Igor Levit - Bach, Beethoven, Rzewski (2015)

18 Aug, 15:02
change text size:

Artist: Igor Levit
Title: Bach, Beethoven, Rzewski
Year Of Release: 2015
Label: Sony Classical
Genre: Classical
Quality: FLAC (image + .cue, log, scans)
Total Time: 03:13:45
Total Size: 563 MB
WebSite: Album Preview

Tracklist:

Disc: 1
01. Aria
02. Var. 1 a 1 Clav.
03. Var. 2 a 1 Clav.
04. Var. 3 - Canone all' Unisono a 1 Clav.
05. Var. 4 a 1 Clav.
06. Var. 5 a 1 ovvero 2 Clav.
07. Var. 6 - Canone alla Seconda a 1 Clav.
08. Var. 7 a 1 ovvero 2 Clav. Al tempo di Giga
09. Var. 8 a 2 Clav.
10. Var. 9 - Canone alla Terza a 1 Clav.
11. Var. 10 - Fughetta a 1 Clav.
12. Var. 11 a 2 Clav.
13. Var. 12 - Canone alla Quarta
14. Var. 13 a 2 Clav.
15. Var. 14 a 2 Clav.
16. Var. 15 - Canone alla Quinta a 1 Clav. Andante
17. Var. 16 - Ouverture a 1 Clav.
18. Var. 17 a 2 Clav.
19. Var. 18 - Canone alla Sesta a 1 Clav.
20. Var. 19 a 1 Clav.
21. Var. 20 a 2 Clav.
22. Var. 21 - Canone alla Settima
23. Var. 22 a 1 Clav. Alla breve
24. Var. 23 a 2 Clav.
25. Var. 24 - Canone all' Ottava a 1 Clav.
26. Var. 25 a 2 Clav.
27. Var. 26 a 2 Clav.
28. Var. 27 - Canone alla Nona a 2 Clav.
29. Var. 28 a 2 Clav.
30. Var. 29 a 1 ovvero 2 Clav.
31. Var. 30 - Quodlibet a 1 Clav.
32. Aria da capo

Disc: 2
01. Tema. Vivace
02. Var. 1 - Alla Marcia maestoso
03. Var. 2 - Poco allegro
04. Var. 3 - L'istesso tempo
05. Var. 4 - Un poco piu vivace
06. Var. 5 - Allegro vivace
07. Var. 6 - Allegro ma non troppo e serioso
08. Var. 7 - Un poco piu allegro
09. Var. 8 - Piu vivace
10. Var. 9 - Allegro pesante e risoluto
11. Var. 10 - Presto
12. Var. 11 - Allegretto
13. Var. 12 - Un poco piu moto
14. Var. 13 - Vivace
15. Var. 14 - Grave e maestoso
16. Var. 15 - Presto scherzando
17. Var. 16 - Allegro
18. Var. 17
19. Var. 18 - Poco moderato
20. Var. 19 - Presto
21. Var. 20 - Andante
22. Var. 21 - Allegro con brio, Meno allegro, Tempo I
23. Var. 22 - Allegro molto (alla "Notte e giorno faticar" di Mozart)
24. Var. 23 - Allegro assai
25. Var. 24 - Fughetta. Andante
26. Var. 25 - Allegro
27. Var. 26
28. Var. 27 - Vivace
29. Var. 28 - Allegro
30. Var. 29 - Adagio ma non troppo
31. Var. 30 - Andante, sempre cantabile
32. Var. 31 - Largo, molto espressivo
33. Var. 32 - Fuga. Allegro, Poco adagio
34. Var. 33 - Tempo di Menuetto moderato (ma non tirarsi dietro)

Disc: 3
01. Thema. With determination
02. Var. 1 - Weaving, delicate but firm
03. Var. 2 - With firmness
04. Var. 3 - Slightly slower, with expressive nuances
05. Var. 4 - Marcato, with determination
06. Var. 5 - Dreamlike, frozen, a little slower, Tempo
07. Var. 6 - Same tempo as beginning, Slower, Tempo, Slower
08. Var. 7 - Tempo (Lightly, impatiently)
09. Var. 8 - With agility, not too much pedal, crisp
10. Var. 9 - Evenly
11. Var. 10 - Comodo, recklessly
12. Var. 11 - Tempo I. Like fragments of an absent melody, in strict time
13. Var. 12
14. Var. 13
15. Var. 14 - A bit faster, optimistically
16. Var. 15 - Flexible, like an improvisation
17. Var. 16 - Same tempo as preceding, with fluctuations, much pedal, expansive, with a victorious feeling
18. Var. 17 - Left hand strictly. Right hand freely, roughly in space
19. Var. 18
20. Var. 19 - With energy
21. Var. 20 - Crisp, precise
22. Var. 21 - Relentless, uncompromising
23. Var. 22 - Very expressionate
24. Var. 23 - As fast as possible, with some rubato
25. Var. 24
26. Var. 25
27. Var. 26 - In a militant manner
28. Var. 27 - Tenderly, with a hopeful expression, Cadenza, Fiercely
29. Var. 28
30. Var. 29
31. Var. 30
32. Var. 31
33. Var. 32
34. Var. 33
35. Var. 34
36. Var. 35
37. Var. 36 - Improvisation
38. Thema. Tempo I

The pianist Igor Levit has shown an inclination toward big virtuoso repertory: Liszt, Bach, the late Beethoven sonatas. Nothing he has done, however, is comparable to this giant effort, comprising three ambitious and extremely difficult variation sets. The amount of preparation involved is mind-boggling in itself, and what's more, Levit has knitted the three works together with a common style that's extremely precise and unobscured by pedal. You could buy the set for the Beethoven Diabelli Variations, Op. 120, alone, really; Levit offers a clean, probing reading that's not without a good deal of humor. The odd work out here is doubtless The People United Will Never Be Defeated, a set of variations by American composer Frederic Rzewski on the Chilean folk song El pueblo unido jamas sera vencido. This work, despite its difficulties and despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that it has never quite fit the agendas of either modernists or neo-Romantics, has persisted for 40 years in the imaginations of players and audiences, and Levit makes a good case for its inclusion in the august environment in which he places it here. The works form a persuasive chain: Beethoven clearly knew Bach's variation set with its transfigured return to the theme at the end, and Rzewski's was explicitly modeled on Beethoven, with a big fugue at the end and a uniquely stretchy conception of the theme. Sony backs up Levit with crystal-clear studio sound, which was what was needed despite the pianist's Romantic virtuoso qualities. Strongly recommended. -- James Manheim

Related Release:

Igor Levit - Bach, Beethoven, Rzewski.rar - 563.0 MB