Igor Levit

Berlin-based pianist Igor Levit’s Hauskonzert—a series of recitals broadcast via Twitter during the early days of the pandemic, featuring music by Beethoven, Bach and even Billy Joel—attracted thousands of viewers. This enterprising spirit and omnivorous taste, not to mention an impeccable technique, is what marks Levit as a musician who matters. Born in Russia in 1987, Levit moved to Germany when he was eight, settling in Hanover where he studied at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien. Having chosen the final five Beethoven sonatas for his recording debut, Levit subsequently released the set in 2019. But while Levit will always be known as a leading Beethovian, his online broadcasts reveal a wide-ranging repertoire—with surprises along the way. His compendium of variations contrasted Bach’s Goldbergs with Beethoven’s Diabellis and Rzewski’s “The People United Will Never Be Defeated!”, the latter work becoming particularly important to the pianist after he struck up an unlikely friendship with the composer; Levit is the dedicatee of Rzewski’s second book of nanosonatas.