Bach: Partitas BWV 825-830 (2014)

Russian pianist Igor Levit, trained in Austria and Germany, gained good festival notices and a New Generation Artist nod from the BBC. For his initial recordings he has confidently chosen repertoire that is usually thought to take some life experience to master: first the late Beethoven sonatas, and here Bach's six Partitas for keyboard, BWV 825-830. The partitas receive subjective, frankly pianistic readings less often than they used to, and for Levit the recording is a gutsy move. He relies less on pedal (like the big ... Read More

Russian pianist Igor Levit, trained in Austria and Germany, gained good festival notices and a New Generation Artist nod from the BBC. For his initial recordings he has confidently chosen repertoire that is usually thought to take some life experience to master: first the late Beethoven sonatas, and here Bach's six Partitas for keyboard, BWV 825-830. The partitas receive subjective, frankly pianistic readings less often than they used to, and for Levit the recording is a gutsy move. He relies less on pedal (like the big piano names of the old days) or extreme tempos (like Gould, although a few of his scherzos and finales are unusually quick) than on articulation combined with small variation in speed to define each partita and each movement with a free and distinctive spirit. The slow movements, with feathery trills and plenty of expressive space, are exceptionally beautiful, and the entire concept is thought out in detail; when Levit takes a fixed tempo, that actually stands out and becomes the point... Read Less