Igor Levit – Charity Auction

Silent Charity Auction with Igor Levit on behalf of FREO e.V. and Artist Relief Tree

In the charity auction with Igor Levit on 28 June, which Grisebach held as a silent auction as part of our summer auctions, proceeds of 25,000 EUR were raised for the foundations FREO e.V. and Artist Relief Tree.

At the beginning of the corona pandemic Igor Levit streamed concerts from his living room for over 52 days in an effort to draw awareness to the plight many artists and creators are experiencing around the world. One of these was held in the Office of the Federal President by invitation of Frank-Walter Steinmeier. On May 30th/31st a concert was held that blurred the borders of both space and time. A work like a silent cry („wie ein Stummer Schrei“): The pianist performed one of the longest compositions in music history, Erik Satie’s 20-hour long piece Vexations. These 840 pages of sheet music were now successfully sold.

Quote Igor Levit:

“It has always been my dream to perform Erik Satie’s “Vexations”. I am more than happy that this project found a proud ending at Villa Grisebach yesterday. I am grateful to the buyer and the team at Grisebach and hope to have inspired many people to support artists in these challenging times.”

FREO e.V. is a new interest group for independent ensembles and orchestras in Germany. This organisation aims to support freelance musician led ensembles and orchestras: https://freo.online/. Artist Relief Tree is a new fund that was established in the USA to provide financial support for artists affected by COVID-19 cancellations: https://artistrelieftree.com/

As an art and auction house, Grisebach is committed to contributing to the preservation of cultural life and the arts, as well as promoting and supporting artists of all kinds, especially in difficult times.