Leon Fleisher (July 23, 1928 – August 2, 2020) was an American classical pianist, conductor and pedagogue. He was one of the most renowned pianists and pedagogues in the world. Music correspondent Elijah Ho called him "one of the most refined and transcendent musicians the United States has ever produced".[1]
Born in San Francisco, Fleisher began playing piano at the age of four, and began studying with Artur Schnabel at age nine. He was particularly well known for his interpretations of the two piano concertos of Brahms and the five concertos of Beethoven, which he recorded with George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra. With Szell, he also recorded concertos by Mozart, Grieg, Schumann, Franck, and Rachmaninoff.
In 1964, he lost the use of his right hand due to a neurological condition eventually diagnosed as focal dystonia, forcing him to focus on the repertoire for the left hand, such as Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand and many compositions written for him. In 2004, he played the world premiere of Paul Hindemith's Klaviermusik, a piano concerto for the left hand completed in 1923, with the Berlin Philharmonic. He regained some control of his right hand then, and played and recorded two-hand repertoire.
He was also notable as a conductor, and especially as a teacher for over 60 years at the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University, the Curtis Institute of Music and others. He was a Kennedy Center Honors awardee in 2007, among many distinctions.
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LeonFleisher (July 23, 1928 – August 2, 2020) was an American classical pianist, conductor and pedagogue. He was one of the most renowned pianists and...
documentary about Thelonious Monk. Two Hands: The LeonFleisher Story (2006): A documentary about LeonFleisher. Wherever She Goes (1951): About the early life...
of function and uncontrollable curling in the fingers. The pianist LeonFleisher, a close friend of Graffman, also had the disorder. Shortly after joining...
Zubin Mehta, Dolly Parton, Smokey Robinson, and Steven Spielberg 2007 – LeonFleisher, Steve Martin, Diana Ross, Martin Scorsese, and Brian Wilson 2008 –...
From left to right: singer-songwriter Brian Wilson; filmmaker Martin Scorsese; Ross; comedian, actor and author Steve Martin, and pianist LeonFleisher....
Fleischer, German Lawrence Fleisher, American attorney and sports agent LeonFleisher, American pianist and conductor Martin Fleisher, American bridge player...
orchestra in A minor, Op. 43 – Franck: Symphonic Variations; Rachmaninov / Fleisher, Szell". Sony Classical. Retrieved September 5, 2011. "Classical Net Review...
than 125 master classes are presented each year with artists, such as LeonFleisher, Stewart Goodyear, Anton Kuerti, and James Ehnes. Glenn Gould School...
when he resigned over differences with Ozawa. Pianist and conductor LeonFleisher took over the direction of TMC in 1985, but resigned abruptly several...
citizen in 1989. Bronfman's teachers were Arie Vardi, Rudolf Firkušný, LeonFleisher, and Rudolf Serkin. He made his international debut in 1975 with Zubin...
the Orford String Quartet. Keith Emerson, pianist and keyboard player LeonFleisher, an international concert pianist, dealt with this condition in his...
(Moura Lympany) Jakov Flier Lance Dossor Nibya Mariño Bellini [es] 1952 LeonFleisher Karl Engel Maria Tipo Frans Brouw Laurence Davis 1956 Vladimir Ashkenazy...
Dolby, Music for New Media Du Yun, composition David Fedderly, tuba LeonFleisher, piano Virgil Fox, organist Elizabeth Futral, voice Denyce Graves, voice...
International Piano Foundation at Lake Como, where he had lessons with LeonFleisher, Karl Ulrich Schnabel and Murray Perahia. These led him to Munich, Germany...
on October 11, 2008, in an all-Beethoven program featuring pianist LeonFleisher performing the Emperor Concerto. Perlman plays the Soil Stradivarius...
Symphony Orchestra and Chorus) David Starobin All The Things You Are (LeonFleisher) Complete Crumb Edition, Vol. 16 (Ann Crumb, Patrick Mason, James Freeman...
Czerny; Sergei Rachmaninoff: pupil of Alexander Siloti ← Liszt ← Czerny; LeonFleisher: pupil of Artur Schnabel ← Theodor Leschetizky ← Czerny; Czerny wrote...
gracioso; Rapsodie espagnole; Concerto in Piano Left Hand in D major, LeonFleisher, piano (Vanguard) 1984: Brahms (orchestrated/Schoenberg): Quartet for...
devoted to piano, 14 years after the first one took place. It was won by LeonFleisher. Willem Andriessen Stefan Askenase Emile Bosquet Marcelle Cheridjian...
(1957–64) Symphony No. 6 (New York Philharmonic) The Piano Concertos; LeonFleisher (p) (1959–61) The Piano Concertos; Emil Gilels (p) (1968, EMI) Missa...
ISBN 978-0-19-372212-5 Mark, Karsten (6 July 2008). "Klavierfestival Ruhr: LeonFleisher spielt Bach". Dorstener Zeitung (in German). Dortmund. Retrieved 24...
for one reason or another lost the use of their right hands, such as LeonFleisher (although he eventually recovered his right hand's abilities) and João...
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