As with many of pianist
Igor Levit's ambitious releases, one can take issue in the abstract with some of his decisions on the 2023 album
Fantasia. One is that there are not one but two pieces that are specifically designated as sonatas by
Liszt and
Berg. It is true that each pushes the boundaries of the sonata idea in fantastic ways, but what makes them distinctive is that they do enter into dialogue with the sonata tradition; they are not fantasias as such. Another issue is the way
Levit plays fast and loose with the musical text at times. Yet, as so often with
Levit, it all works. He has the spirit of the 19th century in his playing and in his selection of music, which ranges over two centuries. His
Bach Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D minor, D. 903, is uncannily quiet and precise, an entry into philosophical realms. In the
Liszt,
Levit runs counter to type, avoiding excessive use of the pedal and emphasizing the work's contrapuntal complexity (again, not really consistent with the fantasia idea, but brilliantly done). It all culminates in one of the monsters of the piano repertory, the
Fantasia contrappuntistica of
Busoni, which explores to the maximum the tension between order and imagination that underlies the whole program in one way or another.
Levit holds the listener's attention through the entire 34-minute work, and if anyone can find a way through the thorns here, it is
Levit. A compelling recital that landed on classical best-seller charts in the autumn of 2023. ~ James Manheim
