Igor Levit
Hailed as “one of the essential artists of his generation” by The New York Times, 2018 Gilmore Artist Igor Levit has quickly distinguished himself as a pianist of immense technical prowess and intellectual depth.
Born in Russia in 1987, Levit relocated at a young age to Germany. As the youngest participant in the 2005 Arthur Rubinstein Competition in Tel Aviv, he won the Silver Prize, as well as the Prize for Best Performer of Chamber Music, the Audience Favorite Prize, and the Prize for Best Performer of Contemporary Music.
Mr. Levit completed his piano studies at the Hanover Academy of Music, Theatre and Media in 2009 with the highest academic and performance scores in the history of the institute. He went on to gain wide acclaim for his 2013 Sony Classical recording of Beethoven’s late sonatas, praised by Alex Ross of The New Yorker for its “technical brilliance, tonal allure,” and “intellectual drive.”
From his early success in Europe, Mr. Levit has gone on to build an international following through concert performances around the world, universally acclaimed recordings for Sony Classical, and even social media channels, through which he speaks out as both an artist and global citizen.
An exclusive recording artist for Sony Classical, Mr. Levit’s debut disc of Beethoven’s last five piano sonatas won the BBC Music Magazine Newcomer of the Year 2014 Award, the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Young Artist Award 2014, and the ECHO Klassik 2014 Award for Solo Recording of the Year (19th-Century Music/Piano). In October 2015, Sony Classical released his third solo album in cooperation with the Festival Heidelberger Frühling featuring Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, and Rzewski’s The People United Will Never Be Defeated!, which was awarded the Recording of the Year and Instrumental Award at the 2016 Gramophone Classical Music Awards.
Mr. Levit has studied under the tutelage of Bernd Goetze, Karl-Heinz Kämmerling, Hans Leygraf, Matti Raekallio, and Lajos Rovatkay.
In Berlin, where Mr. Levit makes his home, he plays on a Steinway D Grand Piano kindly given to him by the Trustees of Independent Opera at Sadler’s Wells.