Igor Levit to Play Satie's Vexations for 16 Hours Straight

For the first time in history, Levit will attempt to play the piece 840 times and not leave the stage in over 16 hours

On April 24 and 25, pianist Igor Levit will perform Erik Satie’s Vexations in a unique event directed by conceptual artist Marina Abramović.

Lasting upwards of 16 hours, the event will be held at Southbank Center's Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.

Satie's piece is short, but the one-page score includes an instruction to repeat it 840 times, translating to between 16 and 20 hours of continuous playing.

Written in the 1890s, it is not clear why Satie wrote the eccentric instruction, and he never saw the performance done like this in his lifetime.

Almost 40 years after Satie's death, John Cage organized an 18-hour performance, with more than a dozen pianists on rotation.

Igor Levit’s effort will be the first solo attempt to play Vexations 840 times in public. He will play on a platform that is gradually dismantled, which is said to mirror the "decay" of the music.

For tickets, click here.