Kowalski, Levit, Summer & Gonzales

From the outset, Igor Levit has conceived of his Piano Fest as the broadest possible celebration of this versatile keyboard instrument. Which is why illuminating the piano’s role as accompaniment to the singing voice is also a must. But in lieu of Schubert, Brahms, or Strauss, we hear the premiere of Malakoff Kowalski’s new album. The musician with the Hamburg sailor’s cap, who so stylishly walks a fine line between pop, jazz, and classical music, will introduce himself as a singer. He will pair piano miniatures by classical composers with poems by the American Beat poet Allen Ginsberg, which he has reinterpreted “syllable by syllable, line by line” as song lyrics, as Kowalski explains. “As intimate vocals, these texts strictly follow what the piano in the original, unmodified version presents as melody and harmony.” The result sounds like a cross between Tom Waits and David Bowie, Bill Evans and Kurt Weill. Kowalski will perform his Songs with Words with a true supergroup: Johanna Summer, who thrilled us in the last two editions of Piano Fest with her improvisations on Bach, Beethoven, and other composers, will be at the piano alongside Igor Levit and Chilly Gonzales.

Program
20.00
Malakoff Kowalski (*1979)
Songs with Words
Miniatures by Chopin, Schumann, Khachaturian, Ravel, Grieg, Beach, Tailleferre, Debussy, and Fauré, combined with sung poetry by Allen Ginsberg (world premiere).

In between, Igor Levit, Johanna Summer, Chilly Gonzales, and Malakoff Kowalski will play solo pieces of their own choice.

This concert has no intermission.