Robert Levin

Humanitas Visiting Professorship in Chamber Music (2013-2014)

The Visiting Professorship in Chamber Music is made possible by the generous support of  Lawrence Saper and is hosted by Peterhouse, Cambridge.

Robert Levin is a classical performer, Harvard Professor of Musicology, composer, and is the artistic director of the Sarasota Music Festival. Professor Levin’s series focused around the theme ‘Encountering Mozart’. His opening lecture-recital, entitled ‘Improvising Mozart’, provided a fascinating insight into the challenging and – as Professor Levin explained – methodologically sophisticated task of analysing Mozart’s piano improvisations. Professor Levin’s second lecture-recital, ‘Composing Mozart’, dealt with the daunting task of completing Mozart’s unfinished musical pieces. Developing on the methodological approach to Mozart’s original manuscripts that he introduced in the first lecture, Professor Levin explained the foundations upon which musicologists can complete unfinished works.

To conclude the series, Professor Levin gave a masterful performance alongside the Academy of Ancient Music. To the delight of a full auditorium, Professor Levin and the AAM played Mozart’s Allegro from the Piano Sonata in B-flat major (‘Sophie Costanza’), Mozart’s Quintet in E-flat major for Piano and Winds, Mozart’sAllegro from the Piano Sonata in G minor, and Beethoven’s Quintet in E-flat major for Piano and Winds. The final concert was preceded by an open rehearsal in which Professor Levin showed his full potential both as a renowned musician and as a gifted teacher.

This video is Levin’s lecture on Improvising Mozart.