Igor Markevitch Tschaikovsky

Songs Without Words (Lieder ohne Worte) is a series of short lyrical songs (Lieder), with piano accompaniment, by the Romantic composer Felix Mendelssohn written between 1829 and 1845.

Returning to the studio after a three-year pause, Igor Levit reflects on existence and loss—thoughts prompted by the death of a close friend. Tracing a journey from the music of Bach to that of Frederic Rzewski by way of Schumann, Wagner, Liszt, and others, he supports his intellectual and emotional concerns with playing of power and tenderness. Liszt’s “Ad nos” Fantasia and Fugue unfolds with solemn fervor and Wagner’s Liebestod seethes with passion, while Bill Evans’ “Peace Piece” disarms with its simple message, exquisitely colored by one of the major pianistic talents of our time.

After Igor Levit, Christian Thielemann, and the Vienna Philharmonic performed Brahms’ First Piano Concerto at Vienna’s famous Musikverein in April 2024 the Viennese newspaper The Standard wrote: “During these fifty minutes, an irresistible dose of emotion was conveyed – but at the same time the sophisticated structure of Brahms’ masterpiece remained crystal clear.” Four months earlier after their performance of the Second Piano Concerto, the Austrian newspaper Die Presse had declared that “Igor Levit sets a new gold standard for Brahms.”