House Concert Format: Cloth

Igor Levit ranks among the greatest pianists of his generation, described by The New York Times as ‘one of the essential artists of our time’. But his influence reaches far beyond music: he uses his public platform to speak out against racism, antisemitism and all forms of intolerance and prejudice. Convinced of the duty of the musician to remain an engaged citizen, he is recognized and admired for his willingness to take a stand on some of the great issues of our day, even though it has come at considerable personal cost. 

When the pandemic broke out and Levit was unable to give live concerts, he switched his piano recitals from concert halls to his living room and gained a huge international following. This book opens a window onto Levit’s life during the 2019–2020 concert season, charting the transition from his whirlwind life of back-to-back live concerts in packed concert halls to the eerie stillness of lockdown and the innovative series of house concerts livestreamed over Twitter. A year in which Levit spoke out against hate and received death threats in response. A year in which he found his voice and found himself – as an artist and as a person.

Igor Levit was born in 1987 in Gorky, Russia (now Nizhny Novgorod) and moved to Germany with his family at the age of eight. He studied at the Hanover Academy of Music and was the youngest participant in the Arthur Rubinstein Competition in 2005, winning the silver prize. In spring 2019 he was appointed professor for piano at the Hanover University of Music, Theatre and Media. His highly-acclaimed recording of the 32 Beethoven Sonatas was awarded the Gramophone 2020 Artist of the Year as well as the Opus Klassik in 2020. He was Musical America’s Recording Artist of the Year 2020, and in November 2020 he was nominated for a Grammy in the category ‘Best Classical Instrumental Solo’.

Florian Zinnecker is a journalist and the deputy desk manager of Die Zeit.