Igor Levit: The Unconventional Architect of Sound - Friends of Friends / Freunde von Freunden (FvF)

My Steinway Grand. First of all, this piano is one of five. He’s got siblings and other family members standing around in different parts of the city. I use it as an expressive tool. As a tool for what is one of the two most important things in my life, making music. I can’t breathe and live without it. And most importantly, it’s just an incredible instrument. I chose this instrument in Hamburg at the Steinway factory. There were eight of these pianos standing in a row. And I swear to God or whoever, I pushed down one key, one key only. And I knew this was mine. It took me ten seconds to choose this instrument. And then one day it arrived.

I must say nothing in this apartment. But my telephone book, the people who are an integral part of my life, the very few very essential friends and family. Without any exception I would probably give up everything and anything I do and possess and have, just to be able to keep these six, seven people in my life.

To be a performing artist and to be happy as a musician as I am, I wouldn’t even need my instrument. I can play any instrument. But to stay alive I need my people.

Yes – an art object: Some kind of little monster standing on a little stage. It was made and created by the best friend I had at this time. Hannes died in a tragic and violent traffic accident nine years ago. There are a few things in my life which keep me thinking of him every single day. Most importantly, and it might sound funny, I’ve been wearing this beard since he died. Never stopped. And there are some objects here in this apartment which remind me of him: The little monster, but also a few other objects, a few paintings of his. These little things mean a great deal to me.

I like any music and I’m very curious about it. And it’s the same with the sound. So I don’t need anything as a rule. If it’s silent, it’s silent, I’m fine with that. I listen to music almost all the time though, so it’s never really silent. I love being surrounded by music. I feel a certain calm when I hear noise. I’m also fine with silence but I don’t seek silence. So whether it’s some soft noise or it’s really loud, be it music or my daily life, I’m fine with both.

Yes. BUT fundamentally I am very curious about any music out there. So the initial energy would be curiosity, would be “show it to me, let me be part of it, show me what you have, what you found”. Step two is my decision whether or not I like it. But the initial energy is focusing on the fact that I want to know it all.  I want to hear it all. I want to smell it all and see it all and live as much as I can. Day after day.

I’d say self-reflecting heavy rock, which is about seeking absolute freedom. Someone introduced me to Nine Inch Nails a couple of years ago – that was pretty impactful.

And then there’s hip-hop. When I was 12, Eminem released his the Slim JDLP. That was a big moment for me. The song “The Way I Am” became some sort of musical theoretical bible to the child I was. Hip-hop still is an integral part of my life. Anything from the East Coast 90s to the West Coast 90s.

I don’t know too much about the German hip-hop scene. Danger Dan is an exception. He raps. Not only, but he does. His band, the Antilopen Gang – they are very dear to me. First of all, I think they’re great people. They are a great band. They write great songs. It’s fun to be with them. And Daniel is one of the most sincere and trustworthy friends I’ve got.

Touch. That’s essential to me. A touch, a hug, a handshake. In this regard I’m pretty old school. I need that.

Here’s the most honest response I can give, and everyone around me who knows me well knows this to be perfectly true: I do not conceptualize anything. After a couple of drinks I would say I don’t conceptualize shit. I do what I do because I want to do what I do. I wake up every morning very, very early, not setting any goals. I don’t care for goals. I care for the process and I want to do things. So whatever I find interesting, I dive in and I explore.

There are no tactics behind the way I use social media. There are no tactics behind the way I make music. I work hard from morning till night. And of course I try desperately, sometimes joyfully, to understand what the composer I am working on wrote and tried to tell me. But at the end of the day, my most important driving force is curiosity.

In the past, yes, as I would have used the term “political” more often than today. So of course, certain composers like Frederic Rzewski and Pete Seegers helped develop the words I would use, the topics I would think about.

In the case of Fred Rzewski, he was not only a friend, he was one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. And even if I were not politically interested whatsoever, the pieces he wrote were among the greatest we have in today’s piano literature. I would have played them anyway. But I am who I am, so, “The People United”, Fred Rzewski’s greatest piano piece – raising questions about political issues, social issues – had a huge influence on me. Same as “El Pueblo Unido”, the great anthem against the Pinochet regime.

Today, I would probably use the term “political” less and replace it with the term “personal”. Someone the other day sent me this one song by Nine Inch Nails. And I thought, oh yeah, that triggers something inside me. Not for social reasons, but for personal ones. I think I can say the same about any piece of music I’m playing on the piano. I switched from politicizing music to seeking a deeper personal meaning within it. For myself.

150% yes. As Frederic would say: “The physical endurance is an essential, existential part of music making.” Not only for you, but also for the listener to see a performer being physically involved really enhances and changes your perspective and your experience. So 150% yes. I don’t know if it’s resistance necessarily, but it plays an integral role in terms of how honest you are, and how much you’re willing to open your heart to your listeners, to open your heart to the music you play. At least this is true for me.

With my friends. With the people I love most. And with my piano. Not necessarily with this piano, but with the piano per se. Other than that, I’m not good at being vulnerable. That’s not my greatest talent.

Are you really asking me about my greatest fear, in music? I love it. It’s an easy one. My greatest fear, which really drives me crazy, is to imagine reaching a point of boredom. That’s it. Cause you know what? Then I will tie – and I’m more serious about that than it might sound – a big rock to my foot and just walk into the sea. Because once I reach that point, nothing makes sense anymore. That is a fundamental, almost physical fear. To lose the energy, to lose the curiosity to explore, 24-7

Yes. Cutting is not my favorite thing to do. And also, I suck at cutting. So I’ll never forget how I was invited to the home of one of my closest friends – the founder of the Heidelberg Spring Festival; a music festival, which is very dear to my heart. I was standing in Thorsten’s kitchen, and his kids were there. And I tried to cut a slice of bread. And to put it mildly: It looked ridiculous. I mean, it was almost embarrassing. It was very thick and full of holes. Ridiculous. And I’ll never forget the moment when Thorsten’s daughter looked at me with these big eyes. She couldn’t believe what she saw and said: “Have you ever cut bread in your entire life?” I said, “Yes, I do cut bread every day, but I suck at it.” And so there is obviously some kind of caution here, right? I don’t like using knives. Other than that, I’m not too careful about my hands.

What is procrastination exactly?

Got it. Okay. There is no procrastination. See, I don’t even know the word. There is no procrastination in my life. I don’t do that. I never did. That’s why I don’t sleep so long.

I do not wait. I don’t have the time to wait. When I was little I realized something weird: I realized I cannot picture myself being old. That was a peculiar realization. And it’s true until this very day. I cannot see myself looking old. And that created something inside me, which I can only describe as feeling that I don’t have time to wait. There’s no negative pressure here. There’s no toxic self-destruct mode. But I do not have time to wait. And so I do not procrastinate. If I want to experience something, I want to experience it. I don’t trust tomorrow. I only trust today.

Seeing my friends and just having a great night. Sharing a meal. Opening a bottle of wine. Why do you think I have a wine fridge? It’s not for me. I don’t drink alone. I’m a sharing person. So I feel happiest in my apartment when my friends are around. Once a project, a concert is over, I want to see my people.

Vermouth is something I like. Cognac is something I really like. I would smoke one cigar per month, not more. And obviously champagne is the killer. But more important than enjoying all of it just myself is, for me, sharing it with my beloved people.

It’s difficult. I phone my friends regularly. We write. But of course, most of the time I can’t see them. And I have not found a coping mechanism yet. Sometimes it’s just pure torture. Most of the time I am alone. Most of the time, the hours after a concert are moments of loneliness. And most of the time I do suffer a great deal about it, because of it. I don’t drink alone. I don’t do drugs. I don’t particularly enjoy going to restaurants alone. Why would I? It doesn’t make any sense to me. And so, in the worst moments of loneliness, I just try to kill time as fast as I can and just fall asleep.

I discuss them permanently with my friends, so I keep them alive. If I have an idea, even if it’s just one minute old, I pick up the phone and I call someone. I say, “I’ve got this idea, what do you think?” So for me, a fundamental part of my creative process is the exchange, the conversation.

Someone once described me and said that I’m like this bird and I’m flying in circles around a problem. What he meant by this is that I speak to everyone about a specific topic, and I look at this topic from every possible angle, and the circles become narrower and narrower, and then at some point I grab it like a bird, finally catching a fish out of the water. That’s how my creative process works. It’s conversation, exchange, listening, discussing, arguing. Verbal fights are fantastic, I love them, they are part of the creative process.

I don’t use AI at all as of today. Full stop. And I do feel challenged a great deal by many things, but not by AI.

However, what excites me most about AI are the educational possibilities – helping people who just want to learn how to play an instrument. I’m really convinced about that.

The piano is the easiest instrument to play, by far. I can prove it to you. I can prove it to you by asking you “have you ever played piano in your life?” You can ask anybody who has never touched a piano in his entire life, to sit down and play. Push down a key. You push down the key, and it sounds really good. This is not true for any other instrument I know. Try that on the violin, the clarinet, or a horn, or a saxophone. A piano, because of its mechanics, gives you an immediate experience of success. You can’t overstate the importance – psychologically and emotionally – for kids who start playing the piano. You feel like, “Oh, my impact created something really exciting, and it sounds good.” So the response is immediate.

Why do most people pick up instruments? I want to impress the girl I’m in love with. I want to play my grandparents’ favourite song. Most people don’t pick up instruments because they want to have a career in music. You want to make your people happy. You pick up a guitar at the fireplace, you play a song, and the girl falls in love with you. That is the most precious, most beautiful energy I can possibly imagine.

So connecting back to AI: How can I create a situation, a platform, a tool, which can help reach that goal as fast as possible? Now, that is exciting. Not many people can afford piano lessons. Even fewer people can afford a really good instrument. So, how do you facilitate an easy entry? That’s what I’m thinking about.

It would probably say “Yeah, he has his ups and downs and he expresses a great deal of emotional variety by using me.” But I’m pretty sure my piano would say he’s a pretty good guy. I treat my instrument very well, and I hope that I treat my people well, too.