Beth Levin
Encyclopedia
Beth Levin is an American classical pianist in the Romantic tradition of her teachers Marian Filar
, Rudolf Serkin
, Leonard Shure, and Dorothy Taubman at the Taubman Institute. Levin is devoted to the highly expressive and demanding repertoire of Beethoven, Schumann
, Chopin, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, and Ravel, as well as to the work of leading modernists such as David Del Tredici
, Alexander Goretzky, Louis Karchin, and Scott Wheeler.
, Levin's fascination with music developed from the age of 3, when she first began piano lessons. Levin says: "Some of my earliest memories are of playing as my father sang. We were fortunate to have a brilliant pianist living just around the corner: Cecille Sharlip, who had emigrated from Europe to study at the Curtis Institute of Music
. Sharlip guided me until I was 12, at which time she suggested I audition for the great Chopin interpreter Marian Filar, who was then teaching at the Settlement Music School (Philadelphia)
. I absorbed a sense of musical tradition that has never left me."
Working with Filar, himself a former student of Walter Gieseking
, led to Levin winning at the age of 12 an audition to perform with the Philadelphia Orchestra
. Four years later, she again appeared with that orchestra. Levin is also cited by name in Filar's published memoirs.
and David Soyer
, first violinist and cellist, respectively, of the Guarneri Quartet
. Levin completed her academic work as a Boston University
student of Leonard Shure, who was in turn a student and teaching assistant of the great Beethoven interpreter Artur Schnabel
. "I recall Shure asking me at the audition why I made music. 'Because I love it,' I said simply. He suggested we start lessons that very day."
, violinist Sandor Vegh
, founder of the renowned Vegh Quartet
, and bassist Julius Levine,. She appeared in other chamber music venues, accompanying Raphael Hillyer
of the Juilliard Quartet and flutist Paula Robison.
Still in her early 20s, Levin appeared as piano concerto performer with the Boston Symphony Orchestra
led by Arthur Fiedler
, the Seattle Symphony
led by American musician and conductor Milton Katims
, and the Boston Philharmonic
led by Benjamin Zander
.
European travel led Levin to Spain, Iceland, Serbia, and Turkey. In Iceland, where she continues to appear yearly as soloist, she founded and played for 10 years with Trio Borealis as well as with members of the Icelandic Symphony. She traveled throughout Spain as a member of the trio. She gave master classes in Serbia and Turkey under the aegis of the U.S. State Department.
, Steinway Hall
, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art
. She worked with members of the New York Philharmonic
and recorded with other Marlboro musicians for Columbia Masterworks Records
. Concerts throughout the U.S. featured work with such chamber ensembles as the Audubon Quartet
and the Vermeer Quartet
. Levin is one of five musicians who comprise Vista Lirica, a chamber group devoted to the cause of environmentalism and the music of the Romantics.
As part of her continued commitment to contemporary composers, Levin collaborated with Del Tredici to perform his “Ballad in Yellow.” Levin has appeared in broadcast interviews and performances on radio stations WNYC
, WNYE
, and WQXR
in New York, WFMT
in Chicago, and WGBH
in Boston. She conducted American master classes at such institutions as New York University
and The College of William & Mary.
by Bach
, released by Centaur Records. She plans a series of performances and recording of Beethoven's extended late work, the Diabelli Variations
.
Jeremy Eichler, in a review in the New York Times on June 10, 2005, accurately summarizes Levin's Romantic pianism: “Ms. Levin [keeps] the ear engaged with boldly inflected readings and an impressive ability to convey emotion without exhibition."
Marian Filar
Marian Filar was a Polish concert pianist and virtuoso.-Early life:Filar began to study piano at the age of five, and a year or so later he gave his first recital at the Warsaw Conservatory as a wunderkind. When 12 years of age, he played Mozart's Concerto in D Minor with the Warsaw Philharmonic...
, Rudolf Serkin
Rudolf Serkin
Rudolf Serkin , was a Bohemian-born pianist.-Life and early career:Serkin was born in Eger, Bohemia, Austro-Hungarian Empire to a Russian-Jewish family....
, Leonard Shure, and Dorothy Taubman at the Taubman Institute. Levin is devoted to the highly expressive and demanding repertoire of Beethoven, Schumann
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
, Chopin, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, and Ravel, as well as to the work of leading modernists such as David Del Tredici
David Del Tredici
David Del Tredici, born March 16, 1937 in Cloverdale, California, is an American composer. According to Del Tredici's website, Aaron Copland said David Del Tredici "is that rare find among composers — a creator with a truly original gift...
, Alexander Goretzky, Louis Karchin, and Scott Wheeler.
Early influences
Born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, Levin's fascination with music developed from the age of 3, when she first began piano lessons. Levin says: "Some of my earliest memories are of playing as my father sang. We were fortunate to have a brilliant pianist living just around the corner: Cecille Sharlip, who had emigrated from Europe to study at the Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. According to statistics compiled by U.S...
. Sharlip guided me until I was 12, at which time she suggested I audition for the great Chopin interpreter Marian Filar, who was then teaching at the Settlement Music School (Philadelphia)
Settlement Music School (Philadelphia)
Settlement Music School is a community music education organization with branches in and around Philadelphia. Founded in 1908, it is the largest community school of the arts in the United States serving 15,000 students each year, regardless of age, race, or financial means through outreach and at...
. I absorbed a sense of musical tradition that has never left me."
Working with Filar, himself a former student of Walter Gieseking
Walter Gieseking
Walter Wilhelm Gieseking was a French-born German pianist and composer.-Biography:Born in Lyon, France, the son of a German doctor and lepidopterist, Gieseking first started playing the piano at the age of four, but without formal instruction...
, led to Levin winning at the age of 12 an audition to perform with the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
. Four years later, she again appeared with that orchestra. Levin is also cited by name in Filar's published memoirs.
Musical education
At the age of 17, Levin successfully auditioned for Serkin, then a professor of piano and director of the Curtis Institute. Levin said: “Mr. Serkin was an inspiration the moment he walked into a room, a single word evoking the eloquence of a poem.” Other teachers at Curtis included chamber musicians Arnold SteinhardtArnold Steinhardt
Arnold Steinhardt , is an American violinist, best known as the first violinist of the Guarneri String Quartet....
and David Soyer
David Soyer
David Soyer was an American cellist.He was born in Philadelphia and began playing the piano at the age of nine. At 11, he started the cello. One of his first teachers was Diran Alexanian. Later on he studied with Emanuel Feuermann and Pablo Casals...
, first violinist and cellist, respectively, of the Guarneri Quartet
Guarneri Quartet
The Guarneri Quartet was an American string quartet founded in 1964 at the Marlboro Music School and Festival. During the quartet's early years the members were in residence at Harpur College in upstate New York....
. Levin completed her academic work as a Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
student of Leonard Shure, who was in turn a student and teaching assistant of the great Beethoven interpreter Artur Schnabel
Artur Schnabel
Artur Schnabel was an Austrian classical pianist, who also composed and taught. Schnabel was known for his intellectual seriousness as a musician, avoiding pure technical bravura...
. "I recall Shure asking me at the audition why I made music. 'Because I love it,' I said simply. He suggested we start lessons that very day."
Performing career
As a freshly minted performer, Levin undertook years of travel, both within the United States and abroad. Branching out into as many performing roles as possible, she appeared as a soloist, chamber music participant, and concerto soloist. As an artist in the “Music From Marlboro” program (an offshoot of the Marlboro Music School and Festival and the Curtis Institute), Levin worked with pianist Paul Badura-SkodaPaul Badura-Skoda
Paul Badura-Skoda is an Austrian pianist.He won first prize in the Austrian Music Competition in 1947. In 1949, he performed with distinguished conductors like Wilhelm Furtwängler and Herbert von Karajan...
, violinist Sandor Vegh
Sándor Végh
Sándor Végh was a Hungarian, later French, violinist and conductor. He was best known as one of the great chamber music violinists of the twentieth century.- Education :...
, founder of the renowned Vegh Quartet
Végh Quartet
The Végh Quartet was a Hungarian string quartet founded in 1940 and led by its first violinist Sándor Végh for 40 years. The quartet was based in Budapest until it departed Hungary in 1946. It is particularly known for its recordings of the Beethoven and Bartók cycles...
, and bassist Julius Levine,. She appeared in other chamber music venues, accompanying Raphael Hillyer
Raphael Hillyer
Raphael Hillyer was an American viola soloist, teacher. Born Raphael Silverman in Ithaca, New York, his career included playing in the Boston Symphony Orchestra and co-founding the Juilliard String Quartet...
of the Juilliard Quartet and flutist Paula Robison.
Still in her early 20s, Levin appeared as piano concerto performer with the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
led by Arthur Fiedler
Arthur Fiedler
Arthur Fiedler was a long-time conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a symphony orchestra that specializes in popular and light classical music. With a combination of musicianship and showmanship, he made the Boston Pops one of the best-known orchestras in the country...
, the Seattle Symphony
Seattle Symphony
The Seattle Symphony is an American orchestra based in Seattle, Washington. Since 1998, the orchestra is resident at Benaroya Hall. The orchestra's season runs from September through July, and serves as the pit orchestra for most productions of the Seattle Opera in addition to its own concerts...
led by American musician and conductor Milton Katims
Milton Katims
Milton Katims was an American violist and conductor. He was music director of the Seattle Symphony for 22 years . In that time he added more than 75 works, made recordings, premiered new pieces and led the orchestra on several tours. He expanded the orchestra's series of family and suburban...
, and the Boston Philharmonic
Boston Philharmonic
The Boston Philharmonic Orchestra is a semi-professional orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1979....
led by Benjamin Zander
Benjamin Zander
Benjamin Zander is an American conductor from the United Kingdom.-External links:* *-Interviews:* * * *...
.
European travel led Levin to Spain, Iceland, Serbia, and Turkey. In Iceland, where she continues to appear yearly as soloist, she founded and played for 10 years with Trio Borealis as well as with members of the Icelandic Symphony. She traveled throughout Spain as a member of the trio. She gave master classes in Serbia and Turkey under the aegis of the U.S. State Department.
New York
Establishing herself in New York, Levin studied with pre-eminent piano mentor Dorothy Taubman. Levin gave recitals at Lincoln Center for the Performing ArtsLincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of New York City's Upper West Side. Reynold Levy has been its president since 2002.-History and facilities:...
, Steinway Hall
Steinway Hall
Steinway Hall is the name of buildings housing concert halls, showrooms and sales departments for Steinway & Sons pianos. The first Steinway Hall was opened 1866 in New York City. Today, Steinway Halls and Steinway-Häuser are located in world cities such as New York City, London, Hamburg, Berlin,...
, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
. She worked with members of the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
and recorded with other Marlboro musicians for Columbia Masterworks Records
Columbia Masterworks Records
Columbia Masterworks Records was a record label started in 1927 by Columbia Records.It was intended for releases of classical music and artists, as opposed to popular music, which bore the regular Columbia logo. Masterworks Records' first release, in 1927, was a complete performance of the...
. Concerts throughout the U.S. featured work with such chamber ensembles as the Audubon Quartet
Audubon Quartet
Audubon Quartet is a string quartet based in Winchester, Virginia. Current members include cellist and founder C. Tom Shaw, violist Doris Lederer, and violinists Ellen Jewett and Akemi Takayama...
and the Vermeer Quartet
Vermeer Quartet
The Vermeer Quartet was a string quartet founded in 1969 at the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont and active until 2007.With performances in practically every major city in North and South America, Europe, the Far East, and Australia, the Vermeer Quartet achieved an international stature as one of...
. Levin is one of five musicians who comprise Vista Lirica, a chamber group devoted to the cause of environmentalism and the music of the Romantics.
As part of her continued commitment to contemporary composers, Levin collaborated with Del Tredici to perform his “Ballad in Yellow.” Levin has appeared in broadcast interviews and performances on radio stations WNYC
WNYC
WNYC is a set of call letters shared by a pair of co-owned, non-profit, public radio stations located in New York City.WNYC broadcasts on the AM band at 820 kHz, and WNYC-FM is at 93.9 MHz. Both stations are members of National Public Radio and carry distinct, but similar news/talk programs...
, WNYE
WNYE (FM)
- History :WNYE is operated by the NYC Media Group, a division of the City of the New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications. The program started out as a high-frequency AM station in 1938, switching to 42.1 MHz FM in 1942. In 1946, it moved to 91.7 MHz, in a new FM...
, and WQXR
WQXR-FM
WQXR-FM is an American classical radio station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, and serving the New York City metropolitan area. It is the most-listened-to classical-music station in the United States, with an average quarter-hour audience of 63,000...
in New York, WFMT
WFMT
WFMT is an FM radio station in Chicago, Illinois, featuring a format of fine arts, classical music programming, and shows exploring such genres as folk and jazz). The station is managed by Window To The World Communications, Inc., owner of WTTW, one of Chicago's two Public Broadcasting Service ...
in Chicago, and WGBH
WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
in Boston. She conducted American master classes at such institutions as New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and The College of William & Mary.
Recent recordings
In 2008, Levin recorded the Goldberg VariationsGoldberg Variations
The Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, is a work for harpsichord by Johann Sebastian Bach, consisting of an aria and a set of 30 variations. First published in 1741, the work is considered to be one of the most important examples of variation form...
by Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
, released by Centaur Records. She plans a series of performances and recording of Beethoven's extended late work, the Diabelli Variations
Diabelli Variations
The 33 Variations on a waltz by Anton Diabelli, Op. 120, commonly known as the Diabelli Variations, is a set of variations for the piano written between 1819 and 1823 by Ludwig van Beethoven on a waltz composed by Anton Diabelli...
.
Jeremy Eichler, in a review in the New York Times on June 10, 2005, accurately summarizes Levin's Romantic pianism: “Ms. Levin [keeps] the ear engaged with boldly inflected readings and an impressive ability to convey emotion without exhibition."