In 1964 Leon Fleisher was one of the greatest young pianists in the world. But over the course of that year the ring and pinky fingers of his right hand began curling up tight. For decades there wasn't anything that doctors could do to help. Fleisher dealt with the situation by taking up conducting and teaching, but now he's back at the piano — with both hands. More with Leon Fleisher, on Wednesday's Performance Today.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Erich Korngold: Much ado about nothing, Suite for Violin and Piano, Op. 11: 2. Holzaplef und Schlehenwein; 4. Mummenschanz
Sonja van Beek, violin; Andreas Frolich, piano
CPO 999709
Gyorgi Ligeti: Concert Romanesc
River Oaks Chamber Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
The Church of St. John The Divine, Houston, TX
The Piano Puzzler: This week's contestant is Lane Cheney from San Antonio, TX
Erich Korngold: Piano Quintet in E Major, Op. 15: Movements 2, 3
Stephen Prutsman, piano; St. Lawrence String Quartet
Spoleto Festival USA Chamber Music Series, Dock Street Theater, Charleston, SC
Hour 2
Franz Schubert: Piano Sonata in A major, D 664: 2. Andante
Leon Fleisher, piano
Sony 47667
Dmitri Shostakovich: Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 1: 1. Waltz; 2. Polka; 3. Foxtrot
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra; Wynton Marsalis, band leader
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, CA
Franz Schubert: Fantasy for piano four hands in F minor, Op. 103, D. 940
Leon Fleisher and Katherine Jacobson Fleisher, piano
Minnesota Beethoven Festival, Page Theatre, Saint Mary's University, Winona, MN
Edvard Grieg: Peer Gynt, Suite No. 1, Op. 46
Orchestra of the Suisse Romande; Pietari Inkinen, conductor
Victoria Hall, Geneva, Switzerland
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About Performance Today®
To find a station near you on our Stations Listings page, click here.
American Public Media’s Performance Today® is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including at 1 p.m. central weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. More information about our stations can be found at APM Distribution.
Performance Today® features live concert recordings that can’t be heard anywhere else, highlights from new album releases, and in-studio performances and interviews. Performance Today® is based at the APM studios in St. Paul, Minnesota, but is frequently on the road, with special programs broadcast from festivals and public radio stations around the country. Also, each Wednesday, composer Bruce Adolphe joins host Fred Child for a classical musical game and listener favorite: the Piano Puzzler.
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