In Brief
- The Great Artists Series brings international stars to the St. Louis stage.
- Levit is renowned for his interpretations of Beethoven piano sonatas.
- Subsequent guests include Grammy winners Imani Winds and Yuja Wang.
Igor Levit is “one of the essential artists of his generation” (The New York Times), a pianist who “guides the public to the heart of Beethoven” (Le Figaro). On Nov. 9, Levit will launch WashU’s 10th annual Great Artists Series with an evening of Beethoven sonatas.
The performance will open with Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 No. 1. Published when Beethoven was just 25, the piece was dedicated to his former teacher, Joseph Hayden, but also asserted a degree of independence. Hayden, unlike the young Beethoven, never completed a piano sonata in F minor.
Next will be Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31 No. 2 “The Tempest.” The piece was composed in 1802 — a difficult year for Beethoven, as he sought medical care for his growing deafness. The nickname is derived from an offhand comment. Asked about the sonata’s meaning, Beethoven is said to have replied, “Just read Shakespeare’s ‘Tempest.’”
Following intermission, the program will continue with Piano Sonata No. 25 in G major, Op. 79. Among the shortest of Beethoven’s sonatas, this brisk and lively piece was commissioned by Muzio Clementi, a composer and music publisher who manufactured pianos for the British market. Beethoven, himself a famously energetic virtuoso, suggested the titles “Sonatina” or “Sonate facile (Easy Sonata).”
Concluding the performance will be Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 “Waldstein.” Written in the summer of 1804 and named for one of Beethoven’s earliest supporters, this dazzlingly inventive sonata is a highlight of the composer’s middle period. Wilhelm Lenz, an early Beethoven biographer, memorably described it as “a heroic symphony for piano.”
Igor Levit
Born in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, in 1987, Levit moved to Germany with his family at age 8. He completed piano studies at the Hannover University of Music, Drama and Media and in 2005 was the youngest participant in the International Arthur Rubinstein Competition in Tel Aviv, Israel — winning silver, the audience prize and two special prizes. He has presented recitals on many of the world’s top stages, including the Musikverein Vienna, Philharmonie Berlin, La Scala Milan, Carnegie Hall in New York and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.
In 2019, Levit became a professor of piano at his alma mater; released his acclaimed recording of all 32 Beethoven sonatas; and was named Gramophone’s Artist of the Year. Other honors include the 5th International Beethoven Prize (2019); the Opus Klassik, Germany’s most prestigious classical music award (2020); the Statue B of the International Auschwitz Committee (also 2020); and the BBC Music Magazine’s Recording of the Year Award for his album “On DSCH” (2022). He is co-artistic director of the Heidelberger Frühling Musikfestival and initiated Piano Fest at the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland.
10th anniversary season
Launched in 2017, and sponsored by the Department of Music in WashU Arts & Sciences, the Great Artists Series presents intimate recitals by some of the brightest stars of the contemporary concert stage.
Following Levit will be Grammy-winning ensemble Imani Winds (Jan. 31) and Lincoln Center quartet-in-residence The Viano Quartet (Feb. 21). Mezzo-soprano and St. Louis native Jennifer Johnson Cano will then join violist Beth Guterman Chu and pianist Christopher Cano (March 7), followed by Norwegian fiddler Benedicte Maurseth with cross-cultural ensemble Constantinople (April 2).
Concluding the season will be celebrated Grammy-winning pianist Yuja Wang (April 6).
Tickets and related events
Levit’s performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9 in WashU’s E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall. Tickets are $40, or $37 for seniors and WashU faculty and staff, and $15 for students and children. Tickets and subscriptions to the series are available through the WashU Box Office, 314-935-6543. For more information, visit music.wustl.edu.
The E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall and the Pillsbury Theatre are located in the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., at the intersection with Delmar Boulevard. The Great Artists Series is made possible with support from the Regional Arts Commission and from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.
