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.

About the Author

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.

Reviews

Selected as one of Richard Fairman's Best Classical Music Books of 2022 in the Financial Times


"Igor Levit is like no other pianist."
Alex Ross, The New Yorker

"House Concert captures that risky spirit of serendipity, seriousness and joy that defines Igor Levit's music making."
Fiona Maddocks, The Observer

"absorbing and highly readable... House Concert explores what it is to be a professional musician in the 21st century, and charts Levit's career from an unknown young pianist to an internationally-acclaimed performer who plays to sold-out houses around the world."
Interlude

"Few musicians are as bold as (Igor Levit) has been in using the concert platform to speak about issues beyond music. In House Concert he is clear about why he felt compelled to do so, careful to reiterate precisely what he has said - and how he has been misreported - and honest in his admission of missteps. Most compellingly, he and Zinnecker relate his political development to his performing career. For the pianist, and his amanuensis, there is no separating the impulse to play... from the compulsion to call-out bigotry and xenophobia."
VoxCarnyx

"This absorbing and highly readable book is neither diary nor straightforward artist biography... It not only showcases the remarkable achievements of a charismatic classical musician, it also reveals their anxieties and doubts, strengths and weaknesses, and offers an important snapshot of the difficulties faced by professional musicians in a highly competitive industry riven with convention, power structures and tradition."
The Cross-Eyed Pianist

"Igor Levit is an original and valuable musician. He follows no leaders, leads no followers, and it is refreshingly impossible to predict what will interest him next."
Wall Street Journal

"a revealing look into the mind of a thoughtful, searching, driven artist navigating a world in which the old rules of performance have lost their validity. Like a Levit musical performance, this book lingers long after the last note is sounded."
Library Journal

"revealing,... thought-provoking, unquestionably interesting"
Gramophone

Book Information
ISBN 9781509553556
Author Igor Levit
Format Hardback
Page Count 224
Imprint Polity Press
Publisher John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Weight(grams) 454g
Dimensions(mm) 221mm * 145mm * 28mm