Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Lee Luvisi recitals to be put on YouTube

I posted a thread a year or two ago about the pianist Lee Luvisi, and it didn't stir up much activity, but he was a tremendous pianist (the youngest person to ever teach at Curtis... 19 years old whenever Rudolf Serkin and Efrem Zimbalist Sr. invited him to become a primary piano faculty), and has many recordings of live recitals that he gave.

However, they were stored away in his home, as well as two music libraries: University of Louisville, and University of Maryland. He's become good friends with my teacher, and I've turned pages for him before. After being urged by some of his close friends, he called me and asked me if I would be willing to share some of his live recordings onto YouTube.

I already shared a recital of Beethoven's Op. 109, 110, and 111 a while back, and here is a brand new one (another all-Beethoven recital): the little heard Fantasy, Op. 77; Sonata in F-sharp Major, Op. 78; and Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli. Recorded live in concert at the University of Louisville in 1993.

This is wonderful news, have always been a great admirer of his playing and it's great to see that more people will now be exposed to his artistry.

I don't know his playing at all but he must be quite incredible if he was invited to teach at Curtis at such a young age.

I don't think he taught there for a long time, because he moved back to Louisville, KY (his hometown) and began teaching at the University of Louisville sometime in the 60's until 2001.

He didn't enter many competitions, though he did get third place at the Queen Elizabeth Competition in Brussels in 1960. He had a very good performing career (got to regularly perform chamber music as an Artist Member of the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society with some of the best 20th century string players to exist, as well as concertos with many major orchestras/conductors, such as Bernstein and Ormandy), but never got a recording contract, although there are a couple commercial recordings out there (Brahms cello sonatas/Schumann Fantasiestucke for piano/cello), and some German art songs with a wonderful soprano Jan DeGaetani.

I'm listening to op. 78 now, which I'm actually re-studying at the moment, and it's absolutely gorgeous playing! Simple, charming, he lets the music speak for itself without making things too complicated. Lovely interpretation!

I'm hoping tomorrow to get another recital or two uploaded. There is one with Schubert's Moments Musicaux and Schumann's Carnival that is quite good.

Thanks so much for making the effort to do this. Mr. Luvisi deserves to be heard by a larger audience.

As an ten year old child, Lee Luvisi was the pianist at the first classical piano concert I heard in Camden, SC.

This would have been 1968.

I have a recording of his of the last 3 Beethoven sonatas. Good stuff.

Forrest

I'm familiar with Luvisi's name, but have never heard him play until I clicked on your first link. Listened all the way through op. 109, my favorite Beethoven sonata. Marvelous! He gets a beautiful sound, shapes phrases elegantly, and has all the technical equipment to play the most challenging parts of this work and make them sound easy and natural. Please keep posting.

I will be creating a new channel for this project, so within a week or so, I will delete the two videos from my channel and re-upload them to the new channel, along with the next one in line to be uploaded. This way, I can also grant access of the channel to my teacher, and once I leave the Louisville area (whenever that is), somebody else can take over and manage it.

I'm not familiar with him, but I will make it over there and watch some of the videos. Looking forward to it.

I hadn't heard of Lee Luvisi before, but I absolutely love op.111, so I'll listen to that soon. For now, I'm listening to the Fantasy you posted, and his playing has a remarkably charming, musical, natural quality. He makes it seem so easy, and I'm usually not super-engaged by Beethoven.

Thanks for sharing, OSK.

Next two installments! Due to some slight roadblocks, this is not YouTube, but Box.com. This is only temporary, and they will be re-worked to YouTube within the week, but I want to start sharing now. May even do one more installment tonight.

Installment 3:

From a recording session in Louisville, KY in 1978. This is not a live recital, but to my knowledge, these are single-takes.

Schubert: Moments Musicaux, D. 780 (Op. 94)
Schumann: Carnival, Op. 9

Installment 4:

Live recital from the University of Louisville School of Music, September 8, 1985.

All Schubert:
-4 Impromptus, D. 935 (Op. 142)
No. 1: F Minor
No. 2: A-Flat Major
No. 3: B-Flat Major
No. 4: F Minor

- Sonata in B-Flat Major, D. 960
I. Molto moderato
II. Adagio
III. Menuetto: Allegro - Trio
IV. Allegro

Let me go ahead and add a lot more, since this current process is very fast.

Installment 5: All-Mozart recital:


Installment 6: Variations recital:


Installment 7: Schubert Op. 142, D. 960:


Installment 8: Schumann Fantasy, Schubert D. 959:


Installment 9 Galuppi Sonata, Schubert D. 894, Chopin Fantasy in F Minor, Op. 49:


Get a whiff of THIS and tell me what you think! Remember these are live recitals

FINALLY someone who plays the CORRECT RHYTHMS in the opening of 109...... Jesus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a great, great recording!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also, perfect tempo for the 3rd movement theme!!!!!!!

Well, yes the image of the invisible God who is before all things, through whom and for whom all things have been created and in whom all things consist, hold together, endure...visible and invisible, from the furthest stretch of the heavens down to the very little things which make up that piano, not to mention the sound waves emanating from it, or better yet your ears which hear it, your eyes that read this, and you conscience which feels it...

I'd think he can comprehend a simple rhythm.

I very much enjoyed the Schumann Fantasy Op. 17 even from the very beginning in the opening bars where he kept the l.h. inobtrusive.

Thanks for making these recordings available!

p.s. - my favourite recording of the Schumann Fantasy though still is that live WWII era Gieseking radio broadcast.


M.

I am glad you all enjoyed. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the Schumann Fantasy, and need to continue doing so, for I am not familiar with it.

His playing continues to astound me; Pogorelich, his Beethoven is among the very best!! No exaggeration!

It seems there is no Liszt or Alkan recorded by him . . .


M.