Igor Levit

With an alert and critical mind, Igor Levit places his art in the context of social events and understands it as inseparably linked to them. The »New York Times« describes Igor Levit as one of the »most important artists of his generation«, the »New Yorker« as a pianist »like no other«.
In the 2023/24 season Igor Levit performs in recital at the Musikverein Vienna, Philharmonie Berlin, La Scala Milan, Carnegie Hall New York, London’s Wigmore Hall as well as in Seoul, Tokyo, Paris, Montréal and Toronto among others. A highlight of Igor Levit’s orchestral season calendar is a Brahms cycle with the Vienna Philharmonic and Christian Thielemann. After a very successful launch of the Piano Fest in 2023, Igor Levit curates the festival’s second edition in May 2024 in collaboration with the Lucerne Festival. Since the 2022-23 season, Igor Levit is the Co-Artistic Director of the Musikfestival Heidelberger Frühling.
Igor Levit’s 2019 highly-acclaimed first recording of the 32 Beethoven-Sonatas was awarded the Gramophone »Artist of the Year« Award as well as the »OPUS Klassik« in autumn 2020. In June 2022 his Album »On DSCH« has been awarded the »Recording of the Year« Award as well as the Instrumental Award of the »BBC Music Magazine«. Igor Levit’s new solo album for Sony Classical »Fantasia« was released in September 2023. In spring 2021 Hanser published Igor Levit’s first book »House Concert«, co-authored by Florian Zinnecker followed in Fall 2022 by the release of the feature documentary »Igor Levit – No Fear« in cinemas and on DVD.
Born in Nizhni Novgorod, Igor Levit moved to Germany with his family at the age of eight. He completed his piano studies in Hannover with the highest score in the history of the institute. His teachers included Karl-Heinz Kämmerling, Matti Raekallio, Bernd Goetzke, Lajos Rovatkay and Hans Leygraf. Igor Levit was the youngest participant in the 2005 »International Arthur Rubinstein Competition« in Tel Aviv, where he won silver, the special prize for chamber music, the audience prize and the special prize for the best performance of contemporary pieces. In 2018 Igor Levit has been named the eighth recipient of the prestigious »Gilmore Artist Award«. In spring 2019 he was appointed professor for piano at his alma mater, the University of Music, Theatre and Media Hanover.
For his political commitment Igor Levit has been awarded the »5th International Beethoven Prize« in 2019 followed by the award of the »Statue B« of the International Auschwitz Committee in January 2020. In October 2020 Igor Levit was recognized with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. In Berlin, where he makes his home, Igor Levit is playing on a Steinway D Grand Piano kindly given to him by the Trustees of Independent Opera at Sadler’s Wells.