Igor Levit - On DSCH - Part 1: Shostakovich
Description
The new album "On DSCH" by Igor Levit is a discographic tour de force by "one of the essential artists of our time" (The New York Times). That the self-styled "maximalist" enjoys pushing himself to his limits – intellectually and physically – is well known, but the present project – two key cycles of musical modernism – puts all others in the shade. Completed in 1951, Dmitri Shostakovich's 24 Preludes and Fugues – a summary of all the major and minor tonalities – lasts some two and a half hours in total, while Ronald Stevenson's Passacaglia on DSCH, which he completed in 1963, is an unbroken set of variations lasting nearly an hour and a half. The letters DSCH spell out Shostakovich's musical monogram using their German note names: D–Es–C–H = D–E♭–C–B. Levit himself describes the 24 Preludes and Fugues as "a kind of musical diary": "There is something utterly unique about this combination of warmth, immediacy and pure loneliness. For me, it is a ritual of self-exploration and self-discovery that deals with the most intimate questions." The album's artwork is specially created by the internationally renowned artist and graphic designer Christoph Niemann, who regularly illustrates for The New Yorker and The New York Times. This is the Limited Collector's Edition – "On DSCH" Vinyl Part One: Shostakovich 24 Preludes and Fugues Op. 87, presented on 3-LP 180-gram vinyl, triple gatefold, including a download code.