Julia Fischer & Igor Levit, Wigmore Hall

To follow Ludwig van Beethoven’s progress through any one genre is to see the well-worn tenants of eighteenth-century music transformed into something dynamic, expressive and new. From the Eroica to the Choral, from the Pathetique to the Hammerklavier, Beethoven’s oeuvre is one of constant movement and progression. But although he remains one of the world’s most popular composers, it is a rare to encounter complete cycles of his chamber work.
For their Summer 2016 season, Wigmore Hall will offer just that. Over a mere three nights, two of the world’s pre-eminent young musicians – violinist Julia Fischer and pianist Igor Levit – will come together to play all ten of the composer’s violin sonatas. In doing so, they will reveal the full scale of Beethoven’s achievement in the genre.
Levit – who critics have dubbed ‘the future’ and ‘a new star in the classical firmament’ – balances compassion with a fierce musical intelligence. His performances of Bach and Beethoven have become unmissable. In Fischer, he has found his equal. The German musician won the junior Yehudi Menuhin competition at the age of 12, and has since gained a series of awards for her recordings.
The series begins on 4 July with the first four sonatas. The initial trio exhibits an astonishingly diverse talent, while the fourth abounds with the experimental techniques that would later define his career. On 5 July, Fischer and Levit will tackle the next quartet, including the buoyant ‘Spring’ Sonata and the Op. 30 set. Finally, 6 July will showcase sonatas No. 9 and No. 10, Beethoven’s most demanding works in the genre. The former – subtitled the Kreutzer Sonata after its dedicatee – is both his longest and most famous, with three wildly contrasting movements.
Before the first recital, at 6pm, Levit and Fischer will take part in a pre-concert conversation, discussing both their careers and Beethoven’s work. Tickets for this appearance are £4.