Leon Fleisher: Difference between revisions
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| caption = Fleisher in 1963 |
| caption = Fleisher in 1963 |
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| birth_date = {{Birth date|1928|07|23}} |
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1928|07|23}} |
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| birth_place = [[San Francisco]], |
| birth_place = [[San Francisco]], California, U.S. |
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| death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|08|02|1928|07|23}} |
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|08|02|1928|07|23}} |
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| death_place = [[Baltimore]], |
| death_place = [[Baltimore]], Maryland, U.S. |
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| occupation = {{plainlist| |
| occupation = {{plainlist| |
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* Classical pianist |
* Classical pianist |
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| organization = {{plainlist| |
| organization = {{plainlist| |
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* [[Peabody Conservatory of Music]] |
* [[Peabody Conservatory of Music]] |
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* [[Curtis Institute of Music]] |
* [[Curtis Institute of Music]] |
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* [[Royal Conservatory of Music]] }} |
* [[The Royal Conservatory of Music]] }} |
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| awards = {{plainlist| |
| awards = {{plainlist| |
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* [[Queen Elisabeth |
* [[Queen Elisabeth Competition]] |
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* [[Order of Arts and Letters]] |
* [[Order of Arts and Letters]] |
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* [[Kennedy Center Honors]] |
* [[Kennedy Center Honors]] |
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== Early life and studies == |
== Early life and studies == |
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Fleisher was born on July 23, 1928, in |
Fleisher was born on July 23, 1928, in San Francisco, the son of poor Jewish immigrants Bertha and Isidor Fleisher. His father was from [[Odessa]] and his mother from Poland.<ref name="Ho" /><ref>{{cite news|title=An Interview with Leon Fleisher|url=http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/thr/summary/v001/1.3.weiss.html|newspaper=[[Project Muse]]|date=December 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Gereben |first=Janos |title=San Francisco Remembers Leon Fleisher |url=https://www.sfcv.org/music-news/san-francisco-remembers-leon-fleisher |website=sfcv.org |date=August 4, 2020 |access-date=August 5, 2020}}</ref> His father's business was hat-making, while his mother's goal was to make her son a great concert pianist.<ref name="Ho" /> Fleisher started studying the piano at age four, and made his public debut at eight. At age nine, he became one of the few child prodigies to be accepted for study with the renowned Austrian teacher [[Artur Schnabel]], who taught him in a tradition that descended directly from Beethoven through [[Carl Czerny]] and [[Theodor Leschetizky]].<ref name="Ho" /> He also studied with [[Maria Curcio]] and [[Karl Ulrich Schnabel]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Karl Ulrich Schnabel|url=https://schnabelmusicfoundation.com/musicians/karl-ulrich-schnabel|access-date=August 3, 2020|website=Schnabel Music Foundation}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/apr/14/obituary-maria-curcio|title=Obituary: Maria Curcio|first=Niel|last=Immelman|date=April 13, 2009|access-date=August 3, 2020|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/music-obituaries/5121311/Maria-Curcio.html|title=Maria Curcio|date=April 7, 2009|access-date=August 3, 2020|website=Telegraph.co.uk}}</ref> Fleisher played at [[Carnegie Hall]] with the [[New York Philharmonic]] under [[Pierre Monteux]] at age 16, and Monteux called him "the pianistic find of the century."<ref name="Ho" /> |
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== Performer and recording artist == |
== Performer and recording artist == |
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In the 1950s, Fleisher signed an exclusive recording contract with [[Columbia Masterworks]]. He was particularly well known for his interpretations of the [[piano concerto|piano concerti]] of [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]] and [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]], which he recorded with [[George Szell]] and the [[Cleveland Orchestra]].<ref>{{cite news |title= |
In the 1950s, Fleisher signed an exclusive recording contract with [[Columbia Masterworks]]. He was particularly well known for his interpretations of the [[piano concerto|piano concerti]] of [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]] and [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]], which he recorded with [[George Szell]] and the [[Cleveland Orchestra]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Fleisher Scores as Piano Soloist / Performs Brahms D minor Concerto with Philharmonic — Szell Is on Podium|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 1, 1954|access-date=February 16, 2019| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2506&dat=19610102&id=x5tJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UwwNAAAAIBAJ&pg=523,275602}}</ref> They also recorded [[Piano Concerto No. 25 (Mozart)|Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 25]], the [[Piano Concerto (Grieg)|Grieg]] and [[Piano Concerto (Schumann)|Schumann]] piano concertos, Franck's [[Symphonic Variations (Franck)|''Symphonic Variations'']], and Rachmaninoff's ''[[Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini]]''.<ref name=discography/> |
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When he was 24, Fleisher became the first American to win a prestigious piano competition established by Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, which helped to catapult his career.<ref |
When he was 24, Fleisher became the first American to win a prestigious piano competition established by Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, which helped to catapult his career.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Midgette |first1=Anne|author-link=Anne Midgette|title=Leon Fleisher, sublime pianist undaunted by mysterious hand malady, dies at 92 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/leon-fleisher-sublime-pianist-with-one-hand-or-two-dies-at-92/2020/08/02/c7c98f90-527d-11e6-b7de-dfe509430c39_story.html |access-date=October 14, 2021 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=August 2, 2020}}</ref> In 1964, at the age of 36, Fleisher lost the use of his right hand, due to a neurological condition that was eventually diagnosed as [[focal dystonia]].<ref name="Ho" /> In 1967, Fleisher commenced performing and recording the left-handed repertoire while searching for a cure for his condition. His first choice was Ravel's ''[[Piano Concerto for the Left Hand (Ravel)|Piano Concerto for the Left Hand]]''.<ref name="Ho" /> In addition, he undertook conducting beginning in 1968, and became associate conductor of the [[Baltimore Symphony Orchestra]] in 1973,<ref name="Ho" /> and music director of the [[Annapolis Symphony Orchestra]]. In the 1990s, Fleisher was able to ameliorate his focal dystonia symptoms after experimental [[botox]] injections to the point where he could play with both hands again.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/12/arts/12iht-pianist.1.6104272.html "The pianist Leon Fleisher: A life-altering debility, reconsidered"] by Holly Brubach, ''[[The New York Times]]''. June 12, 2007.</ref> |
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In 2004, [[Vanguard Classics]] released Fleisher's first "two-handed" recording since the 1960s,<ref name="Ho" /> titled ''Two Hands'', to critical acclaim. ''[[Two Hands: The Leon Fleisher Story|Two Hands]]'' is also the title of a short documentary on Fleisher by [[Nathaniel Kahn]], which was nominated for an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for best short subject on January 23, 2007. Fleisher received the 2007 Kennedy Center Honors. Kennedy Center Chairman Stephen A. Schwarzman described him as "a consummate musician whose career is a moving testament to the life-affirming power of art."<ref>{{Cite |
In 2004, [[Vanguard Classics]] released Fleisher's first "two-handed" recording since the 1960s,<ref name="Ho" /> titled ''Two Hands'', to critical acclaim. ''[[Two Hands: The Leon Fleisher Story|Two Hands]]'' is also the title of a short documentary on Fleisher by [[Nathaniel Kahn]], which was nominated for an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for best short subject on January 23, 2007. Fleisher received the 2007 Kennedy Center Honors. Kennedy Center Chairman Stephen A. Schwarzman described him as "a consummate musician whose career is a moving testament to the life-affirming power of art."<ref>{{Cite news|date=January 6, 2014|title=Pianist Leon Fleisher performing Feb. 1|url=https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/bayarea/news/article/Pianist-Leon-Fleisher-performing-Feb-1-5116768.php|access-date=August 3, 2020|newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]]}}</ref> |
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Fleisher's musical interests extended beyond the central German Classic-Romantic repertoire. The American composer [[William Bolcom]] composed his ''Concerto for Two Pianos, Left Hand'' for Fleisher and his close friend [[Gary Graffman]], who has also suffered from debilitating problems with his right hand. It received its first performance in Baltimore in April 1996. The concerto is so constructed that it can be performed in one of three ways, with either piano part alone with reduced orchestra, or with both piano parts and the two reduced orchestras combined into a full orchestra. Composers who wrote music for him also included [[Lukas Foss]], [[Leon Kirchner]] and [[Gunther Schuller]].<ref name="Ho" /> |
Fleisher's musical interests extended beyond the central German Classic-Romantic repertoire. The American composer [[William Bolcom]] composed his ''Concerto for Two Pianos, Left Hand'' for Fleisher and his close friend [[Gary Graffman]], who has also suffered from debilitating problems with his right hand. It received its first performance in Baltimore in April 1996. The concerto is so constructed that it can be performed in one of three ways, with either piano part alone with reduced orchestra, or with both piano parts and the two reduced orchestras combined into a full orchestra. Composers who wrote music for him also included [[Lukas Foss]], [[Leon Kirchner]] and [[Gunther Schuller]].<ref name="Ho" /> |
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In 2004, Fleisher played the world premiere of [[Paul Hindemith]]'s ''[[Klaviermusik mit Orchester|Klaviermusik]]'' (Piano Concerto for the Left Hand), Op. 29, with the [[Berlin Philharmonic]] conducted by [[Simon Rattle]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Brug |first=Manuel |date=August 3, 2020 |title=Die linke Hand Gottes |url=https://www.welt.de/kultur/article212753771/Pianist-Leon-Fleisher-Nachruf-auf-die-linke-Hand-Gottes.html |work=[[Die Welt]] |location=Berlin |language=de |access-date=August 3, 2020}}</ref> This work was written in 1923, for [[Paul Wittgenstein]], who disliked and refused to play it. However, he had sole performing rights and kept the score, not allowing any other pianists to play it. The manuscript was discovered among his papers after the death of his widow in 2002. On October 2, 2005, Fleisher played the American premiere of the work, with the [[San Francisco Symphony]] under [[Herbert Blomstedt]].<ref name="Schaal-Gotthardt" /> In 2012, at the invitation of Justice [[Ruth Bader Ginsburg]], Fleisher performed at the [[Supreme Court of the United States]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2012/05/15/152781760/classical-music-is-supreme-today-at-the-nations-highest-court|title=Classical Music Is Supreme |
In 2004, Fleisher played the world premiere of [[Paul Hindemith]]'s ''[[Klaviermusik mit Orchester|Klaviermusik]]'' (Piano Concerto for the Left Hand), Op. 29, with the [[Berlin Philharmonic]] conducted by [[Simon Rattle]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Brug |first=Manuel |date=August 3, 2020 |title=Die linke Hand Gottes |url=https://www.welt.de/kultur/article212753771/Pianist-Leon-Fleisher-Nachruf-auf-die-linke-Hand-Gottes.html |work=[[Die Welt]] |location=Berlin |language=de |access-date=August 3, 2020}}</ref> This work was written in 1923, for [[Paul Wittgenstein]], who disliked and refused to play it. However, he had sole performing rights and kept the score, not allowing any other pianists to play it. The manuscript was discovered among his papers after the death of his widow in 2002. On October 2, 2005, Fleisher played the American premiere of the work, with the [[San Francisco Symphony]] under [[Herbert Blomstedt]].<ref name="Schaal-Gotthardt" /> In 2012, at the invitation of Justice [[Ruth Bader Ginsburg]], Fleisher performed at the [[Supreme Court of the United States]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2012/05/15/152781760/classical-music-is-supreme-today-at-the-nations-highest-court|title=Classical Music Is Supreme at the Nation's Highest Court|website=[[NPR]]|date=May 16, 2012|access-date=August 3, 2020|last1=Tsioulcas|first1=Anastasia}}</ref> |
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He continued to be involved in music, both conducting and teaching for more than 60 years at the [[Peabody Institute]] of the Johns Hopkins University, the Curtis Institute of Music, and the [[Royal Conservatory of Music]] in Toronto; he was also closely associated with the [[Tanglewood|Tanglewood Music Center]]. With [[Dina Koston]], he co-founded and co-directed the Theater Chamber Players in 1968–2003, which was the first resident chamber ensemble of the [[Smithsonian Institution]] and of the [[Pedagogy]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rogershapirofund.org/founders/dina-koston.html|title=Dina Koston|website=Rogershapirofund.org|access-date=July 12, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite |
He continued to be involved in music, both conducting and teaching for more than 60 years at the [[Peabody Institute]] of the Johns Hopkins University, the Curtis Institute of Music, and the [[Royal Conservatory of Music]] in Toronto; he was also closely associated with the [[Tanglewood|Tanglewood Music Center]]. With [[Dina Koston]], he co-founded and co-directed the Theater Chamber Players in 1968–2003, which was the first resident chamber ensemble of the [[Smithsonian Institution]] and of the [[Pedagogy]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rogershapirofund.org/founders/dina-koston.html|title=Dina Koston|website=Rogershapirofund.org|access-date=July 12, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Kaltenbach |first=Chris |title=Leon Fleisher, renowned Baltimore concert pianist, dies at 92 |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/obituaries/bs-md-ob-fleisher-advance-20200803-pmiggzedxffopnpzbf3o3wadna-story.html|newspaper=[[The Baltimore Sun]]|date=August 4, 2020 |access-date=August 6, 2020}}</ref> His students include [[Frank Lévy]], [[André Watts]], [[Yefim Bronfman]], [[Hélène Grimaud]], [[Louis Lortie]], [[Dina Koston]], [[Jonathan Biss]], [[Lori Sims]] [[Nicholas Angelich]], [[Joel Fan]], and Galen Deibler. |
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His memoir, ''My Nine Lives'', co-written with |
His memoir, ''My Nine Lives'', co-written with ''[[The Washington Post]]''{{'}}s music critic [[Anne Midgette]], was published in November 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wqxr.org/story/104612-my-nine-lives-leon-fleisher-and-anne-midgette|title=''My Nine Lives'' by Leon Fleisher and Anne Midgette|publisher=[[WQXR-FM|WQXR]] |date=December 19, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wamc.org/post/leon-fleisher-pianist-who-reinvented-himself-dies-92|title=Leon Fleisher, the Pianist Who Reinvented Himself, Dies at 92|first=Tom|last=Huizenga|publisher=[[WAMC]] |date=August 3, 2020}}</ref> |
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==Death== |
==Death== |
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Fleisher died in |
Fleisher died in Baltimore, Maryland, on August 2, 2020, at age 92.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/02/arts/music/leon-fleisher-dead.html|title=Leon Fleisher, 92, Dies; Spellbinding Pianist With One Hand or Two|first=Allan|last=Kozinn|author-link=Allan Kozinn|date=August 2, 2020|access-date=August 3, 2020|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2020/08/02/702978476/leon-fleisher-the-pianist-who-reinvented-himself-dies-at-92|title=Leon Fleisher, the Pianist Who Reinvented Himself, Dies at 92|publisher=[[NPR]]|access-date=August 3, 2020}}</ref> |
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== Awards and recognition == |
== Awards and recognition == |
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[[File:President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush stand in the Blue Room of the White House.jpg|thumb|President [[George W. Bush]] and First Lady [[Laura Bush]] with the 2007 Kennedy Center Honorees at the [[White House]]. From left: Fleisher, [[Martin Scorsese]], [[Diana Ross]], [[Brian Wilson]] and [[Steve Martin]] |
[[File:President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush stand in the Blue Room of the White House.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|President [[George W. Bush]] and First Lady [[Laura Bush]] with the 2007 Kennedy Center Honorees at the [[White House]]. From left: Fleisher, [[Martin Scorsese]], [[Diana Ross]], [[Brian Wilson]] and [[Steve Martin]]]] |
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* 1952: Gold medal of the [[Queen Elisabeth Music Competition]]<ref name="Ho" /> |
* 1952: Gold medal of the [[Queen Elisabeth Music Competition]]<ref name="Ho" /> |
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* 1992: Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/handle/1774.2/37675|title=Oral history of Leon Fleisher|first=Leon|last=Fleisher|date=September 23, 1999| |
* 1992: [[Fellow]] of the [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]]<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/handle/1774.2/37675|title=Oral history of Leon Fleisher|first=Leon|last=Fleisher|date=September 23, 1999|website=jscholarship.library.jhu.edu |publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amacad.org/person/leon-fleisher|title=Leon Fleisher|website=[[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]]|date=February 9, 2023 }}</ref> |
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* 1994: Instrumentalist of the Year, by [[Musical America]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.musicalamerica.com/pages/?pagename=honorees1|title= |
* 1994: Instrumentalist of the Year, by [[Musical America]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.musicalamerica.com/pages/?pagename=honorees1|title=Musical America Award Winners|publisher=[[Musical America]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/f/fa-fn/leon-fleisher/|title=Leon Fleisher|website=Kennedy Center}}</ref> |
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* President's Medal of the [[Johns Hopkins University]]<ref name="LAPhil">{{Cite web|url=https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/artists/1808/leon-fleisher|title=Leon Fleisher| |
* 2005: President's Medal of the [[Johns Hopkins University]]<ref name="LAPhil">{{Cite web|url=https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/artists/1808/leon-fleisher|title=Leon Fleisher|publisher=[[Los Angeles Philharmonic]]}}</ref> |
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* 2006: Commander in the [[Order of Arts and Letters]] by the Minister of Culture of the French government<ref name="limelight">{{Cite |
* 2006: Commander in the [[Order of Arts and Letters]] by the Minister of Culture of the French government<ref name="limelight">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/news/leon-fleisher-has-died/|last=McPherson|first=Angus|date=August 3, 2020|title=Leon Fleisher has died|magazine=[[Limelight (magazine)|Limelight]]}}</ref> |
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* 2007: [[Kennedy Center Honors]]<ref name="Ho" /><ref>{{cite |
* 2007: [[Kennedy Center Honors]]<ref name="Ho" /><ref>{{cite web |
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| url = http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/honors/ |
| url = http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/honors/ |
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| title = America to Celebrate Five Extraordinary Artists on Sunday, December 2, 2007 |
| title = America to Celebrate Five Extraordinary Artists on Sunday, December 2, 2007|website=kennedy-center.org}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | * 2010: [[Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards|Instrumentalist of the Year]], by the [[Royal Philharmonic Society]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://royalphilharmonicsociety.org.uk/awards/rps_music_awards/latest-winners/past-winners/instrumentalist|title=Instrumentalist: Past Winners|publisher=[[Royal Philharmonic Society]]|access-date=August 3, 2020|archive-date=October 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029173003/https://royalphilharmonicsociety.org.uk/awards/rps_music_awards/latest-winners/past-winners/instrumentalist|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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}}</ref> |
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* 2021: The Leon Fleisher Academy<ref name="LFA">{{Cite web|url=https://www.leonfleisheracademy.com|title=The Leon Fleisher Academy}}</ref> is named in his honor |
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| ⚫ | * 2010: [[Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards|Instrumentalist of the Year]], by the [[Royal Philharmonic Society]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://royalphilharmonicsociety.org.uk/awards/rps_music_awards/latest-winners/past-winners/instrumentalist|title=Instrumentalist: Past Winners| |
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===Honorary doctorates=== |
===Honorary doctorates=== |
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* [[Cleveland Institute of Music]] |
* [[Cleveland Institute of Music]] |
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* [[San Francisco Conservatory of Music]] |
* [[San Francisco Conservatory of Music]] |
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* [[St. Olaf College]]<ref |
* [[St. Olaf College]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stolaf.edu/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=NewsDetails&id=2259|title=St. Olaf College to honor piano legend Leon Fleisher and host piano master class|publisher=[[St. Olaf College]]}}</ref> |
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* [[Amherst College]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amherst.edu/news/specialevents/commencement/awards/2009/fleischer|title=Leon Fleisher | 2009 Honorees |
* [[Amherst College]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amherst.edu/news/specialevents/commencement/awards/2009/fleischer|title=Leon Fleisher | 2009 Honorees|publisher=[[Amherst College]]|access-date=August 3, 2020|archive-date=January 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120011408/https://www.amherst.edu/news/specialevents/commencement/awards/2009/fleischer|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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* [[Juilliard School of Music]] |
* [[Juilliard School of Music]] |
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* [[Peabody Institute]] of the [[Johns Hopkins University]]<ref name="LAPhil" /> |
* [[Peabody Institute]] of the [[Johns Hopkins University]]<ref name="LAPhil" /> |
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== Discography == |
== Discography == |
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* 1956: ''Schubert: [[D. 960|Sonata in B-flat major, D. 960]] / Ländler'' (original LP release), [[Sony BMG Masterworks]], 2008 (digital re-release)<ref name=discography/><ref>{{cite web|title="First Digital Release of Six Recordings by Eminent Pianist Leon Fleisher Previously Available Only on LP" July 22, 2008|url=http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=8713467&nav=menu130_13_5_1|website=Kron4.com|access-date=August 3, 2020}}{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | * ''Leon Fleisher: The Complete Album Collection'', [[Sony Classical Records]] |
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* |
* 1956/1958/1962: [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]]: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 (rec. 1958) and 2 (rec. 1962), with the Cleveland Orchestra led by Szell; Handel Variations and Waltzes, Op. 39 (rec. 1956); [[Sony Masterworks]], remastered and reissued 1997<ref name=discography/> |
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* '' |
* 1959: ''Debussy: Suite bergamasque / Ravel: Sonatine / Valses nobles et sentimentales / Alborado del gracioso'' (original LP release), Sony BMG Masterworks, 2008 (digital re-release)<ref name=discography/> |
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* |
* 1959–61: [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]: The Five Piano Concertos, with the Cleveland Orchestra led by Szell (original recordings, remastered), [[Sony BMG Masterworks]], reissued 1990 and in new remastering 2006<ref name=discography/> |
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* |
* 1960: [[Robert Schumann|Schumann]]: Piano Concerto and [[Edvard Grieg|Grieg]]: Piano Concerto with the [[Cleveland Orchestra]] and [[George Szell]] (original recordings, remastered and reissued 2004 by Sony BMG)<ref name=discography/> |
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* ''Liszt: Sonata in B minor / Weber: Sonata No. 4 in E minor, Op. 70 / Invitation to the Dance, Op. 65 (original LP release |
* 1960: ''Liszt: Sonata in B minor / Weber: Sonata No. 4 in E minor, Op. 70 / Invitation to the Dance, Op. 65'' (original LP release), Sony BMG Masterworks, 2008 (digital re-release)<ref name=discography/> |
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* '' |
* 1960: ''Mozart: Sonata in C major, K. 330 / Sonata in E-flat major, K. 282 / Rondo in D major, K. 485'' (original LP release), Sony BMG Masterworks, 2008 (digital re-release)<ref name=discography/> |
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* ''Brahms: Quintet for Piano and Strings in F minor, Op. 34 (original LP release |
* 1963: ''Brahms: Quintet for Piano and Strings in F minor, Op. 34'' (original LP release), with the [[Juilliard String Quartet]] Sony BMG Masterworks, 2008 (digital re-release)<ref name=discography/> |
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* '' |
* 1963: ''Copland: Piano Sonata / Sessions: 'From My Diary' / Kirchner: Piano Sonata / Rorem: Three Barcarolles'' (original LP release), Sony BMG Masterworks, 2008 (digital re-release)<ref name=discography/> |
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* |
* 1990 reissued: Mozart Piano Concerto No. 25, with the Cleveland Orchestra led by George Szell [[Sony Classical]]<ref name=discography/> |
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* '' |
* 1993: ''Leon Fleisher Recital'', [[Sony Classical]]<ref name=discography/> |
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* |
* 1993: ''Ravel, Prokofiev, Britten: Piano Works for the Left Hand'', [[Sony Classical]]<ref name=discography/> |
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* |
* 2004: ''Leon Fleisher: Two Hands'', (including a 2004 recording of Schubert: Sonata in B-flat major, D. 960), Vanguard Classics, 2004<ref name=discography/> |
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* 2006: ''The Journey'', Vanguard Classics<ref name=discography/> |
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* ''[[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]: The Five Piano Concertos, with the [[Cleveland Orchestra]] led by [[George Szell]] (original recordings 1959–61, remastered)'', [[Sony BMG Masterworks]], reissued 1990 and in new remastering 2006<ref name=discography/> |
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* |
* 2007: ''Brahms: Quintet for Piano and Strings in F minor, Op. 34'', recorded with the [[Emerson String Quartet]] for [[Deutsche Grammophon]]<ref name=discography/> |
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* ''Leon Fleisher |
* 2008: ''The Essential Leon Fleisher'', [[Sony BMG Masterworks]]<ref name=discography/> |
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* 2009: ''Mozart: Piano Concertos'', including 2008 recordings of the Piano Concertos in [[Piano Concerto No. 12 (Mozart)|A major, K. 414]] and [[Piano Concerto No. 23 (Mozart)|K. 488]], with Fleisher as soloist and conductor of the [[Stuttgarter Kammerorchester]], and of the [[Piano Concerto No. 7 (Mozart)|concerto K. 242]] with Katherine Jacobson Fleisher (his wife) as second pianist. [[Sony BMG Masterworks]]<ref name=discography/> |
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* ''Ravel, Prokofiev, Britten: Piano Works for the Left Hand'', [[Sony Classical]], 1993<ref name=discography/> |
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| ⚫ | * 2013: ''Leon Fleisher: The Complete Album Collection'', [[Sony Classical Records]]<ref name=discography>{{Cite book|last1=Fleisher|first1=Leon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DNmjHtlFJUcC|title=My Nine Lives: A Memoir of Many Careers in Music|last2=Midgette|first2=Anne|author2-link=Anne Midgette|date=November 30, 2010|publisher=Knopf Doubleday|isbn=978-0-385-53366-9|pages=311–320}}</ref> |
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* ''Mozart Piano Concerto No. 25'', with the Cleveland Orchestra led by George Szell [[Sony Classical]], reissued 1990<ref name=discography/> |
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* {{Official website|http://www.leonfleisher.com/}} |
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Latest revision as of 21:56, 23 October 2024
Leon Fleisher | |
|---|---|
 Fleisher in 1963 | |
| Born | July 23, 1928 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Died | August 2, 2020 (aged 92) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Organizations | |
| Awards | |
| Website | www |
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.
Early life and studies
[edit]Fleisher was born on July 23, 1928, in San Francisco, the son of poor Jewish immigrants Bertha and Isidor Fleisher. His father was from Odessa and his mother from Poland.[1][2][3] His father's business was hat-making, while his mother's goal was to make her son a great concert pianist.[1] Fleisher started studying the piano at age four, and made his public debut at eight. At age nine, he became one of the few child prodigies to be accepted for study with the renowned Austrian teacher Artur Schnabel, who taught him in a tradition that descended directly from Beethoven through Carl Czerny and Theodor Leschetizky.[1] He also studied with Maria Curcio and Karl Ulrich Schnabel.[4][5][6] Fleisher played at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic under Pierre Monteux at age 16, and Monteux called him "the pianistic find of the century."[1]
Performer and recording artist
[edit]In the 1950s, Fleisher signed an exclusive recording contract with Columbia Masterworks. He was particularly well known for his interpretations of the piano concerti of Brahms and Beethoven, which he recorded with George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra.[7] They also recorded Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 25, the Grieg and Schumann piano concertos, Franck's Symphonic Variations, and Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.[8]
When he was 24, Fleisher became the first American to win a prestigious piano competition established by Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, which helped to catapult his career.[9] In 1964, at the age of 36, Fleisher lost the use of his right hand, due to a neurological condition that was eventually diagnosed as focal dystonia.[1] In 1967, Fleisher commenced performing and recording the left-handed repertoire while searching for a cure for his condition. His first choice was Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand.[1] In addition, he undertook conducting beginning in 1968, and became associate conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in 1973,[1] and music director of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. In the 1990s, Fleisher was able to ameliorate his focal dystonia symptoms after experimental botox injections to the point where he could play with both hands again.[10]
In 2004, Vanguard Classics released Fleisher's first "two-handed" recording since the 1960s,[1] titled Two Hands, to critical acclaim. Two Hands is also the title of a short documentary on Fleisher by Nathaniel Kahn, which was nominated for an Academy Award for best short subject on January 23, 2007. Fleisher received the 2007 Kennedy Center Honors. Kennedy Center Chairman Stephen A. Schwarzman described him as "a consummate musician whose career is a moving testament to the life-affirming power of art."[11]
Fleisher's musical interests extended beyond the central German Classic-Romantic repertoire. The American composer William Bolcom composed his Concerto for Two Pianos, Left Hand for Fleisher and his close friend Gary Graffman, who has also suffered from debilitating problems with his right hand. It received its first performance in Baltimore in April 1996. The concerto is so constructed that it can be performed in one of three ways, with either piano part alone with reduced orchestra, or with both piano parts and the two reduced orchestras combined into a full orchestra. Composers who wrote music for him also included Lukas Foss, Leon Kirchner and Gunther Schuller.[1]
In 2004, Fleisher played the world premiere of Paul Hindemith's Klaviermusik (Piano Concerto for the Left Hand), Op. 29, with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Simon Rattle.[12] This work was written in 1923, for Paul Wittgenstein, who disliked and refused to play it. However, he had sole performing rights and kept the score, not allowing any other pianists to play it. The manuscript was discovered among his papers after the death of his widow in 2002. On October 2, 2005, Fleisher played the American premiere of the work, with the San Francisco Symphony under Herbert Blomstedt.[13] In 2012, at the invitation of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Fleisher performed at the Supreme Court of the United States.[14]
He continued to be involved in music, both conducting and teaching for more than 60 years at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, the Curtis Institute of Music, and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto; he was also closely associated with the Tanglewood Music Center. With Dina Koston, he co-founded and co-directed the Theater Chamber Players in 1968–2003, which was the first resident chamber ensemble of the Smithsonian Institution and of the Pedagogy.[15][16] His students include Frank Lévy, André Watts, Yefim Bronfman, Hélène Grimaud, Louis Lortie, Dina Koston, Jonathan Biss, Lori Sims Nicholas Angelich, Joel Fan, and Galen Deibler.
His memoir, My Nine Lives, co-written with The Washington Post's music critic Anne Midgette, was published in November 2010.[17][18]
Death
[edit]Fleisher died in Baltimore, Maryland, on August 2, 2020, at age 92.[19][20]
Awards and recognition
[edit]
- 1952: Gold medal of the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition[1]
- 1992: Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences[21][22]
- 1994: Instrumentalist of the Year, by Musical America[23][24]
- 2005: President's Medal of the Johns Hopkins University[25]
- 2006: Commander in the Order of Arts and Letters by the Minister of Culture of the French government[26]
- 2007: Kennedy Center Honors[1][27]
- 2010: Instrumentalist of the Year, by the Royal Philharmonic Society[28]
- 2021: The Leon Fleisher Academy[29] is named in his honor
Honorary doctorates
[edit]- Towson State University[26]
- Boston Conservatory
- University of Cincinnati[26]
- Cleveland Institute of Music
- San Francisco Conservatory of Music
- St. Olaf College[30]
- Amherst College[31]
- Juilliard School of Music
- Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University[25]
Discography
[edit]- 1956: Schubert: Sonata in B-flat major, D. 960 / Ländler (original LP release), Sony BMG Masterworks, 2008 (digital re-release)[8][32]
- 1956/1958/1962: Brahms: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 (rec. 1958) and 2 (rec. 1962), with the Cleveland Orchestra led by Szell; Handel Variations and Waltzes, Op. 39 (rec. 1956); Sony Masterworks, remastered and reissued 1997[8]
- 1959: Debussy: Suite bergamasque / Ravel: Sonatine / Valses nobles et sentimentales / Alborado del gracioso (original LP release), Sony BMG Masterworks, 2008 (digital re-release)[8]
- 1959–61: Beethoven: The Five Piano Concertos, with the Cleveland Orchestra led by Szell (original recordings, remastered), Sony BMG Masterworks, reissued 1990 and in new remastering 2006[8]
- 1960: Schumann: Piano Concerto and Grieg: Piano Concerto with the Cleveland Orchestra and George Szell (original recordings, remastered and reissued 2004 by Sony BMG)[8]
- 1960: Liszt: Sonata in B minor / Weber: Sonata No. 4 in E minor, Op. 70 / Invitation to the Dance, Op. 65 (original LP release), Sony BMG Masterworks, 2008 (digital re-release)[8]
- 1960: Mozart: Sonata in C major, K. 330 / Sonata in E-flat major, K. 282 / Rondo in D major, K. 485 (original LP release), Sony BMG Masterworks, 2008 (digital re-release)[8]
- 1963: Brahms: Quintet for Piano and Strings in F minor, Op. 34 (original LP release), with the Juilliard String Quartet Sony BMG Masterworks, 2008 (digital re-release)[8]
- 1963: Copland: Piano Sonata / Sessions: 'From My Diary' / Kirchner: Piano Sonata / Rorem: Three Barcarolles (original LP release), Sony BMG Masterworks, 2008 (digital re-release)[8]
- 1990 reissued: Mozart Piano Concerto No. 25, with the Cleveland Orchestra led by George Szell Sony Classical[8]
- 1993: Leon Fleisher Recital, Sony Classical[8]
- 1993: Ravel, Prokofiev, Britten: Piano Works for the Left Hand, Sony Classical[8]
- 2004: Leon Fleisher: Two Hands, (including a 2004 recording of Schubert: Sonata in B-flat major, D. 960), Vanguard Classics, 2004[8]
- 2006: The Journey, Vanguard Classics[8]
- 2007: Brahms: Quintet for Piano and Strings in F minor, Op. 34, recorded with the Emerson String Quartet for Deutsche Grammophon[8]
- 2008: The Essential Leon Fleisher, Sony BMG Masterworks[8]
- 2009: Mozart: Piano Concertos, including 2008 recordings of the Piano Concertos in A major, K. 414 and K. 488, with Fleisher as soloist and conductor of the Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, and of the concerto K. 242 with Katherine Jacobson Fleisher (his wife) as second pianist. Sony BMG Masterworks[8]
- 2013: Leon Fleisher: The Complete Album Collection, Sony Classical Records[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Ho, Elijah (July 23, 2018). "At 90, SF Piano Great Leon Fleisher Continues to Inspire". KQED. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ "An Interview with Leon Fleisher". Project Muse. December 2007.
- ^ Gereben, Janos (August 4, 2020). "San Francisco Remembers Leon Fleisher". sfcv.org. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- ^ "Karl Ulrich Schnabel". Schnabel Music Foundation. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ Immelman, Niel (April 13, 2009). "Obituary: Maria Curcio". The Guardian. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ "Maria Curcio". Telegraph.co.uk. April 7, 2009. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ "Fleisher Scores as Piano Soloist / Performs Brahms D minor Concerto with Philharmonic — Szell Is on Podium". The New York Times. January 1, 1954. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Fleisher, Leon; Midgette, Anne (November 30, 2010). My Nine Lives: A Memoir of Many Careers in Music. Knopf Doubleday. pp. 311–320. ISBN 978-0-385-53366-9.
- ^ Midgette, Anne (August 2, 2020). "Leon Fleisher, sublime pianist undaunted by mysterious hand malady, dies at 92". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ "The pianist Leon Fleisher: A life-altering debility, reconsidered" by Holly Brubach, The New York Times. June 12, 2007.
- ^ "Pianist Leon Fleisher performing Feb. 1". Houston Chronicle. January 6, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ Brug, Manuel (August 3, 2020). "Die linke Hand Gottes". Die Welt (in German). Berlin. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ Schaal-Gotthardt, Susanne. "On Hindemith's Klaviermusik mit Orchester (Klavier: linke Hand), Op. 29". hindemith.info. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ Tsioulcas, Anastasia (May 16, 2012). "Classical Music Is Supreme at the Nation's Highest Court". NPR. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ "Dina Koston". Rogershapirofund.org. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
- ^ Kaltenbach, Chris (August 4, 2020). "Leon Fleisher, renowned Baltimore concert pianist, dies at 92". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- ^ "My Nine Lives by Leon Fleisher and Anne Midgette". WQXR. December 19, 2010.
- ^ Huizenga, Tom (August 3, 2020). "Leon Fleisher, the Pianist Who Reinvented Himself, Dies at 92". WAMC.
- ^ Kozinn, Allan (August 2, 2020). "Leon Fleisher, 92, Dies; Spellbinding Pianist With One Hand or Two". The New York Times. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ "Leon Fleisher, the Pianist Who Reinvented Himself, Dies at 92". NPR. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ Fleisher, Leon (September 23, 1999). "Oral history of Leon Fleisher". jscholarship.library.jhu.edu. Johns Hopkins University.
- ^ "Leon Fleisher". American Academy of Arts and Sciences. February 9, 2023.
- ^ "Musical America Award Winners". Musical America.
- ^ "Leon Fleisher". Kennedy Center.
- ^ a b "Leon Fleisher". Los Angeles Philharmonic.
- ^ a b c McPherson, Angus (August 3, 2020). "Leon Fleisher has died". Limelight.
- ^ "America to Celebrate Five Extraordinary Artists on Sunday, December 2, 2007". kennedy-center.org.
- ^ "Instrumentalist: Past Winners". Royal Philharmonic Society. Archived from the original on October 29, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ "The Leon Fleisher Academy".
- ^ "St. Olaf College to honor piano legend Leon Fleisher and host piano master class". St. Olaf College.
- ^ "Leon Fleisher | 2009 Honorees". Amherst College. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ ""First Digital Release of Six Recordings by Eminent Pianist Leon Fleisher Previously Available Only on LP" July 22, 2008". Kron4.com. Retrieved August 3, 2020.[permanent dead link]
External links
[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to Leon Fleisher.
Wikinews has related news:
Media related to Leon Fleisher at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
- Leon Fleisher at AllMusic
- Leon Fleisher discography at Discogs
- Bruce Duffie: Pianist/Conductor/Teacher Leon Fleisher (interview) March 6, 1995
- Fleisher plays Bach: Schafe können sicher weiden on YouTube
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