Igor Levit, Piano
Performers
Igor Levit, Piano
Program
SHOSTAKOVICH 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87
Event Duration
The printed program will last approximately two hours and 45 minutes, including one 20-minute intermission. Please note that there will be no late seating before intermission.Listen to Selected Works
At a Glance
Inspired by the 48 preludes and fugues of Bach’s canonic Well-Tempered Clavier, Shostakovich’s Op. 87 is the fruit of his lifelong admiration for the Baroque master’s contrapuntal wizardry. Although they were conceived more for private rumination than for public performance, the 24 Preludes and Fugues are among the Russian composer’s most intricately wrought and richly expressive creations. Opportunities to hear the complete set at one sitting are rare; Igor Levit is among the few pianists who have both recorded the Preludes and Fugues and performed them live in the concert hall. “There is something utterly unique about this combination of warmth, immediacy, and pure loneliness,” he says of Shostakovich’s creation. “For me, it is a ritual of self-exploration and self-discovery that deals with the most intimate questions.”