Meridian Performances launches its new season on October 27 at 8 pm in Merkin Hall with a concert by Beth Levin,  a pianist whose artistic fearlessness is matched by her technical  excellence. Her program for the evening features an astounding array of  showpieces: Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky, Sonata in B Minor, S. 178 by Franz Liszt, and Portrait Miniatures: Three Women by Andrew Rudin.

Levin's kaleidoscopic program for the evening demonstrates her  relentless pursuit of repertoire that intrigues, delights, and  challenges her audience. Mussorgsky and Liszt are examples of Beth's  bold new interpretations of established classics. Unwilling to remain  within the confines of the traditional 19th-century canon, Beth Levin  has championed numerous contemporary composers. Jonathan Dawe, Frank  Brickle, Alba Potes, Roger Stubblefield, David Post,  and Andrew Rudin have all composed new works for her to premiere;  Portrait Miniatures: Three Women by Rudin reiterates her commitment to  these new musical voices of the twenty-first century. Levin recently  shared her inspiration for the diverse range of styles on the program:

"When Christoph Schluren at Aldila Records suggested I record the Liszt  sonata, I was both excited and curious about the work. I read through it  and was surprised at my sense of kinship with the music and wonderment  at its scope, epic proportion, vast beauty, and the deep journey it  promised. I also eagerly anticipated the chance to revisit and re-think  Pictures at an Exhibition, a work I learned years ago. I am grateful to  Andrew Rudin for graciously giving me Portrait Miniatures as an exciting  starting point for the program."

Natasha Cherny, founder, and principal of Cherny Concert & Artist  Management Ltd. expressed her exuberance for this noteworthy opening of  the Meridian 2022-2023 series, enthusing,

"Beth Levin  approaches every single piece, be it from the classical era or composed  two weeks ago, as though it were brand new. How someone who has been  steeped in music since early childhood and has heard these pieces over  and over all her life can still make them brand new, I don't know; I  have witnessed it, though, and in October, the rest of New York will  have the opportunity to hear it with me."

Since  her debut at age twelve with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Beth Levin has  been celebrated as a bold interpreter of challenging works, from the  Romantic canon to leading modernist composers. The New York Times  praised her "fire and originality," while The New Yorker called her  playing "revelatory."

Future Meridian Performances this season  include Pegasus: The Orchestra on November 15; concert pianist and  transcriber Vyacheslav Gryaznov on December 13; pianist Asiya Korepanova  on February 21; Sergey Antonov, cellist, and Karen Hakobyan, pianist on  March 14; and pianist and transcriber Florian Noack on April 25. For  more information, visit ccaml.com.