Recordings

On February 12, 2021, Sono Luminus will release Bruce Levingston's ninth solo album, Prelude to Dawn. This exquisite new release features the interwoven, haunting works of J. S. Bach, Brahms and Rihm. This timeless music exudes solace, joy and the possibilities of renewed life.

The following is from Levingston's Preface to the album notes:

"During the surreal existence of this past year, I found myself drawn closer than ever to Bach. His music brought much solace and peace. Bach has long been an inspiration to musicians, especially Brahms and Rihm. These three German masters represent a thoughtful dialogue that has spanned four centuries. Their intimate musical landscapes resonate with this pensive, solitary time.

Some works, like Brahms' wistful chorale prelude, "Herzlich tut mich verlangen" (Op. 122, No. 10), reflect the delicate twilight between life and death. Others, like the glorious Chaconne and joyous Prelude, Fugue and Allegro deny defeat. Perhaps the most timely work is Bach's "Wachet auf" (Sleepers, Awake). Its memorable chorale, written during the Plague in Germany, was composed by a pastor to comfort his fearful congregation. In Bach's hands, its noble spirit and soaring themes herald a celebration of life.

Together, these pieces recall the shadows and fragility of our world, but also the possibility for its regeneration - and a new dawn."

Available on Amazon, Apple, Spotify, ArkivMusic, NativeDSD, and HD Tracks.

On January 25, 2019, Sono Luminus releases Citizen [DSL 92228], the label's seventh album showcasing the celebrated pianist, author, and founder of Premiere Commission, Inc., Bruce Levingston. "A force for new music" in the words of The New Yorker, and "A pianist's pianist," (American Record Guide), Levingston is a master of creative programming, and here the Mississippi native casts his eyes and ears not just on that historically complex state but on other places and times - Chopin's Poland, for example - that have inspired challenging political responses from creative artists. "In recent years," Levingston writes, "I have come to see that my beloved state only reveals more intensely what exists in other places in our world: the struggle for people to come to terms with one another's histories and differences. I chose the title 'Citizen' for this album not only because it contains works that reflect upon actual citizenship and human rights, but also to highlight that we are all citizens of one earth, and must find ways to respect one another's differences and strongly uphold each other's right to exist with dignity and freedom."

Bruce Levingston writes of his new release:
The genesis of this recording was an invitation to perform for the opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, an event which inspired me to meditate on the complex history of my birthplace, Mississippi. A storied, culturally-rich state, it has produced some of our countrys most important artists including William Faulkner, B.B. King, Leontyne Price, and Eudora Welty but is also a place that has witnessed notably painful struggles with race, poverty, and equality. The scars are painful and deep. Here, among our colleges, churches, cotton fields and battlefields, contradictions abound. These disparate, but related, elements have long absorbed and confounded artists born in this mystical place. In recent years, I have come to see that my beloved state only reveals more intensely what exists in other places in our world: the struggle for people to come to terms with one anothers histories and differences. In this time of turmoil between peoples and nations, focused on issues of citizenship and patriotism, we continue this struggle. I chose to name this album Citizen, not only because it contains works that reflect upon actual citizenship and human rights, but also to highlight that we are all citizens of one earth, and in order to survive, we must find ways to respect one anothers differences, and strongly uphold each others right to exist with dignity and freedom. On this recording, I have gathered together works by composers who have contemplated these issues deeply. The voices of these artists plead for civility, humanity, and love, and each brings a sense of immediacy to the cause offering not a clenched fist, but an open hand that reaches out with a welcoming embrace.

On January 26, 2018, Sono Luminus releases Windows [DSL 92137], the sixth album on the label featuring celebrated pianist, author, and founder of Premiere Commission, Inc., Bruce Levingston. Known for his nuanced interpretations and creative programming, Levingston's focus for this recording is on works which, he writes, "reflect a myriad of overlapping artistic influences and feature composers who have been inspired by multiple art forms." The album includes two works by Robert Schumann, Kinderszenen, Op. 15; and Arabeske, Op. 18, which are framed by two Premiere Commissions: The Shadow of the Blackbird (2011) by composer David Bruce, and James Matheson's Windows (2015), for which the album was titled.

Reviews:
Textura
Gramophone
The Whole Note
iTunes review
All About The Arts (Rafael's Music Notes)

Pianist Bruce Levingston has had a long and celebrated association with Philip Glass and his music. In 2004, the composer wrote his musical tribute to the painter Chuck Close especially for Levingston who premiered the work at New York City's Lincoln Center. The following year, Glass joined Levingston in the same venue for a series of piano duos in a concert that also featured Levingston's longtime friend and Chelsea Hotel neighbor actor Ethan Hawke. At that concert, Levingston and Hawke performed Glass's "Wichita Vortex Sutra" that includes a narration of Allen Ginsberg's eponymous poem. Glass and Ginsberg had performed and recorded it themselves, but the composer enthusiastically blessed this performance by a new generation of artists. Glass, Hawke and Levingston then performed together the finale of Einstein on the Beach. Glass later invited Levingston to join him in premiering his complete Etudes at The Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City in 2014.

Reviews:
Textura
WQXR-Q2 Album of the week
Audiophile
Whole Note
The Arts Desk
Second Inversion
EZINE

The title "Heavy Sleep" is meant to reference not only the 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 homage to composers of the past: In the Andres work there are echos 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.

Reviews:
New York Times
The Arts Desk
I care if you Listen
Audiophile Audition
ConcertoNet
Classical-Modern Music Review

As I first listened to this collection of intimate, gentle music, I kept thinking how much it evokes a feeling of timelessness and stillness. From the minimal sounds of Arvo Part and Erik Satie to the reflective pieces of Augusta Gross and William Bolcom, each work, their harmonic and rhythmic movement notwithstanding, suggests a kind of spiritual stasis. Even the Romantic works of Schubert and Chopin, with their moments of surging emotion, possess magical, hypnotic qualities that lull the listener into a state of calm. The consistent impression of tranquility and serenity in these beautiful works led me to call this album Still Sound. - Bruce Levingston
Read more about Still Sound >

Reviews:
Buffalo News
Audiophile Audition
Lucid Culture
Neo Antennae
Classical TV
The Whole Note
Gramophone
MusicWeb International Recording of the Month

The idea of titling this CD Nightbreak occurred to me when I realized, quite unconsciously, that I had assembled and recorded a number of works that vividly display the light and darkness of the human soul. From the dramatic sound-portraits of Franz Liszt's powerful and moving Vallee d'Obermann and Brahms anguished "Edward" Ballade to Philip Glass's brilliant and thrilling "Dracula Suite", these works capture a panoramic range of human feelings and emotions. The shifting shadows of the mind and spirit are also revealed in the poetic nocturnes and waltzes by Liszt, Brahms and Wolfgang Rihm, as well as Liszt's magnificent, impressionistic Les jeux d'eaux a la Villa d'Este, a tour de force of color and chiaroscuro in sound. Heard altogether, this collection reminded me of that moment when day meets night, when the spectrums of the sun and moon mingle together with a mysterious, nuanced and haunting palette, what I call "nightbreak". -Bruce Levingston
More about Nightbreak>

Reviews:
Buffalo News
Lucid Culture
Audiophile Audition
Gramophone
American Record Guide
Fanfare
MusicWeb International

The written word has always played an important role in the creation of works of music, from the ancient writings of Plato, Aristotle and Sophocles, to Gogol, Baudelaire and Tolstoy, through modern writers and poets such as Frost, Eliot, Joyce, and Mann. The three works presented on this album were each inspired by a work of literature. Rather than depicting actual characters, each piece presents a state of mind and soul, a distilled essence of the feelings and emotions found in the original sources. The Schumann is, of course, one of the masterpieces of the piano repertoire; it's depth and beauty endless. It's inspiration came from the Romantic work of E.T. A. Hoffman. The Bielawa and Wuorinen works, both written by two of today's most distinguished and important composers, were inspired by works of Rainer Maria Rilke and Salman Rushdie. These three works, like their creators and muses, could not be more different in compositional style and techniques. Yet, for all of their differences, outwardly as well as inwardly, they seem to share a spiritual unity. Perhaps the basic humanity that is central to each piece somehow joins them musically and artistically. In any case, their beauty, vision and eloquence speak for themselves.
More about Heart Shadow >

Reviews:
WQXR Album of the Week
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Lucid Culture
New Jersey Star Ledger
Baker and Taylor CD Hotlist
Fanfare
American Record Guide

In 2006, Orange Mountain Music released Bruce Levingston's CD "Portraits" featuring the world premiere recording of Philip Glass's A Musical Portrait of Chuck Close originally commissioned by Premiere Commission, Inc. The recording, which includes Glass's musical forebears Messiaen, Ravel and Satie, received international critical acclaim.
Read more about Portraits >

Reviews:
Textura
Classics Today
All Music Guide
Klassic Magazin (Germany)
American Record Guide