Igor Levit, Piano
Saturday, May 16, 2020 | 8:00 pm
Piano Recital Series
Baldwin Auditorium
March 16, 2020: Important Announcement: Remainder of Duke Performances spring season cancelled
Dear Friends,
Due to precautionary measures related to COVID-19, Duke University has temporarily suspended on-campus classes and is postponing all events with an expected attendance of more than 50 people taking place both on- and off-campus.
Sadly, we must cancel all Duke Performances presentations, both on- and off-campus, for the remainder of our spring season, through May 16.
We wish these changes weren’t necessary, but under the circumstances an aggressive course of action is justified to protect public and community health.
We will do our best to present in the future the artists impacted by these cancellations.
The Duke University Box Office will issue refunds to patrons holding tickets for presentations through May 16. Tickets purchased with a credit card will be refunded to the card of purchase. If card of purchase is expired, refund will be issued via check. Tickets purchased via check or cash payment will receive a check reimbursement sent to the address on record. All refunds are expected to be completed within 8 weeks. Thanks for your patience as we work to expedite refunds.
We thank you for your support of Duke Performances and look forward to seeing you at our presentations in the future.
Until then we wish good health for you and your loved ones as we endure this unprecedented challenge.
With best wishes,
Scott Lindroth
Vice Provost for the Arts
Duke University
Eric Oberstein
Interim Director
Duke Performances
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Bold, brilliant, and outspoken, Igor Levit is the pianist of the moment. “Perhaps the most formidable virtuoso of the younger generation” (The New Yorker), Levit is assertive in speaking his mind musically and politically. Winning the prestigious Gilmore Artist Award in 2018 magnified his profile, and his intimate album Life has reaped critical praise as a non-traditional program and meditation on grief.
Levit’s first album was a recording of Beethoven’s late sonatas, a move which Gramophone declared “a debut of true significance.” In his second Duke Performances recital, Levit offers four early and late Beethoven sonatas. The Sonatas No. 9, 10, and 11 display Beethoven’s mastery of classicism, but distinctly carry his charged voice. The monumental “Hammerklavier” took nearly a year to compose, and gives the pianist the challenge to elucidate the thorny connections between disparate musical ideas — a task perfectly suited for Levit.
Program
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 9 in E Major, op. 14, no. 1
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 10 in G Major, op. 14, no. 2
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 11 in B-flat Major, op. 22
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat Major, op. 106 (“Hammerklavier”)
Igor Levit 'BBC In Tune Sessions: Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 17 in D Minor, op. 31, no. 2, 2nd movement'
“Levit’s command of the piano inspires a degree of awe”