San Francisco Performances presents Igor Levit
Herbst Theatre
Veterans' Building, San Francisco War Memorial Performing Arts Center, 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102-4522 USA
7:30 PM, Thursday, November 1, 2018

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2018 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2018 event list! ☸ On to the next event!

[7:32 PM lights down, announcements, welcome from Melanie Smith, then Levit out]

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750): Mvt V: Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in D-Minor for solo violin, BWV 1004 (ca. 1720); arranged by Ferruccio Busoni (1866–1924) for piano (left hand), BV B 23 (1893), after Johannes Brahms (1833–1897): Chaconne nach J. S. Bach, Anh. 1a/1/5 (1877)

1. [7:34 PM] Chaconne
   [work ends 7:50 PM; brief pause]

Ferruccio Busoni (1866–1924): Fantasia nach J.S. Bach, BV 253 (1909), dedicated “Alla memoria di mio padre Ferdinando Busoni”

1. [7:51 PM] Fantasia
   [work ends 8:xx PM; Levit continues with only the briefest break imaginable…]

Robert Schumann (1810–1856): Theme and Variations in E-flat Major, WoO 24 (1854), “Ghost Variations”

1. [8:n PM] Theme – Leise, innig
2. [8:n PM] Variation I
3. [8:n PM] Variation II – Canonisch
4. [8:n PM] Variation III – Etwas belebter
5. [8:n PM] Variation IV
6. [8:n PM] Variation V
   [set ends 8:19 PM]

[8:42 PM lights down, Levit back out for the second half]

Franz Liszt (1811–1886): Feierlicher Marsch zum heiligen Gral aus Parsifal (Solemn March to the Holy Grail), S.450 (1882), from Richard Wagner (1813–1883): the March from Act I of Parsifal, WWV 111 (1857–82)

1. [8:43 PM] March
   [work ends 8:n PM; Levit continues with only the briefest break imaginable…]

Franz Liszt (1811–1886): Fantasy and Fugue on the chorale Ad nos, ad salutarem undam for organ or pedal-piano, S. 259 (1850), from Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791–1864): Le prophète (1836–49); arranged for piano by Ferruccio Busoni (1866–1924), BV B 59 (1897)

1. [8:54 PM] Fantasy »
2. [9:n PM] Fugue
   [set ends 9:24 PM]

Robert Schumann (1810–1856): Der Dichter spricht (The Poet Speaks), work No. 13 from Kinderszenen (Scenes From Childhood), Op. 15 (1838)

1. [9:26 PM] Der Dichter spricht
   [show ends 9:28 PM; off after another minute or so for applause]

• Igor Levit: piano.

While tonight's concert was certainly a virtuoso recital, I was put off a bit by the way that Levit crammed together most of the works, rather than giving them space to exist as separate entities. Same thing for the movements within the pieces – I wanted a moment or three to enjoy a pause, to think, “wow that was nice”, and then reset my ear for the next segment. But Igor had his own plan, and we were all just along for the ride.

Maybe the issue had to do with playing from memory – conceding to the pressure to get things right while his concentration was exactly perfect? Although he used an Ipad score for part of the first set, he didn't really seem to pay attention to it even when it was turned on.

On the fashion front, he certainly had an odd outfit. At top, an off white double layer linen shirt, cut much like a Nehru jacket, and untucked, as a coat. Joined with wide-waisted dark gray or silver pants that were strangely gathered in below the knee, like jodhpur riding pants, but paired with flat black leather shoes rather than high top boots. Yeah, I should have taken some pictures, but most of the time I was looking over his shoulder, watching his hands, and I want ready to shoot when he stood at the end of each set: must have been flabbergasted at the fine performance!

Between the rearrangements of transcriptions and artists liberty in interpretation, tonight's program was somewhat hard to follow. Nonetheless, it was also quite enjoyable, and I look forward to hearing Levit perform again!

Program Notes or program notes

Steve Winn posted an enthusiastic reviewof tonight's show in the SF Chronicle Datebook.

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2018 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2018 event list! ☸ On to the next event!