Igor Levit

Beethoven was a visionary, he was sensitive and he was a faithful friend. On the second evening of this concert series devoted to Beethoven’s piano sonatas, Igor Levit will reveal the full scope of the composer’s emotional depth and once again express his own strong personal relationship with the great master and his work. The bond began to develop when Levit first played the beautifully lyrical Sonata No. 10, soon to be followed by the graceful Sonata No. 9. In a podcast, Levit admitted it took him a while to warm to the "Grand Sonata" No. 7, but it has since become one of his favourites. The Sonata No. 24 introduces new and unusual elements, whereas "Les Adieux" op 81a is an exception to all the other sonatas. It is the only one clearly influenced by a specific event in Beethoven’s life and reflects the painful loss of his friend and patron, Crown Prince Rudolph, who fled from Vienna to escape Napoleon’s soldiers. Whether the music of Beethoven is dramatic, lyrical, personal or worldly, we can be sure that with Igor Levit at the piano, the sonatas will feel as fresh and new as if they had been composed yesterday.