Bruce Levingston - Heavy Sleep (2015)

The title "Heavy Sleep", is meant to reference not only the haunting eponymous opening work on this album, but also to note the phrase's allusion to death and eternal sleep. Each work on this album relates either directly or spiritually to the theme of death, rebirth, or both. Voices of other composers, or allusions to their own or others' works, are also found throughout these pieces, often appearing as subtle homages to composers of the past: in the Andres work there are echoes of both Bach and Chopin; in the Fairouz a direct tribute to Ligeti; in the Kurtag, Reger and Siloti arrangements there are reflections on Bach through the art of transcription; and in the original works of Bach himself, particularly in the great B minor Fugue, symbolic voices of God and man. Together, these works offer a touching perspective to the close spiritual connectivity we all share as artists and as human beings, culture to culture, past and present.

Pianist Bruce Levingston is one of today's leading figures in contemporary music. Many of the world's most important composers have written works for him and his Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center world premiere performances have won notable critical acclaim. The New York Times has called him one of "today's most adventurous musicians" and praised his performances as "graceful", "dreamy", and "hauntingly serene". The New Yorker has called him " a force for new music" and described him as "elegant and engaging... a poetic pianist who has a gift for inventive and glamorous programming. The American Record Guide declared Levingston "a pianist's pianist" and commended his "stunning and illuminating performances."