In the 1950s, Leon Fleisher rose to fame as one of America’s greatest pianists. His career was disrupted in the mid-1960sm when he developed focal dystonia in his right hand. He championed repertoire for the left hand for the next forty years and enjoyed a career as one of the most sought-after piano teachers in the world at both Peabody Conservatory and Curtis Institute, and resumed a “two-handed” career in the mid-2000s when a new therapy for dystonia proved successful.
His recordings from the 1950s and ’60s have remained “essentials” for lovers off piano music, and the present program brings together two of his acclaimed LP programs on a single disc: Fleisher’s colorful recording of Brahms’ Handel Variations and 39 Waltzes in their solo edition, plus two recordings made during his legendary partnership with The Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of George Szell: Franck’s Symphonic Variations and Rachmaninov’s Paganini Rhapsody.These landmark piano recordings have been remastered by Paul Arden-Taylor.
