Dearest Johannes

igor levit, The music visionary, released another album with exclusive focus on brahms:

piano concerto in d minor

piano concerto in b-flat major

op. 116

op. 117

op. 118

walz in a major

this anthology of music holds a special place in the hearts of many, including mine.

let me try to fathom what those works mean to me. i never use the vocabulary “perfect.” but i am going to make the exception for johannes brahms’ works. his works are impeccable. the philosophical depth in his music is outstanding. listening to his works is like configuring the contour of our universe.

levit and thielemann’s execution of those works are impeccable as well. i have been listening to the album since last week, sometimes during walks, sometimes during my time at the library or at the office. initially i was a bit skeptical because levit’s touch is not the lightest to begin with. based on his recital earlier this year in ann arbor, his aesthetic is peculiar, but his sound is not my favorite. my conception started to shift since last night, when i happened to use the airplay on my fat tv. nobody would expect quality sound from a tv. but somehow i was utterly present, and heard every single phrasing, layering, and voicing that set this rendition apart. for some ineffable reasons, i just happened to listen very proactively that night. it is like i’m absorbing the sound. i was present with the music.

this sort of concentration doesn’t occur every single time we listen to music. most people use music as an accompanying sound in a physical space, typically to set a mood. i was totally overcame by the music. i had to go out late at night for a walk, simply to take time to return to the earth. i was in a paradise.

music kept me wide awake until early in the morning. even my cat started drooling. i was still recovering from the journey.

pianists tend to be more careful with the first one. i have never heard anyone playing the first concerto live. i heard many people’s 2nd live, though: to name a few, elisabeth leonskaja, emannuel ex. it’s not just the technical part that dread most pianists. it’s also the expansive range of emotions that the those works managed to carry, not to mention the late works of brahms. the imposter probably has exhausted all his life to compose those works onto these levels.

levit and thielemann have truly outdone.