Leon Fleisher
Encyclopedia
Leon Fleisher is an American pianist
and conductor.
under Pierre Monteux
at 16; Monteux famously called him "the pianistic find of the century." He became one of the few child prodigies to be accepted for study with Artur Schnabel
, and also studied with Maria Curcio
. Fleisher was linked via Schnabel to a tradition that descended directly from Beethoven himself, handed down through Carl Czerny
and Theodor Leschetizky.
of Brahms
and Beethoven
, which he recorded with George Szell
and the Cleveland Orchestra
. They also recorded Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 25
, the Grieg and Schumann
piano concertos, Franck's Symphonic Variations
, and Rachmaninoff's Paganini Rhapsody
.
In the 1960s, Fleisher lost the use of his right hand, due to a condition that was eventually diagnosed as focal dystonia
. Fleisher commenced performing and recording the left-handed repertoire while searching for a cure for his condition. In addition, he undertook conducting during this time, serving at one time as Music Director of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra in Maryland
. In the early 21st century, Fleisher regained the use of his right hand through a combination of Rolfing
and botox injections.
In 2004, Vanguard Classics released Leon Fleisher's first "two-handed" recording since the 1960s, entitled "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."
Fleisher's musical interests extend beyond the central German Romantic repertory. 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 constructed in such a way 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.
In 2004, Leon Fleisher played the world premiere of Paul Hindemith
's Klaviermusik (Piano Concerto for the Left Hand), Op. 29, with the Berlin Philharmonic. This work was written in 1923, for Paul Wittgenstein
, but he did not like it and refused to play it. However, he had sole performing rights, and he 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
.
He has continued to be involved in music, both conducting and teaching at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, the Curtis Institute of Music
, and the Royal Conservatory of Music
in Toronto; he is also closely associated with the Tanglewood Music Center
. Among others, Fleisher has taught Orit Wolf
, Jonathan Biss
, Yefim Bronfman
, Naida Cole
, Enrico Elisi
, Enrique Graf
, Hélène Grimaud
, Hao Huang
, Kevin Kenner
, Louis Lortie
, Wonny Song
, André Watts
, Jack Winerock
, and Daniel Wnukowski
.
His memoir, My Nine Lives, co-written with the Washington Post music critic Anne Midgette
, appeared in November, 2010.
Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
"Instrumentalist of the Year", Musical America
(1994)
Honorary doctorates from Towson State University, The Boston Conservatory, and the Cleveland Institute of Music
Johns Hopkins University
President's Medal.
Fleisher received the Kennedy Center Honors
Award for 2007.
"Instrumentalist of the Year", Royal Philharmonic Society
(2010)
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and conductor.
Early life and studies
Fleisher was born in San Francisco, where he started studying the piano at age four. He made his public debut at age eight and played with the New York PhilharmonicNew York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
under Pierre Monteux
Pierre Monteux
Pierre Monteux was an orchestra conductor. Born in Paris, France, Monteux later became an American citizen.-Life and career:Monteux was born in Paris in 1875. His family was descended from Sephardi Jews who came to France in the wake of the Spanish Inquisition. He studied violin from an early age,...
at 16; Monteux famously called him "the pianistic find of the century." He became one of the few child prodigies to be accepted for study with Artur Schnabel
Artur Schnabel
Artur Schnabel was an Austrian classical pianist, who also composed and taught. Schnabel was known for his intellectual seriousness as a musician, avoiding pure technical bravura...
, and also studied with Maria Curcio
Maria Curcio
Maria Curcio was an Italian classical pianist who became renowned as a greatly influential and sought-after teacher. Her students included Martha Argerich, Radu Lupu, Dame Mitsuko Uchida, Leon Fleisher and Geoffrey Tozer...
. Fleisher was linked via Schnabel to a tradition that descended directly from Beethoven himself, handed down through Carl Czerny
Carl Czerny
Carl Czerny was an Austrian pianist, composer and teacher. He is best remembered today for his books of études for the piano. Czerny's music was profoundly influenced by his teachers, Muzio Clementi, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Antonio Salieri and Ludwig van Beethoven.-Early life:Carl Czerny was born...
and Theodor Leschetizky.
Performer and recording artist
In the 1950s, Fleisher signed an exclusive recording contract with Columbia Masterworks. He is particularly well-known for his interpretations of the piano concertiPiano concerto
A piano concerto is a concerto written for piano and orchestra.See also harpsichord concerto; some of these works are occasionally played on piano...
of Brahms
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
and Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
, which he recorded with George Szell
George Szell
George Szell , originally György Széll, György Endre Szél, or Georg Szell, was a Hungarian-born American conductor and composer...
and the Cleveland Orchestra
Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1918, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Severance Hall...
. They also recorded Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 25
Piano Concerto No. 25 (Mozart)
The Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K. 503, was completed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on December 4, 1786, alongside the Prague Symphony, K.504. Although two more concertos would later follow, this work is the last of the twelve great piano concertos written in Vienna between 1784 and...
, the Grieg and Schumann
Piano Concerto (Schumann)
The Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.54, is a famous Romantic concerto by Robert Schumann, completed in 1845.Schumann had begun several piano concerti before this one: In 1828, he had begun one in E-flat major; from 1829-31 he worked on one in F major, and in 1839, he wrote one movement of a concerto...
piano concertos, Franck's Symphonic Variations
Symphonic Variations (Franck)
The Symphonic Variations , M. 46, is a work for piano and orchestra, written in 1885 by César Franck. It has been described as "one of Franck's tightest and most finished works", "a superb blending of piano and orchestra", and "a flawless work and as near perfection as a human composer can hope to...
, and Rachmaninoff's Paganini Rhapsody
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
The Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in A minor, Op. 43 is a concertante work written by Sergei Rachmaninoff. It is written for solo piano and symphony orchestra, closely resembling a piano concerto. The work was written at Villa Senar, according to the score, from July 3 to August 18, 1934...
.
In the 1960s, Fleisher lost the use of his right hand, due to a condition that was eventually diagnosed as focal dystonia
Focal dystonia
Focal dystonia is a neurological condition that affects a muscle or group of muscles in a part of the body and causes an involuntary muscular contraction or twisting...
. Fleisher commenced performing and recording the left-handed repertoire while searching for a cure for his condition. In addition, he undertook conducting during this time, serving at one time as Music Director of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. In the early 21st century, Fleisher regained the use of his right hand through a combination of Rolfing
Rolfing
Rolfing is a therapy system created by The Rolf Institute of Structural Integration and is a system whereby the alleged manipulation of the fasciae by specific methods is theorized to yield therapeutic benefit....
and botox injections.
In 2004, Vanguard Classics released Leon Fleisher's first "two-handed" recording since the 1960s, entitled "Two Hands", to critical acclaim. Two Hands
Two Hands: The Leon Fleisher Story
Two Hands: The Leon Fleisher Story is a 2006 short documentary film directed by Nathaniel Kahn. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short. It tells the story of pianist Leon Fleisher....
is also the title of a short documentary on Fleisher by Nathaniel Kahn
Nathaniel Kahn
Nathaniel Kahn is an American filmmaker. His documentaries My Architect — about his father, the famous architect Louis Kahn — and Two Hands were nominated for Academy Awards....
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."
Fleisher's musical interests extend beyond the central German Romantic repertory. The American composer William Bolcom
William Bolcom
William Elden Bolcom is an American composer and pianist. He has received the Pulitzer Prize, the National Medal of Arts, two Grammy Awards, the Detroit Music Award and was named 2007 Composer of the Year by Musical America. Bolcom taught composition at the University of Michigan from 1973–2008...
composed his Concerto for Two Pianos, Left Hand for Fleisher and his close friend Gary Graffman
Gary Graffman
Gary Graffman is an American classical pianist, teacher of piano and music administrator.Graffman was born in New York City to Russian-Jewish parents. Having started piano at age 3, Graffman entered the Curtis Institute of Music at age 7 in 1936 as a piano student of Isabelle Vengerova...
, who has also suffered from debilitating problems with his right hand. It received its first performance in Baltimore in April 1996. The concerto is constructed in such a way 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.
In 2004, Leon Fleisher played the world premiere of Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
's Klaviermusik (Piano Concerto for the Left Hand), Op. 29, with the Berlin Philharmonic. This work was written in 1923, for Paul Wittgenstein
Paul Wittgenstein
Paul Wittgenstein was an Austrian-born concert pianist, who became known for his ability to play with just his left hand, after he lost his right arm during the First World War. He devised novel techniques, including pedal and hand-movement combinations, that allowed him to play chords previously...
, but he did not like it and refused to play it. However, he had sole performing rights, and he 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
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization...
under Herbert Blomstedt
Herbert Blomstedt
Herbert Blomstedt is a Swedish conductor.Herbert Blomstedt was born in Springfield, Massachusetts and two years after his birth, his Swedish parents moved the family back to their country of origin...
.
He has continued to be involved in music, both conducting and teaching at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, the Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. According to statistics compiled by U.S...
, and the Royal Conservatory of Music
Royal Conservatory of Music
The Royal Conservatory of Music is a music school and performance venue in Toronto, Canada. Other uses of the term include:*The Madrid Royal Conservatory, Spain*The Royal Academy of Music, London, United Kingdom...
in Toronto; he is also closely associated with the Tanglewood Music Center
Tanglewood
Tanglewood is an estate and music venue in Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is the home of the annual summer Tanglewood Music Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, and has been the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home since 1937. It was the venue of the Berkshire Festival.- History...
. Among others, Fleisher has taught Orit Wolf
Orit Wolf
-Education:Orit began her academic studies at the Tel Aviv University under the direction of Arie Vardi. She studied music composition and improvisation with Andre Hajdu. She also attended masterclasses given by Leon Fleisher, Claude Frank and Peter Serkin....
, Jonathan Biss
Jonathan Biss
Jonathan Biss is an American classical pianist.Biss represents the third generation in a family of professional musicians, which includes his grandmother Raya Garbousova , as well as his parents, the Israeli-born violinist Miriam Fried and the violist Paul Biss...
, Yefim Bronfman
Yefim Bronfman
Yefim "Fima" Naumovich Bronfman is a Soviet-born Israeli-American pianist.-Biography:He was born in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, and emigrated to Israel at the age of 15...
, Naida Cole
Naida Cole
Naida Margaret Cole is a Canadian-American concert pianist who left a successful career as a recording artist and touring musician in 2007 to pursue medicine at Brown University's Warren Alpert Medical School, where she is currently enrolled.Cole's website and Facebook pages state that she is a...
, Enrico Elisi
Enrico Elisi
Enrico Elisi is an Italian pianist from Bologna, Italy.Enrico Elisi regularly performs to acclaim throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In Italy he has appeared in prestigious venues such as La Fenice Theatre, Venice; Palazzo Vecchio, Florence; Bibbiena Theatre, Mantua; Teatro Comunale Luciano...
, Enrique Graf
Enrique Graf
Enrique Graf was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, and is now an American citizen.After winning all of the national competitions in Uruguay, he went to the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University to study with Leon Fleisher on a full scholarship from Peabody and the Organization of American...
, Hélène Grimaud
Hélène Grimaud
Hélène Grimaud is a French pianist.-Biography:Grimaud was born in Aix-en-Provence, France. Although her autobiography Variations Sauvages suggests a...
, Hao Huang
Hao Huang
Hao Huang is a concert pianist and professor of music at Scripps College as well as being a polymath published scholar in general music, popular music, ethnomusicology, anthropology, American Studies and Humanities...
, Kevin Kenner
Kevin Kenner
Kevin Kenner is an American concert pianist.-Biography:At the age of 17, Kenner participated in the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw and was awarded the 10th prize and a special prize from the jury called Honorable Mention...
, Louis Lortie
Louis Lortie
Louis Lortie, OC, CQ is a French-Canadian pianist. He currently lives in Berlin.He is known for his interpretation of Ravel, Chopin and Beethoven...
, Wonny Song
Wonny Song
-See also:* Pianists* Canadian classical music* Young Concert Artists-External links:* * * * at Zankel Hall, from The New York Times...
, André Watts
André Watts
André Watts is a classical pianist and professor at the Jacobs School of Music of Indiana University.-Life and early performances:...
, Jack Winerock
Jack Winerock
Jack Winerock is a Professor of Piano in the Department of Music and Dance in the School of Fine Arts at the University of Kansas .-Background:...
, and Daniel Wnukowski
Daniel Wnukowski
Daniel Wnukowski is a Polish Canadian pianist from Windsor, Ontario, Canada.- Early years and training:At age 3 and a half, he showed strong fascination for a grand piano made completely out of glass in a music store and begged his parents to begin taking piano lessons.He studied piano at the...
.
His memoir, My Nine Lives, co-written with the Washington Post music critic Anne Midgette
Anne Midgette
Anne Midgette is an American journalist and classical music critic. Her father was the painter Willard Midgette.Midgette is a 1986 graduate of Yale University. After university, she lived for 11 years in Munich, Germany, reviewing opera, music and art throughout Europe for The Wall Street...
, appeared in November, 2010.
Awards and recognitions
Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition of BelgiumQueen Elisabeth Music Competition
The Queen Elisabeth Music Competition, a founding member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions has been, since its foundation, considered the world over to be one of the most prestigious and most difficult. It is devoted to violin , piano , to composition and to singing...
- Leon Fleisher for piano (1952)
Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
"Instrumentalist of the Year", Musical America
Musical America
Musical America is the oldest American magazine on classical music. Presently it is a website with a weekly online magazine. It is currently published by UBM Global Trade.-History:...
(1994)
Honorary doctorates from Towson State University, The Boston Conservatory, and the Cleveland Institute of Music
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
President's Medal.
Fleisher received the Kennedy Center Honors
Kennedy Center Honors
The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. The Honors have been presented annually since 1978 in Washington, D.C., during gala weekend-long events which culminate in a performance for—and...
Award for 2007.
"Instrumentalist of the Year", Royal Philharmonic Society
Royal Philharmonic Society
The Royal Philharmonic Society is a British music society, formed in 1813. It was originally formed in London to promote performances of instrumental music there. Many distinguished composers and performers have taken part in its concerts...
(2010)
Selected discography
- Mozart: Piano Concertos, including 2008 recordings of the Piano Concertos in A major, K. 414 and K 488, with Fleisher soloist and as conductor of the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, and of the concerto K. 242 with Katherine Jacobson Fleisher (his wife) as second pianist. Sony BMG MasterworksSony BMG MasterworksSony Masterworks is a record label. It is the result of a restructuring of Sony Music Entertainment's classical music division. Before the acquisition of Bertelsmann's shares in the former Sony BMG, the label was known as Sony BMG Masterworks....
, 2009. - Schubert: Sonata in B-flat major, D.960 / Ländler (original LP release 1956), Sony BMG MasterworksSony BMG MasterworksSony Masterworks is a record label. It is the result of a restructuring of Sony Music Entertainment's classical music division. Before the acquisition of Bertelsmann's shares in the former Sony BMG, the label was known as Sony BMG Masterworks....
, 2008 (digital re-release) - Debussy: Suite bergamasque / Ravel: Sonatine / Valses nobles et sentimentales / Alborado del gracioso (original LP release 1959), Sony BMG Masterworks, 2008 (digital re-release)
- Mozart: Sonata in C major, K.330 / Sonata in E-flat major, K.282 / Rondo in D Major, K.485 (original LP release 1960), Sony BMG Masterworks, 2008 (digital re-release)
- Liszt: Sonata in B minor / Weber: Sonata No. 4 in E minor, Op. 70 / Invitation to the Dance, Op. 65 (original LP release 1960), Sony BMG Masterworks, 2008 (digital re-release)
- Copland: Piano Sonata / Sessions: From My Diary / Kirchner: Piano Sonata/Rorem: Three Barcarolles (original LP release 1963), Sony BMG Masterworks, 2008 (digital re-release)
- Brahms: Quintet for Piano and Strings in F minor, Op. 34 (original LP release 1963), with the Juilliard String QuartetJuilliard String QuartetThe Juilliard String Quartet is a classical music string quartet founded in 1946 at the Juilliard School in New York. The original members were violinists Robert Mann and Robert Koff, violist Raphael Hillyer, and cellist Arthur Winograd; Current members are Joseph Lin and Ronald Copes violinists,...
Sony BMG Masterworks, 2008 (digital re-release) - Brahms: Quintet for Piano and Strings in F minor, Op. 34, recorded 2007 with the Emerson String QuartetEmerson String QuartetThe Emerson String Quartet is a New York–based string quartet in residence at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Previously the Quartet was in residence at The Hartt School. Formed in 1976, they have released more than twenty albums and won nine Grammy Awards. Both violinists...
for Deutsche GrammophonDeutsche GrammophonDeutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label which was the foundation of the future corporation to be known as PolyGram. It is now part of Universal Music Group since its acquisition and absorption of PolyGram in 1999, and it is also UMG's oldest active label... - The Essential Leon Fleisher, Sony BMG MasterworksSony BMG MasterworksSony Masterworks is a record label. It is the result of a restructuring of Sony Music Entertainment's classical music division. Before the acquisition of Bertelsmann's shares in the former Sony BMG, the label was known as Sony BMG Masterworks....
, 2008 - The Journey, Vanguard Classics, 2006
- Leon Fleisher: Two Hands, (including a 2004 recording of Schubert: Sonata in B-Flat Major, D.960), Vanguard Classics, 2004
- SchumannRobert SchumannRobert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
: Piano Concerto and GriegEdvard GriegEdvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt , and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric Pieces.-Biography:Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in...
: Piano Concerto with the Cleveland Orchestra and Szell (original recordings 1960, remastered and reissued 2004 by Sony BMG) - BeethovenLudwig van BeethovenLudwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
: The Five Piano Concertos, with the Cleveland OrchestraCleveland OrchestraThe Cleveland Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1918, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Severance Hall...
led by George SzellGeorge SzellGeorge Szell , originally György Széll, György Endre Szél, or Georg Szell, was a Hungarian-born American conductor and composer...
(original recordings 1959-61, remastered), Sony BMG MasterworksSony BMG MasterworksSony Masterworks is a record label. It is the result of a restructuring of Sony Music Entertainment's classical music division. Before the acquisition of Bertelsmann's shares in the former Sony BMG, the label was known as Sony BMG Masterworks....
, reissued 1990 and in new remastering 2006 - BrahmsJohannes BrahmsJohannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 (rec. 1958) and 2 (rec. 1962), with the Cleveland OrchestraCleveland OrchestraThe Cleveland Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1918, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Severance Hall...
led by George SzellGeorge SzellGeorge Szell , originally György Széll, György Endre Szél, or Georg Szell, was a Hungarian-born American conductor and composer...
; Handel Variations and Waltzes, op. 39 (rec. 1956); Sony Masterworks, remastered and reissued 1997 - Leon Fleisher Recital, Sony Classical, 1993
- Ravel, Prokoviev, Britten: Piano Works for the Left Hand, Sony Classical, 1993
- Mozart Piano Concerto No. 25, with the Cleveland Orchestra led by George Szell Sony Classical, reissued 1990
External links
- Official website
- Sony BMG MasterworksSony BMG MasterworksSony Masterworks is a record label. It is the result of a restructuring of Sony Music Entertainment's classical music division. Before the acquisition of Bertelsmann's shares in the former Sony BMG, the label was known as Sony BMG Masterworks....
Podcast Series on Leon Fleisher http://podcasts.sonybmgmasterworks.com/category/music-of-masterworks/leon-fleisher-music-of-masterworks/ - Leon Fleisher on OFFBEAT, in conversation with Karishmeh Felfeli-Crawford - 103.2 Dublin City FM April 2009
- Leon Fleisher's life and music - Radio Special on OFFBEAT - 103.2 Dublin City FM April 2009
- NPR feature Leon Fleisher: A Piano Legend at 80 on July 23, 2008
- Leon Fleisher on The Marc Steiner Show http://www.wypr.org/M_Steiner.html
- Leon Fleisher on WYPR's Maryland Morning with Tom Hall http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wypr/local-wypr-659313.mp3
- Mary Bubala's feature story for WJZ-CBS TV on Fleisher receiving the Kennedy Center Honors. To view video: http://wjz.com/seenon/leon.fleisher.baltimore.2.618257.html
- Interview with Fred Child on NPR Performance Today http://performancetoday.publicradio.org/?month=12&day=20&year=2007
- Leon Fleisher biography
- Wisconsin Public RadioWisconsin Public RadioWisconsin Public Radio is a network of 32 radio stations in the state of Wisconsin. WPR's network is divided into two distinct analog services, the Ideas Network and the NPR News and Classical Network, as well as the "HD2 Classical Service," a digital-only, full-time classical music service.-Ideas...
program includes an interview with Leon Fleisher http://www.wpr.org/book/051211a.html - NewsweekNewsweekNewsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, 1 April 2004, article and transcript of interview http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4648160/ - On his disability and claimed holistic cure