Morton Feldman’s “Palais de Mari”, a 30 minutes minimalistic, almost meditative work composed in 1986, is used as a closure to this quiet piano recital by Igor Levit. One can reasonably guess that this hushed, almost aimless piece wouldn’t be on many listeners’ playlist on its own, but in this case it fits nicely with the progression of the program. It’s also the only piece originally written for piano, the other pieces being transcriptions from organ or voice.
It takes some expert pianism to pull off Bach’s 10 Chorale Preludes for organ, transcribed for piano by Busoni. The pianist needs to articulate and differ the pedal line from the hands while bringing forth the main chorale theme within the accompaniment. This is done with changes in dynamics and voicing, together with syncopated pedal work. Levit is perfectly equipped to bring the full cycle to life; As in his impressive cycle of Beethoven’s complete Piano Sonatas (review), Levit is extremely sensitive to timbres and colors, which he conjures from his instrument. The separation of voices is clear yet remain spiritual, with fine control of pedal work, including a clever usage of the middle, sostenuto pedal. There is almost a perfect balance between the baroque grandeur, consistency of rhythm, and warm romanticism.
Next we have two late opuses of Brahms, 6 rarely-heard Chorale Preludes for organ (from his Op. 122), again transcribed for piano by Busoni, and the 4 “Serious Songs” (Op. 121), transcribed by Max Reger. I for one was never so vividly aware of the similarities in style of these two groups – listen to the running base in the last Chorale (CD 1, track 16), and the opening of the first serious song (CD2, track 1).
Related Classical Music Album Reviews
- Review: Beethoven – Complete Piano Sonatas – Igor Levit
- Review: Bach – Goldberg Variations – Lang Lang, Piano
- Review: ‘Bach Inspiration’ – Thibaut Garcia, Guitar
The Reger transcriptions are especially convincing; The thick layers of piano Reger implements in the score come through as dark and retrospective. The short “Nachtlied” by Reger for choir (CD 2, track 5) is presented here as a bridge to Feldman, in a transparent and to-the-point transcription by Julian Becker. The closing “Palais de Mari” by Feldman is commendable for Levit’s ability to concentrate and maintain a hushed pianissimo over long stretches of time, used as “a kind of extended diminuendo (…)” – as the long and semi-philosophical article by Anselm Cybinski conveys.
The piano, a fine Steinway D, is recorded closely and more intimately than Levit’s recent productions for Sony Classical, which suites the interpretations and makes us fully appreciate the multilayered sound image, even in the quietest moments. This fascinating recital works best when listening to in one sit, joining a journey of spirituality, sombreness, and solitude.
“Encounter”
Bach – 10 Chorale Preludes (arr. Busoni)
Brahms – 6 chorale Preludes (arr. Busoni)
Brahms – Vier Erneste Gesäng (arr. Rger)
Reger – Nachtlied (arr. Becker)
Morton Feldman – Palais de Mari
Igor Levit – Piano
Sony Classical, 2 CDs 194397865721
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