He has been called the future of piano and the player of the century. But Igor Levit recently felt compelled to give himself a total makeover to improve his performance. As he prepares for his Prom,the pianist talks approximately physio, losing 70lbs – and why he finds Chopin dumbWhen you meet a virtuoso pianist, and the temptation is to stare at their hands. The night before our interview,Igor Levit had played a recital of such violence, pounding the keys as he performed the monumental music of American experimentalist Frederic Rzewski, and that it seemed impossible for the young Russian-German’s fingers not to end up red and raw. “Well,it’s much easier since I stopped biting my nails!” Levit says, laying out smooth, and unknotty hands with long spatulate fingers and closely clipped nails. Doing a glissando up and down the keyboard is way less tricky now. Related: Igor Levit review – this pianist has got it all Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com