Igor Levit - Mendelssohn:Lieder Ohne Worte - Import CD

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Igor Levit

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Igor Levitt's new recording of Mendelssohn's 14 "Mute Songs" and Alkan's "Songs of a Madwoman by the Sea" On October 7, 2023, Hamas, the Islamic organization that effectively controls the Gaza Strip in the Palestinian interim self-rule, suddenly launched an attack on Israel. The Israeli side responded with heavy air strikes, and the death toll on both sides exceeded 4,000 in a little over a week. Witnessing these attacks on Israeli Jews and the current global upsurge in anti-Semitism, Igor Levitt recorded Mendelssohn's 14 "Mute Songs" and Alkan's "Song of the Madwoman by the Sea. Levitt explains how the album came about --- "I recorded these works out of a very strong inner desire of mine: after the attack on October 7, I was speechless and lived in a state of complete paralysis. After a few weeks of being speechless and completely paralyzed after the October 7 attack, I realized that I had no other way to react to this as a pianist. I have my piano, I have my music.I have decided to record "Mute Song" and donate the proceeds to two wonderful organizations that are working to help those experiencing anti-Semitism here in my hometown of Berlin. This is my honest reaction as a person, as a musician, and as a Jew to what I have felt over the last few weeks and months. More accurately, perhaps, it is one of many reactions that came to mind. The melancholy, the melody, the tone, the pure beauty, the joy and sadness of these pieces, all of it soothed me. Levitt has earned a reputation for his Beethoven and Bach performances. His careful and straightforward expression is often described as "straightforward," but even in this Mendelssohn, his performance does not over-indulge in romanticism, but brings out the original melodic beauty of the work and depicts Mendelssohn's anguish and mental landscape hidden deep within the soft, dispersed chords of the music. Mendelssohn's anguish and emotional landscape hidden deep within the soft, dispersed chords of his music. Alkan's "Song of a Madwoman by the Sea," the last piece on the program, also left a strong impression, with its strange, almost pitch-less sound of chords that are packed with notes in the lowest register, evoking, as the title suggests, an extraordinary scene, and the thin melodic tone of the treble part of the piece also evokes a shudder-inducing sense of dread. It seems to play on the sad state of affairs in the world today, and Levitt says, "I decided to record this piece in a hurry three hours before the session was to end. It is another silent song, incredibly intense, dark, and sad. For that reason, I thought it was the perfect song to end the album with." Proceeds from the album will be donated to two German organizations fighting anti-Semitism, OFEK - Advice Center on Anti-Semitic Violence and Discrimination and the Kreuzberg Initiative against Anti-Semitism. The striking jacket cover was taken by photographer Markus Hurek and is a necklace and Star of David given to Igor Levitt several years ago. (Sony Music) Included in the album Mendelssohn: The Mendelssohn Mendelssohn: The Silent Songs, Vol.1, Op.19 No.1 in E major, Andante con moto "Sweet Memories" MWV U 86 No.2 in A minor, Andante espressivo "Regret" MWV U 80 No.4 in A major, moderato "Secret talk" MWV U 73 No.6 in G minor, Andante sostenuto "Venetian Boat Song No.1" MWV U 78 The Anthology of Silent Songs, Vol. 2, Op.30 No.1 in E flat major, Andante espressivo "Meditation" MWV U 103 No.3 in E major, Adagio non troppo "Consolation" MWV U 104 No.6 in F-sharp minor, Allegretto tranquillo "Venetian Boat Song No.2" MWV U 110 The Silent Songs, Vol. 3, Op. 38 No.2 in C minor, Allegro non troppo "Lost Happiness" MWV U 115 No.6 in A flat major, Andante con moto "Duetto" MWV U 119 The Silent Songs, Vol. 4, Op. 53 No.4 in FNo.5 in major, Adagio, "Sorrow of the Heart" MWV U 114 No.5 in A minor, Allegro con foco "Folk Song" MWV U 153 The Silent Songs, Vol.5, Op.62 No.4 in E minor, Andante maestoso "Funeral March" MWV U 117 No.5 in A minor, Andante con moto "Venetian Boat Song No.3" MWV U 151 The Anthology of Silent Songs, Vol.8, Op.102 No.1 in E minor, Andante un poco agitato "Without a House" MWV U 162 Charles-Valentin Arcand: 25 Preludes in full-length minor 25 Preludes in full length minor, Op.31 No.8 in A flat minor "Song of the Madwoman by the Sea Performer Igor Levitt, piano Recording December 3-4, 2023, Teldex Studios, Berlin