2019-2022

The Schumann Inspiration is a series of Recitals, Concert-Dialogues and Master Classes by the pianist Daniel Levy, which will take place starting from 2019 in concert venues around the world.

“I am affected by everything that goes on in the world and think it all over in my own way, politics, literature and people, and then I long to express my feelings and find an outlet for them in music. That is why my compositions are sometimes difficult to understand, because they are connected with distant interests; and sometimes striking, because everything extraordinary that happens impresses me and impels me to express it in music.” 
Robert Schumann

“Schumann’s music may just yet inspire a sense for poetry in a largely unpoetic age.” 
John Daverio

“Schumann’s music goes much farther than the ear, it goes into the body, into the muscles by the beats of its rhythm, and somehow into the viscera by the voluptuous pleasure of its melos… Schumann’s music involves something radical which makes in into an existential, rather than a social or moral experience.” 
Roland Barthes     

SCHUMANN INSPIRATION

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Robert Schumann’s piano compositions present both pianist and audience with a kaleidoscopic universe of visions, of music in its pure state, of emotional and intellectual challenges. A vast fresco of brilliant intuitions, of personal insights, of states of awareness, of enchanted landscapes in which the fairytale atmosphere conveys the sense of a heart throbbing with poetry, a sensibility at home in invisible but nonetheless real places.

The boldness and the cavalier strength of the League of David opposed to the Philistines of every age combine with the triumph of the sublime ideal of song. Sphinxes, masks and cherubic faces relate their own fantastic reality. Boundless creative imagination, quintessential truths untrammelled by vacuous rhetoric, astonishing and richly rewarding, unfailingly fresh and pulsating with protean energy, the music of Robert Schumann reaches into intimate recesses, touches ancient chords which have never before responded with such resonance. Not simply another performance of the <<complete works>> therefore, but an invitation to share the ethical and aesthetic experience of a jewel whose beauty lies in the organic nature of the whole, a jewel in which some of the gemstones delight and captivate both because of their own perfect proportions and because of their relationship to other more intrinsically dazzling parts of the whole.

The lasting value of the spiritual adventure embodied in this exploration of the works for piano solo, with orchestra and with chamber music ensembles lies in its poetic and conceptual originality. At a point in history where poetry has almost disappeared, it is more than ever worthwhile to rediscover the work of a much-loved figure who, paradoxically remains little known.

The inspiration behind devoting a series of recitals and master classes to the great piano works of Robert Schumann (which are most often dedicated to Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas or the work of Chopin) is something I have felt since I interpreted his Complete Chamber Music with piano works in a series of concerts at the Theatre La Fenice in Venice, in front of an attentive audience fascinated by this adventure, so full of content.

The voices that are manifested in the solo piano compositions express a creative and interior richness, entering into a singular dialogue with the intimacy of every listener, even if they are listened to in public. They speak a language aimed at our being and evoke an enriching memory and an emanation that goes beyond the current and distorted concept of a ‘concert’. For this reason I have decided to interpret this music in the upcoming concert seasons, along with other projects and not because of any alleged ‘specialization’. I want to make known the Schumann that is still unknown, while also transmitting to young musicians the timeless value of this Musician-Poet who makes emotions and intuition audible to us, the future of human Consciousness.

RECITALS AND CONCERT-DIALOGUES

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Repertoire for Recitals:

• Papillons
• Davidsbündlertänze
• Carnaval
• Große Sonate Nr. 1
• Fantasiestücke
• Symphonische Etüden
• Concert Sans Orchestre
• Kinderszenen
• Kreisleriana
• Fantasie
• Arabeske
• Blumenstück
• Humoreske
• Novelletten
• Sonate Nr. 2
• Faschingsschwank aus Wien
• Drei Romanzen
• Waldszenen
• Drei Phantasiestücke

Repertoire for Concert-Dialogues:

• Intermezzi
• Variationen über ein Nocturne von Chopin
• Nachstücke
• Gigue
• Studien für den Pedal-Flügel
• Album für die Jugend
• Bunte Blätter
• Gesänge der Frühe
• Canon An Alexis
• Variationen Geisterthema

REVIEWS

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“It may seem curious, in these pervasively materialistic days, to speak of a morality of art. We have all of us encountered artists whose motivation seems to lie in the desire for personal gain or glory rather than in any higher aim. As Daniel Levy once put it in an interview, “commercial considerations often tend to override artistic aspirations,” and soloists “may be seduced by the glamour of the publicity machine so that they are in danger of believing in their own self-importance and imposing themselves before the music,” losing “that vital bridge of communication to convey the spirit of a composer’s music to audiences.” It is, in part, because Levy himself has never succumbed to such temptations that I esteem him among the noblest musicians of our time…

But it is with a composer to whom he has devoted particular attention, Robert Schumann, that Levy seems to identify with especial conviction.”

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Bernard Jacobson

“This is one of the most ingratiating, thoughtful, and lyrical performances of the Schumann Piano Concerto that I have ever heard… Levy and his partner, legendary singer turned conductor Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, find a quality of dramatic interplay that is quite magical.”  (EE 5001 Schumann Concerto)
Fanfare, USA

“It would be hard to find a more beautiful version. Anyone will want this appealing disc, which is faultlessly recorded”. (ED 1023 Schumann Lieder with W. Holzmair)
Gramophone, UK

“Daniel Levy is a susceptible, most romantic pianist, able to convey Schumann’s innermost secrets with heart-easing warmth and affection”. (ED 1043 Schumann)
Hi-Fi News & Record Reviews, UK

“The undertaking is obviously a labour of love. His emotional ardour is unmistakable”.
(ED 1043 Schumann)
Gramophone, UK

“Daniel Levy is much more than a pianist who draws his strengths from mysterious sources. He seems to be truly committed to a profound transmission of the contents of the composition and the representation of the work itself”. (ED 1043 Schumann)
Fono Forum, Germany

“Entirely devoted to Robert Schumann, this recital has allowed us to discover an exceptionally beautiful musical nature. The interpreter’s richness brings out, with great sensitivity, the immense poetic and human message”.
La Suisse, Switzerland (LIVE PERFORMANCE)

“In the massive Fantasie in C op.17, Levy steers a judicious course between the overtly theatrical Argerich and the too-reined-in Brendel. Levy’s Fantasie is afforded ample time and space to breathe, allowing the fantastic aspects of this piece to evolve naturally – its episodes are never episodic, and, as in the best Schumann playing, one has the sense of being immersed in a great piece of music for a long time. When one checks out the time on the CD player, one is amazed that only three or four minutes have elapsed.

In both Papillons and the Fantasie, Levy’s playing is at an extraordinarily high level indeed – equal to the best in this repertoire, and certainly better than most.

This offering is a vital addition to Schumann’s discography”.  (ED 1043 Schumann)
Fanfare, USA

“Levy brings dignity and sheer grandeur to Schumann’s works. The highlight is the spectacular performance of the great Fantasia op.17” (ED 1043 Schumann vol. 1)
In Tune, Japan

VIDEOS

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Robert Schumann An Unknown Artist
Edelweiss Emission – The Classical Music Label presents an exploration to great composer Robert Schumann through the experience and outlook of world renowned pianist Daniel Levy.

Robert Schumann An Unknown Artist // Robert & Clara: Life and Music
Join renowned pianist Daniel Levy as he explores the relationship of one of the most famous musical couples: Robert and Clara Schumann. Tracing their unique bond throught heir early years, including excerpts of their marriage diary, this video stops upon this magical and symbiotic bond that inspired both of the leading Romantic composers.

Robert Schumann – Eusebius Florestan and Meister Raro
An exceptional outlook upon composer Robert Schumann’s least visited aspects: his writings. Through the perspective of pianist Daniel Levy, a new angle is shown on Schumann’s life and work and how they reflect in his written works.

Robert Schumann: The Final Dawn
The pianist Daniel Levy talks about the final days of Robert Schumann’s life.

Schumann: Romanza Op. 28 N. 1
Daniel Levy, piano

SCHUMANN SERIES

A set of recordings by the pianist Daniel Levy

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DANIEL LEVY PLAYS SCHUMANN VOL. 1

Kreisleriana op. 16
Albumblätter op. 124
Variations sur un Étude de Chopin
Daniel Levy, piano

more information / listen to samples

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SCHUMANN PIANO CONCERTO

Introduzione ed Allegro Appassionato; Schön Hedwig; Zwei Balladen
Daniel Levy, piano
Philharmonia Orchestra 
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, conductor

more info

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