Beth Levin, piano. Franz LISZT: Sonata in B minor Modest MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition Aldilà Records ARCD 024 Formats: CD Release Date: February 2, 2024 Total Duration: 72:08

ALBUM REVIEW:

Beth Levin: Phantasmata

New York-based pianist Beth Levin has recorded two principal pieces of core Romantic piano repertoire: Franz Liszt’s Sonata in B-minor, followed by Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, on the Aldilà Records label. This pianistic tour de force is titled Phantasmata.

Pairing these two masterworks into one installment is a daring move  and definitely an act of love toward Romantic pianism. Both pieces  require an enormous quantity of pure physical strength and certainly an  extremely long preparation.

Let us start with the final piece.

Composed in 1874 as a suite for solo piano, Pictures at an Exhibition was later orchestrated by Maurice Ravel in 1922, further solidifying  its place as a masterpiece of orchestral literature. Mussorgsky wrote  the suite as a tribute to his friend, the artist Viktor Hartmann, who  had passed away unexpectedly. Each movement of the suite corresponds to a  specific painting or drawing by Hartmann, creating a vivid and  evocative musical “hommage” of the artworks.

The piece opens with the “Promenade,” a recurring theme that acts as a  musical representation of the composer walking through an art gallery,  reflecting upon the various paintings. This theme serves as a structural  device throughout the suite, appearing between many of the subsequent  movements, tying the entire work together. Beth Levin makes a subtle  difference between the various forms of this Promenade, working  primarily with dynamic shades rather than tempo differences, a very  impressive approach.

“Gnomus”: This movement portrays a grotesque gnome-like figure  depicted in one of Hartmann’s sketches. Mussorgsky employs dissonant  harmonies and irregular rhythms to communicate the gnome’s graceless and  wicked nature. The music is filled with sudden dynamic contrasts and  angular melodies, creating a sense of unease.

“Il Vecchio Castello” (“The Old Castle” ): Mussorgsky’s music  transports the listener to a serene medieval castle depicted in  Hartmann’s painting. The sad atmosphere of the piece reflects the  solitude and mystery of the old castle, and Ms. Levin’s meditative  approach serves the music well.

“Tuileries” (“Dispute d’enfants après jeux” ): Inspired by Hartmann’s  painting depicting children playing in the Tuileries gardens in Paris,  this movement captures the playful and carefree energy of youth.  Mussorgsky employs lively rhythms and bright orchestration to evoke the  bustling atmosphere of the gardens, with hints of mischief and laughter.  The slower-than-usual tempo chosen by Ms. Levin might be a little  disturbing at the beginning but it is definitely well-chosen compared to  some of the newest recordings of young pianists, which use such places  for banging a wild rhythm only for showing one’s capacities.

“Bydło”: This movement portrays an ox-cart with its massive wooden  wheels, depicted in Hartmann’s sketch. Mussorgsky’s music expresses the  cart’s slow, lumbering movement through heavy, repetitive rhythms and  deep sonorities. Beth Levin perfectly interprets the relentless tread of  the music with a skilled accentuation of the left hand.

“Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks”: Mussorgsky depicts a whimsical  scene from a ballet with Hartmann’s drawing of chicks dancing in their  shells. The music is light and delicate, with rapid, staccato passages  in the high register of the piano, mimicking the movements of the chicks  as they dance inside their eggs.

Here again, Ms. Levin chooses a slower-than-usual tempo, with the same convincing result as in Tuilleries.

“Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuÿle”: Under the hands of this pianist,  the dialogue between the two characters, with their differing  personalities and social statuses, is probably the best capture of the  entire score and surely worth remarking.

“Limoges, le marché”: Inspired by Hartmann’s depiction of a bustling  market in Limoges, France, Mussorgsky’s music captures the lively  atmosphere of the marketplace. The movement is characterized by rapid,  fragmented melodies and virtuosic flourishes, evoking the activity of  merchants.

In “Catacombae” (“Sepulcrum romanum”), inspired by Hartmann’s  drawings of the underground tunnels, Mussorgsky transports the listener  to the catacombs beneath Paris. The music is dark and mysterious, with  low, rumbling textures and haunting melodies, creating a marvelous  sonical image in Ms. Levin’s rendering.

“Cum mortuis in lingua mortua” serves as an interlude to the  penultimate movement, “The Hut on Fowl’s Legs” (“Baba-Yaga”). Here,  Mussorgsky draws upon Russian folklore, depicting the witch Baba-Yaga’s  hut. The music is wild and menacing in the interpretation of Ms. Levin,  with some very interesting accentuations, obtaining a fresh approach to  this score.

“The Great Gate of Kiev” concludes the suite with a triumphant  description of the monumental gate to the city of Kiev (Kyiv), inspired  by Hartmann’s architectural designs.

As the first part of this disc, Beth Levin has chosen the pinnacle of pianistic literature, the Sonata in B minor of Franz Liszt. Many things have been written about this score, so let  us concentrate on this particular rendering and what makes it so  distinctive when confronted with other interpretations.

Generally speaking, this approach is in no way researching easy  pianistic effects; it always stays in a profoundly traditional way of  playing and successfully avoids the far-too-often displayed fireworks in  which some pianists tend to transform this score. There is much work,  so to speak, behind the scenes, and the listener can be sure that every  single chord, every single rubato, has been evaluated and considered.  That is what, in my eyes, makes this playing so special.