Dissecting Igor Levit’s ‘dreary jumble’
NewsTim Page takes issue in the Wall street Journal with the German pianist’s latest release, titled “House Concert”:
Unfortunately, the book is a dreary jumble—a succession of would-be aphorisms that has none of the staccato wit and ease of the genre but rather flows like clotted molasses…
We know we are in trouble from page 3:
“Levit is one of the best pianists of his generation, some say the best of the century, which is quite an unsophisticated judgement, and not one that he himself likes to hear.”…
Read on here.
To write a good book, one must be very intelligent. Levit is only quite intelligent. I’ll buy it in a year when it will only set me back £5 or so.
Who gives a stuff about what the Washington Post says? He should be judged solely on his virtues as a performer. I sampled his Hammerklavier sonata on YouTube and it’s stunning – so said 608 others, who gave it a ‘thumbs up’. No ‘thumbs down’.
YouTube doesn’t do thumbs down now. It is not viewable in public. Welcome to 2023 or indeed 2022.
Thumbs down are not shown on Youtube since a long time.
“Who gives a stuff about what the Washington Post says?”
Tim Page left The Washington Post 15 years ago.
Levit is one of the best pianists of his generation, some say the best of the century, which is quite an unsophisticated judgement, and not one that he himself likes to hear.”…
That‘ is exactly what he likes to hear.
That’s the problem.
“a dreary jumble—a succession of would-be aphorisms”
That describes 99% of musicians when they attempt to be philosophical or profound.
Muti immediately comes to mind. But look also at extended efforts like Bernstein’s Harvard lectures, trying to mash Chomsky linguistic theory (it was a hot academic topic in the 60s) was music analysis, it’s sophomoric. Or the worst, Boulez’s lectures at the Collège de France, they are incomprehensible.
Alf Brendel’s writings are Interesting.
As are those by Charles Rosen.
I too will still listen to anything he plays.
This is the article everyone should read about Igor PogorLevit: https://van-magazine.com/mag/igor-levit/
Thank you J for this link. The article starts with Levit reading a Greil Marcus book on Dylan and contrary to Levit’s claim and as a Dylan obsessive, I am certain Dylan never wanted to guide people how to think. I personally find that concept somewhat troubling.
Levit’s ‘Tristan’ recital is an absolutely stunning achievement; not only the playing but the transcriptions, (Tristan Prelude and Mahler 10th 1st movement.) If some less than laudable things have been written about him, I couldn’t care less. He’s clearly a remarkable musician.