran- mum security prison. The a novel by Brad Parks. This story is definitely not
July 2017, he wore a Euro- scriptions from Wagner’s FBI wants information from Associated Press the author’s last act,
pean Union pin on the left “Parsifal” and “Tristan und a banker who is an inmate documents that are tied and it solidifies the pres-
lapel of his tailcoat and for Isolde,” and Bill Evans’ jazz there, and they want to a deadly Mexican car- tige and accolades
an encore he played Liszt’s work “Peace Piece.” Levit’s Jump to become friendly tel. Jump discusses it with Parks’ has achieved. Pre-
transcription of the “Ode idea was to start with dark- with him and learn where his fiancee, and since the pare to be surprised and
to Joy” from Beethoven’s ness, end with brightness he is hiding incriminating money would be a great astonished.q