"Igor Levit" challenges time and plays a single piece for 16 hours.

In one of the most exciting and distinctive musical events, German pianist Igor Levit presents an unprecedented musical performance in London, lasting for over 16 continuous hours, during which he performs solo the famous piece "Vexations" by the French composer Erik Satie, under the supervision of the global conceptual artist Marina Abramovic. This unique performance takes place at the South Bank Centre, which described the event as an extraordinary challenge requiring high physical and mental endurance. The piece "Vexations" consists of only one page, but it is designed to be played 840 times consecutively, equivalent to between 16 and 20 hours of non-stop playing. Usually, a number of musicians take turns performing this challenging work, but Levit chose to perform it entirely solo in front of the audience for the first time, giving the event an exceptional character. Levit, 38 years old, is considered one of the leading pianists of his generation and had previously attracted attention during the COVID-19 lockdown period when he performed the same piece for 20 continuous hours from a studio in Berlin, in a charitable initiative aimed at supporting independent musicians affected by the pandemic. Today, he is reenacting the experience in front of the audience, in a real test of his endurance and focus in a work described as more of a mental and physical experience than just a musical performance. Erik Satie himself had written about this strange work, saying that "it is advisable for the performer to have prepared in advance and in the utmost silence" for playing it 840 times, reflecting the deep contemplation and mental discipline required for this performance. The performance starts on Thursday, April 24th, at 10 a.m. London time (9 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time), and attendees will be given two options: either watch only one hour of the performance or attend the entire concert from start to finish, in an artistic and psychological experience that puts the audience on a unique musical journey.