Igor Levit has released a new album entitled Fantasia featuring works by Bach, Liszt, Busoni, and others.

The major pieces on this album include Bach’s Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue BWV 903, Liszt’s Sonata in B minor S. 178, Berg’s Sonata op. 1, and Busoni’s Fantasia contrappuntistica, BV 256.

I will therefore limit my comments to these pieces. Sound quality is excellent; we are not up on top of the piano and the amount of reverb I think is ideal. Especially so in the more intense parts of the Liszt and Busoni.

Bach

Playing chromatic music in the baroque era was difficult on keyboard instruments, given the reliance on non-equal scale tunings. Pieces that highlight chromatic lines or series of harmonies that quickly move out of key are therefore unfrequent, but when used, it seems to be the highlight of the work. And so with this work, the “Chromatic” designation goes right into our title. Another great example from the period is a sonata for violin and continuo by Muffat. Bach’s opening fantasia (prelude) is a cascade of color, for sure. I am no expert here, but one would assume that a near-tempered, or well-tempered system would have to be used to for this work. Of course on the piano we lose the character of different key centers with equal temperament. It’s one reason I never appreciate this work on piano that much; however one can see how easy it is to transform this baroque work into something that belongs in the same concert as say, Liszt.

The chromatic descent before the ending of the fantasia kind of grounds us, I am sure there has been speculation on the direction Bach takes us, but in contrast with the opening flourishes, it seems natural to come “back down.”

I like Levit’s treatment of the fugue; he keeps everything in control and let’s the music do its thing with his excellent technical touch and control. The piece as a whole—but for me the fugue does it best—paints a very modern reflection onto the composer which isn’t necessarily historically forward (i.e. galant), but rather take’s Bach’s reliance on older constructs in music to a new and interesting plateau. The trick to this, I think, is how he uses harmony. If I’m not mistaken, he was criticized for these colorful progressions in his organ playing by the Leipzig public.

When the lower voice comes in near the end, the bottom portion of the piano’s sound mimics that of the pedal in an organ. Levit manages to present Bach with control and not bleeding into anything too romantic, or too foreign in style. It’s well done.

Liszt

Many recordings of the Liszt put us further away from the piano; I love how they keep us the “same distance.” It helps connect the touch from Bach into something far different in style but with the benefit of feeling secure with the same instrument; when the forte’s come, it’s nice to see he reserved these dynamics for Liszt and didn’t betray Bach’s music with such giant differences.

My favorite rendition of the Sonata was Vladimir Feltsman, who happened to be the performer in my first purchase of this piece. I might say that Levit is less a “romantic player,” but I like the approach here, it gives the music a fresher appeal.

Overall, his interpretive style, in terms of pacing, phrasing I like. Technically he’s amazing. This is a good recording of the Liszt.

Berg

The piece’s key (B minor) and use of chromatic journeys that make a concept of home key less familiar, speak to the connections to Bach and Liszt. As someone who doesn’t frequently listen to the second Viennese school composers, this music is not very well appreciated by me. While the right hand’s top voice seems to point to melodic content, it’s really the cascade of color through harmony that I find most interesting about this music. I think Levit manages to give the dramatic aspects of the work appropriate shape and dynamics that give this searching music more of an organic feel.

Busoni

Busoni is today best known for his reworking of some of Bach’s music; this piece, written the same year that Berg’s piece was published, (1910), is an homage to Bach’s Kunst der Fuge. It’s a multi-section work, including fugues and variations, including the theme from BWV 1080 on B-A-C-H. It plays with tonal harmony more than Berg’s, but the pianistic touches bridge the two pieces. When the quotation from BWV 1080 appears, it’s a spooky sensation, each time I’ve heard this piece. It’s like you’ve come out of a bad dream and back to something familiar, if not better, for the extra components he builds onto the Bach structure. The liner notes reveal that Levit views this piece as the center piece of his album. It’s fitting that it brings back into focus the spirit of Bach.

Busoni is able to weave across Bach’s text a chromatic filament. When the Bach theme comes in, of course, it’s Busoni’s turn to finish this unfinished fugue by Bach. The solution, of course, takes us quickly away from Bach’s sound world, although the themes remain. His use of major triads at points are eye opening; for all the chaos, it’s like seeing through something brilliant through the clouds. The cascade (again) of harmonies perhaps isn’t as clever or interwoven as Berg’s, but then the familiarity of the Bach fugue fragments helps ground us a bit easier than the themes Berg utilized.

One can hear the depth of ideas Busoni was working with in constructing this piece; it’s not surprising, then, that he produced more than one version.

Final Thoughts

This is music that benefits from our full attention. It’s difficult music, and on a technical level, Levit does a superb job. With the twentieth century pieces, he pulls from a wide dynamic range. No interpretive decisions with the Liszt made me curl my nose, everything he does, I think, makes good sense.

I rarely come across an album I think is perfect. And to be honest, this album challenged me with music I less often listen to; however as a program, I see connections between these works and think it makes a good program. But it’s pretty damn good!

The liner notes, I think, also are well done, helping us get better context among the pieces. So, if you have favorites of these major pieces already, you can see how Levit’s interpretations measure up; but few albums would match this sound quality. The shorter pieces are bonuses, I think; this is truly an album as it would make a long but fulfilling concert program. The fun of hearing connections to the Bach, the Liszt, and the Berg in the Fantasia contrappuntistica is also a fun mind game to play as you strive to picture in your head that images, and what stories, would fit this profound music.