This week on Exploring Music, we celebrate the life of Leon Fleisher, the man Pierre Monteux called “the pianistic find of the century.” In 2018, Bill sat down with him on the campus of Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, where he taught for fifty years. Leon reminisced on his childhood in San Francisco, his studies with Artur Schnabel, his health struggle, which for decades robbed him of the full use of his right hand, and his triumphant return to two-handed repertoire. Our journey is accompanied by the music of Brahms, Beethoven, Ravel, Mozart, Britten, Copland, Kirchner, and a lovely arrangement of Jerome Kern’s “All the Things You Are.”
Fleisher, Leon
Playlist
Episode 1
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Concerto for Piano No. 2 in B-flat, Op. 19
II. Adagio
Cleveland Orchestra, Szell, Leon Fleisher, piano
Beethoven: The 5 Piano Concertos/ Fleisher, Szell
CBS Masterworks 42445
8:02
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Concerto for Piano No. 2 in B-flat, Op. 19
III. Rondo, Molto allegro (excerpt)
Cleveland Orchestra/ Szell, Leon Fleisher, piano
Beethoven: The 5 Piano Concertos/ Fleisher, Szell
CBS Masterworks 42445
05:37
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Concerto for Piano No. 2 in B-flat, Op. 19
III. Rondo, Molto allegro (excerpt)
Cleveland Orchestra/ Szell, Leon Fleisher, piano
Beethoven: The 5 Piano Concertos/ Fleisher, Szell
CBS Masterworks 42445
03:16
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Piano Concerto in C Minor, Op.37, No. 3
III. Rondo. Allegro
Boston Symphony Orchestra/ Monteux, Leon Fleisher, piano
1969 Tanglewood Music Festival
Private collection
3:00
Rachmaninov, Sergei: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43
Leon Fleisher, piano
Great Pianists of the 20th Century – Leon Fleisher
Philips 456775
22:05
Chopin, Frederic: Berceuse for Piano in D-flat major, B154/ Op. 57
Leon Fleisher, piano
The Journey/ Leon Fleisher
Vanguard 1796
4:53
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Concerto for Piano No. 2 in B-flat, Op. 19 I. (excerpt)
Cleveland Orchestra, Szell, Leon Fleisher, piano
Beethoven: The 5 Piano Concertos/ Fleisher, Szell
CBS Masterworks 42445
0:58
Episode 2
Brahms, Johannes: Concerto for Piano No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15
I. Maestoso (excerpt)
Cleveland Orchestra/ Szell, Leon Fleisher, piano
Brahms/ Piano Concerto No. 1 & 2, Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Waltzes
Sony Classical Masterworks 63225
3:31
Brahms, Johannes: Concerto for Piano No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15
Maestoso
Cleveland Orchestra/ Szell, Leon Fleisher, piano
Brahms/ Piano Concerto No. 1 & 2, Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Waltzes
Sony Classical Masterworks 63225
21:19
Brahms, Johannes: Concerto for Piano No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83
Allegro non Troppo
Cleveland Orchestra/ Szell, Leon Fleisher, piano
Brahms/ Piano Concerto No. 1 & 2, Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Waltzes
Sony Classical Masterworks 63225
1:14
Brahms, Johannes: Concerto for Piano No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83, I. Allegro non Troppo
Cleveland Orchestra/ Szell, Leon Fleisher, piano
Brahms/ Piano Concerto No. 1 & 2, Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Waltzes
Sony Classical Masterworks 63225
16:53
Brahms, Johannes:Liebeslieder Waltzes for Piano 4 Hands, Op. 52, No. 17 and 18
Leon Fleisher, Katherine Jacobson, pianos
Leon Fleisher/ Four Hands/ Katherine Jacobson
Sony 506416
3:43
Schubert, Franz: Ländler, Op. 171
Leon Fleisher, Piano
Schubert: Sonata for Piano in B-flat major/ Ländler/ Leon Fleisher
Sony 57336
6:54
Episode 3
Mozart, W.A.: Concerto No. 25 in C Major for Piano and Orchestra, K 503
III. Allegro maestoso
Cleveland Orchestra/ Szell, Leon Fleisher, piano
Piano Concerti (Beethoven’s 4th/ Mozart’s 25)
CBS 37762
8:00
Mozart, W.A.: Concerto No. 25 in C Major for Piano and Orchestra, K 503
III. Allegro maestoso -excerpt
Cleveland Orchestra/ Szell, Leon Fleisher, piano
Piano Concerti (Beethoven’s 4th/ Mozart’s 25)
CBS 37762
1:31
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Concerto for Piano No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58
Allegro moderato
Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra/ Klemperer
Leon Fleisher, piano
Beethoven: Piano Concertos No 2 and 4; Gluck/ Leon Fleisher
Medici Masters 36-2
17:55
Grieg, Edvard: Concerto for Piano in A Minor, Op.16
I, Allegro moderato molto e marcato
Cleveland Orchestra/ Szell
Leon Fleisher, piano
Grieg, Schumann: Piano Concertos/ Fleisher, Szell
Sony 92751
12:24
Schumann, Robert: Concerto for Piano in A Minor, Op. 54
III. Allegro vivace
Cleveland Orchestra/ Szell, Leon Fleisher piano
Grieg, Schumann: Piano Concertos/ Fleisher, Szell
Sony 92751
10:24
Episode 4
Brahms/ Bach, JS: Chaconne
Leon Fleisher, Piano
Leon Fleisher Recital – Bach/ Brahms, Scriabin, Saint-Saens
Sony 48081
4:30 (excerpt)
Godovsky, Leopold: Symphonic Metamorphoses of themes from “Schatz-Walzer”
Leon Fleisher, piano
Leon Fleisher Recital – Bach/ Brahms, Scriabin, Saint-Saens
Sony 48081
11:58
Britten, Benjamin: Diversions for Piano left hand and Orchestra, Op. 21
Variations 1, 2, 10
Leon Fleisher, Boston Symphony Orchestra; Ozawa
Ravel, Prokofiev: Piano Concertos; Britten/ Fleisher, Ozawa
Sony 47188
8:28
Britten, Benjamin: Diversions for Piano left hand and Orchestra, Op. 21
Variations 11 excerpt
Leon Fleisher, Boston Symphony Orchestra; Ozawa
Ravel, Prokofiev: Piano Concertos; Britten/ Fleisher, Ozawa
Sony 47188
2:00
Kirchner, Leon: L.H. for Piano Left Hand
Leon Fleisher
All the Things you are
Bridge 9429
7:19
Ravel, Maurice: Concerto for Piano Left Hand in D major
Leon Fleisher Boston Symphony Orchestra; Ozawa
Ravel, Prokofiev: Piano Concertos; Britten/ Fleisher, Ozawa
Sony 47188
19:25
Episode 5
Ravel, Maurice: Alborada del Gracioso; Miroirs
Leon Fleisher, piano
Great Pianists of the 20th Century – Leon Fleisher
Philips 456775
5:53
Mozart, W.A.: Concerto for 2 Pianos in F major, K 242
I. Allegro
Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra/ Fleisher
Katherine Jacobson, Leon Fleisher, pianos
Leon Fleisher/ Mozart/ Piano Concertos
Sony 743505
8:58
Copland, Aaron: Sonata for Piano
II. Vivace
Leon Fleisher, piano
Copland, Sessions, Kirchner, Rorem/ Leon Fleisher
Sony 57338
4:31
Kern/ arr. Stephen Prutsman: Very Warm for May: All the Things You Are
Leon Fleisher, piano
All the Things you are
Bridge 9429
4:49
Schubert, Franz: Fantasy for Piano 4 hands in F Minor, D940/ Op. 103
Leon Fleisher, Katherine Jacobson, pianos
Four Hands
Sony 506416
5:38
Schubert, Franz: Sonata in B-Flat Major, D 960, Opus Posthumous
Leon Fleisher, piano
Two Hands; Leon Fleisher
Vanguard Classics ATM CD 1551
20:48
