Fringe by the Sea: Levi Sct.

Big Top, North Berwick, 9/8/2026

Levi Schechtmann, piano

On the smoky dark stage, under a violet spotlight sit a gleaming Steinway Grand, a stool and a lone figure who would hold the audience in the palm of his hand. 

Twenty-seven-year-old Levi Schechtmann, alias Levi Sct., has made his name bringing the joys of Bach, Chopin, Liszt and the like to new youthful audiences, infusing them with modern beats from genres like hip-hop and techno, with a feel of spontaneity and fun. However, the timeless beauty of the classical pieces is not lost. He has amassed over 1.5 million followers on social media, his videos racking up thousands of likes, comments and reposts. 

Classically trained German pianist Levi has clearly put in more than his 10,000 hours. Trained at the Hamburg University of Music and Theatre, his technical prowess is a joy to hear – and to behold, on the big close-up screens to either side of the stage. To say his elegant hands dance over the keys is an understatement – they somersault and leap at lightning speed. And from tinkling high motifs to powerful basslines, every note is played with expression and personality – which Levi has by the bucketload. He is interactive with the audience and exudes an infectiously friendly warmth. It kept me in good spirits! He played this concert entirely by ear, no reliance on the page, so he could focus on his interpretation, the connection with the audience and his impeccable timing. That was essential, and particularly impressive, given that he was mainly playing alongside accompanying tracks (of his own making), controlled from an iPad, resulting in an impressive one-man show.  

A more critical observation is fair to include. One classical buff said that while very impressed, he found the energy level throughout the show too constant. He favoured more contrast, light and shade. I can see where they were coming from. While Levi’s material and interpretation are a world away from a regular 21st century rave, if you zoom out the performances have a similar shape.

However there’s plenty of source variety where the music is infiltrated by jazz standards, Gershwin, Levi’s own compositions. And the can-can – in its relative minor!

Of North Berwick’s packed Big Top he asked, “Who likes classical music?” Everyone, it seemed. ”Who doesn’t like classical music?” No hands went up. He appeared disappointed. Is it his mission to convert people to enjoyment of the genre by infusing it with today’s? Nothing wrong with that though! I myself certainly wouldn’t claim to dislike classical, though admittedly, after much exposure to it as a child, and studying classical singing in my teens, I went down the popular music route, and rarely listen to classical now.  Perhaps never having mastered classical piano in the past saddened me and deterred me from enjoying it for its own sake. This concert, however, did re-ignite a long-lost appreciation and fondness for it. It enabled me to enjoy it as a listener, rather than have it bring back past struggles or regrets. Perhaps the drums, synths and basslines blasting through the speakers, along with Levi’s colourful personality, contributed to this. So, with one audience member at least, he achieved something akin to his goal! And he received a standing ovation.