Bruce Levingston’s Newest Album “Dreaming Awake” Out Now

Mississippi native and critically acclaimed pianist, Bruce Levingston, released his newest album “Dreaming Awake” on September 30. The album is dedicated to the work of composer Philip Glass, and covers the span of his entire career.

“[Glass] wrote his beautiful work ‘A Musical Portrait of Chuck Close‘ for me, and I have played that heart-breaking piece as well as many of his other works in my concerts over the years,” Levingston said. “With Philip’s 80th birthday approaching, I felt it was finally time to release an album devoted solely to his extraordinary music.”

Levingston has performed around the world, appearing in famous venues, such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, in concerts and music festivals, and has worked with some of the most gifted artists and performers of today, such as Alessandra Ferri and Ethan Hawke.

Levingston’s past recordings have also earned critical praise in the past. The New York Times named his last album, “Heavy Sleep,” one of the Best Classical Recordings of 2015. However, this most recent album is special to Levingston because of how closely he has worked with the composer to whom the album is dedicated and because of his special friendship with Hawke, who appears as a guest artist on the recording.

Levingston and Hawke have been friends for over 20 years after they met as neighbors at the historic Chelsea Hotel in New York City. Since then, they’ve shared a mutual love of music and poetry, particularly that of Allen Ginsberg, whose poem “Wichita Vortex Sutra” is read by Hawke on the album. Hawke and Levingston have also performed this piece together at Lincoln Center.

“Ethan gives an amazing and incredibly moving reading of the Ginsberg poem while I play the score by Glass. The work is a poem for peace and it is as relevant today as ever,“ Levingston said. “We had talked about recording this work for a long time and this new album of Glass’s music provided us the perfect opportunity.”

Levingston now resides in both Oxford and New York City, and he serves as the Chancellor’s Honors College Artist in Residence as well as the holder of the Lester Glenn Fant Endowed Chair at the University of Mississippi.

Levingston said that both of these “magical” cities have inspired him in his art, and may even be what led him to create his finest album yet, “Dreaming Awake.”

“I believe this album can be heard on many levels,” Levingston said. “For those who know Glass’s music, it will hopefully offer deeper insights and understanding of both the composer and his music. For those who don’t know this composer, I hope it provides them a special journey into a unique world of sound and emotion.”

The “Dreaming Awake” album is available on Amazon, iTunes and other online retailers.

By Madison Bowlin, an intern for HottyToddy.com. She can be reached at mbbowlin@go.olemiss.edu.

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