Stories » In celebration of his 80th brithday, Leon Fleisher releases '6 Digital Recordings'

Stories for December 05, 2019

  •

    Chicago Tribune 'Best classical albums of 2019'
     
    Posted At : December 5, 2019 3:19 PM

    The most valuable classical recordings of the year span a vast range, from genre-stretching contemporary music to re-evaluations of standard repertory: Nicola Benedetti: Marsalis Violin Concerto (Decca). Three years ago, violin virtuoso Benedetti played the U.S. premiere of Wynton Marsalis' Violin Concerto in D with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park. This recording, featuring Benedetti with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Cristian Macelaru, reaffirms one's impression of the piece as a lustrous celebration of musical Americana. But the depth and rigor of Benedetti's performance here brings forth deeper aspects of the concerto than were apparent at Ravinia, suggesting Marsalis has given the violin repertoire a major work. Black Oak Ensemble: "Silenced Voices" (Cedille Records). Music by Jewish composers killed during the Holocaust receives new life in this brilliantly conceived album, the Black Oak Ensemble giving voice to scores by Dick Katenburg, Sandor Kuti, Hans Krasa, Gideon Klein and Paul Hermann. The music spans youthful optimism to mature insight and attests to what was lost. But in a measure of hope, the album also includes the world premiere recording of a trio by Geza Frid, who survived the Holocaust and lived to 1989. An indispensable recording. Igor Levit: "Beethoven Complete Piano Sonatas" (Sony Classical). Does the world need another traversal of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas? Of course it does, for this monolith reshaped the definition of the sonata, expanded the instrument's possibilities and bears endless interpretation and contemplation. Pianist Levit brings considerable intellectual acuity and technical aplomb to this music, which arrives in time for next year's worldwide celebration of the composer's 250th birthday. Third Coast Percussion: "Perpetulum" (Orange Mountain Music). Surely anyone who attended last year's world premiere of Philip Glass' "Perpetulum," commissioned and performed by Third Coast Percussion, felt the joy and rhythmic exuberance of this music. It's now documented on a two-disc set that also includes David Skidmore's similarly propulsive and still more expansive "Aliens with Extraordinary Abilities" and other works. Mahan Esfahani: "Bach: The Toccatas" (Hyperion). Bach's Toccatas carry a measure of mystery, in that definitive scores for this music are impossible to come by, leaving performers ample latitude in ornamentation and other details. Harpsichordist Esfahani applies meticulous scholarship to this process yet has produced a vivid recording built on animated performances appropriate to the toccata form. Jennifer Koh: "Limitless" (Cedille Records). In a bold and stylistically diverse recording, violinist Koh plays a series of duos with the composers of eight works included on this two-CD set. Where else is one likely to encounter music of contemporary composer-pianist Missy Mazzoli, soprano Lisa Bielawa and MacArthur Fellows Vijay Iyer (piano) and Tyshawn Sorey (glockenspiel) in a single project? The sounds are every bit as eclectic as one might expect, a testament to Koh's adventurousness and the creativity of all involved. Rachel Barton Pine: Dvorak, Khachaturian Violin Concertos (Avie). Violinist Pine turns in vigorous readings of two landmarks of the concerto repertoire, accompanied by Teddy Abrams leading the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. The Khachaturian, in particular, benefits from Pine's grit and drive as performer. Her artistry continues to deepen. Yo-Yo Ma: Salonen Cello Concerto (Sony Classical). Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonon's Cello Concerto unfolds on an epic scale, from the immensity of the orchestration to the vastness of its musical gestures. It all may seem a bit lush for some tastes, but the intense colors Salonen draws from the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the ardor of cellist Ma's performance sweep the listener along in their wake. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} SEE ALL Chicago Tribune PICKS

  • Tantalizing debut of Margaret Batjer in four violin and orchestra works / New Music Buff
     
    Posted At : December 4, 2019 12:00 AM

    This is a helluva introduction to the wide ranging talents of violinist Margaret Batjer, currently the concert master of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.  OMG, why doesn't this woman have her own web page?  Well this BIS recording is a sort of, "here's what I can do across 300+ year of repertoire".  BIS is a Swedish based record label with a well earned reputation both for quality sound recording as well as intelligent choice of repertoire.  This recording succeeds on both counts. She plays with her familiar colleagues in the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra under conductor Jeffrey Kahane in an arrestingly beautiful recording of music spanning nearly 300 years.  The combination of technical skills and interpretive skills (by orchestra and soloist) along with a wonderful sound recording make this a welcome debut for this soloist and leaves this writer wanting to hear more from her and this wonderful little orchestra. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL New Music Buff REVIEW

  • Jason Vieaux's LA reciital makes KCRW: Rhythm Planet: december concert picks
     
    Posted At : December 4, 2019 12:00 AM

    Jason Vieaux is set for his recital First Congregational Church of Los Angeles - MacArthur Park on Saturday, December 7. The concert is presented by the Los Angeles International Guitar Series and Vieaux will perform music by Bach, Scarlatti, Ellington, and more. I had never heard of Vieaux until 2014 when I received his Grammy-winning album Play. I was completely knocked out by the finesse and authority of his guitar work. Click HERE for tickets and more information. MUSIC NEWS - Written by Tom Schnabel Dec. 03, 2019 for KCRW: Los Angeles - RHYTHM PLANET.  SEE THE PAGE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d}

  • Molly & Anna from Carr-Petrova Duo are your Louisville artist city guides / Classical Post
     
    Posted At : December 4, 2019 12:00 AM

    VISITING A CITY CAN BE OVERWHELMING-ESPECIALLY WHEN THAT CITY IS OVERFLOWING WITH EXCEPTIONAL OPTIONS FOR FOOD, DRINKS, ENTERTAINMENT, SHOPPING, AND PLACES TO EXPLORE. LUCKILY, CLASSICAL POST'S NEWEST FEATURE ARTIST CITY GUIDES IS HERE TO CHANGE THAT.  What's better than rapidly googling the city you're visiting the night before you get there for the best of the best restaurants, bars, and clubs? Hearing from it first-hand from the classical music artists you love, respect, and admire!  In this newest feature section, we hear from the enormously talented Carr-Petrova Duo as they dish on their favorite spots in Louisville, Kentucky-they tell us where to eat, where to stay, what to drink, and how to enter full relaxation mode, no matter where we're visiting. The duo has been performing together since 2005-when they were attending school in New York at the Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music. Separately, each of the duo's members is internationally acclaimed, award-winning soloists who have performed across the globe winning international competitions,  Together, the duo is rapidly compiling a remarkable list of accolades in recognition for their stunning musical expression, their refined artistry, and their relentless entrepreneur dedication to social initiatives.  If you're planning a trip to Louisville, Kentucky soon, you won't want to miss out on these exceptional destinations from the Carr-Petrova Duo. Headed to Louisville in January? You're in luck! The Carr-Petrova duo will be performing in Louisville on Sunday, January 19th, 2020 at 3 PM as the guest artists for MusicEx concert series at Comstock Concert Hall.   Photo credit: David Beyda Meet the two skilled women behind the Carr-Petrova Duo, Anna Petrova, pianist, and Molly Carr, violist.

  • Sarah McKenzie chats with Judy Carmichael's Jazz Inspired
     
    Posted At : December 4, 2019 12:00 AM

    Pianist/singer/songwriter, Sarah McKenzie, like so many of her fellow Australians, felt she'd have to leave her beloved country to pursue her dreams, which is exactly what she's done, living in Paris and London, then moving on to Boston to study at the Berklee College of music, and now settling in Los Angeles. Sarah speaks of her experiences with the passion and appreciation of a poet and channels it all into her songwriting, which is featured on her newest CD, Secrets of My Heart. LISTEN TO THE SEGMENT p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d}

  • Rachel Barton Pine - Dvorak and Khachaturian Concertos is unlikely to duplicate anything in your collection / New Music Buff
     
    Posted At : December 4, 2019 12:00 AM

    Rachel Barton-Pine is one of the finest and most interesting performers working today.  Her unique look at the performing repertoire for her instrument continues to be one of the most salient features of her artistry.  Certainly her interpretive abilities are foremost but her choices of neglected repertoire make any release of her recordings a reason to pay close attention. In the past she has recorded many a neglected piece based on her interest in the music.  She has featured black composers from the baroque to the present and has managed to resurrect unjustly neglected concerti from composers of pretty much every racial and national description.  Here she features two lovely seldom heard concertos.  The Dvorak concerto from 1789 and the Khachaturian concerto from 1941.  Both are major works and a challenge to the soloist and both fit pretty much into the late romantic genre (arguably that would be "post romantic" for the Khachaturian). The present recording is released on the Avie label which is a progressive independent label which itself boasts an impressive selection of musical works in very fine performances.  This disc is a fine example of the work they do and is a great selection for the listener's library.  These two concertos were popular in their day but have not seen inclusion in live performances or recordings as much as other romantic concertos.  One could speculate endlessly on why this is so or one could simply celebrate the fact that we are getting to hear them in these fine and definitive recordings. All in all a great disc which is unlikely to duplicate anything in your collection but one to which you will doubtless return for sheer entertainment and joy. READ THE FULL New Music Buff REVIEW

  • There is beauty here, let Lara Downes show you / WOMEN YOU SHOULD KNOW
     
    Posted At : December 4, 2019 12:00 AM

    "Hey, do you want to go out to the symphony tonight?!" "I sure do, I LOVE symphonic music! What are they playing?" "It's a program of American classical music!" "… oh." It has been nearly a century now since Aaron Copland returned from his studies in France to attempt a grand fusion of American lyrical elements with European classical traditions, and in that fruitful eight score of years American composers have interwoven modern insights with historical melodies to craft a vast body of compelling and challenging music.  From Price to Cage and Bernstein to Babbitt, an imposing pantheon of composers have lifted American classical music from the imitative dregs of the nineteenth century to a living and vibrant experimentation that stands firmly in the world's musical vanguard.  Yet looking at the American concert scene, that boisterous sense of experimentation and firm pride is nowhere to be seen – take a random program from 1919 and one from 2019 and one would be hard pressed to tell which is which, so little is the last century of American development programmed or requested. Having internalized the condescension of early critics, we have become ashamed of our own music, and to protect ourselves from ridicule, have convinced ourselves that it is boring and somehow beneath our notice.  We belittle it, and avoid it, even (and perhaps especially) if we haven't listened to much of it.  It takes a rare musical artist to stand up in front of that knee-jerk scorn, that shame-born indifference, and declare, "There is beauty here, let me show you," but for the last two decades that is precisely what pianist Lara Downes has done.   With her talent she could have crafted for herself a safe and lucrative career as an interpreter of the standard European canon – offering up Beethoven sonatas and Rachmaninoff concerti to a public that knows what it likes and will happily pay for the sound of it.  But from her first album she set herself a distinct challenge, charting at the age of twenty a mission to make her records acts of discovery rather than exercises in familiarity, opening new worlds to those listeners who had the musical curiosity to follow her.  I asked her whether she felt trepidation about following such a risky path at a young age… p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL WOMEN YOU SHOULD KNOW ARTICLE

Top 10 for Dec

  • Alexandre Desplat :

    Little Women OMPS

     Sony Music announces the release of LITTLE WOMEN (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) with music by Academy Award®, Golden Globe® and GRAMMY® Award-winning composer ALEXANDRE DESPLAT.
  • Bing Crosby :

    Bing at Christmas

     On the anniversary of the untimely death of the world's first ‘multimedia' star Bing Crosby, October 14th sees his longtime record label, Decca, together with his widow Kathryn and their children, Harry, Mary, and Nathaniel Crosby, announce the release of the brand new album, Bing at Christmas, via Decca/UMe.
  • Jon Batiste :

    Chronology Of A Dream - Live@The Village Vanguard

     The inimitable musician and bandleader, Jon Batiste, sets to release Chronology Of A Dream: Live At The Village Vanguard on November 1.
  • Ola Onabule :

    POINT LESS

     Socially conscious singer/songwriter Ola Onabul? has built an enviable career as an international touring performer and has now turned his attention to the North American market with a newly recorded collection of original songs.
  • Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra :

    I Shouldn't Be Telling You This

     JEFF GOLDBLUM WITH BRAND NEW ALBUM  FEATURING - SHARON VAN ETTEN • FIONA APPLE • ANNA CALVI • INARA GEORGE • GINA SAPUTO In DUETS WITH JEFF GOLDBLUM  - OUT NOVEMBER 1 ON DECCA RECORDS "I'm crying with ecstasy over this new album.
  • Ludovico Einaudi :

    Seven Days Walking - Day Seven

     Following his sold-out, seven-night residency at the Barbican in early August, Decca announces the release of ‘Seven Days Walking: Day Seven', and the climactic seven-volume collection from composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi – his most ambitious album project yet, with seven albums released over as many months.
  • Third Coast Percussion :

    Fields

     Grammy Award-winning ensemble Third Coast Percussion plays music by international R&B and pop music star Devonté Hynes (aka Blood Orange) on their newest album, Fields, marking Hynes's recording debut as a classical composer.
  • Libera :

    Christmas Carols with Libera

     The  boys  who  make  up  the  choral  group  Libera  are  normal  South  London  kids  aged  7  to  16  years.
  • The Comet Is Coming :

    The Afterlife

     "Bridging the gap between experimentation and accessibility" (Rolling Stone), The Comet Is Coming announces the digital release of the group's highly-anticipated mini-album The Afterlife, via Impulse! The Afterlife will serve as a companion piece to the group's breakout album Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery and the lead track "Lifeforce Part II.
  • Laura Karpman :

    WHY WE HATE

     p.

In celebration of his 80th brithday, Leon Fleisher releases '6 Digital Recordings'

Posted: August 3, 2008 12:00 AM | By: Admin
Bookmark and Share

The Six Full-Length Releases Include Fleisher's readings of Schubert, Debussy, Ravel, Mozart, Liszt, Copland and Brahms.
 
In honor of pianist Leon Fleisher's 80th birthday on July 23rd, Sony Classical will release for the first time in digital format six full-length recordings, made between 1954 and 1963 that have only been previously available complete on LP. These recordings document Fleisher's extraordinary artistry in the solo and chamber repertoire before a neurological affliction known as focal dystonia rendered two fingers of his right hand immobile in 1965.
 
The six recordings are:  
Schubert: Sonata  in B-Flat Major, D.960 / Lendler – Leon Fleisher, piano (original LP release  1956)   

Debussy: Suite  bergamasque / Ravel: Sonatine / Valses nobles et sentimentales / Alborado  del gracioso – Leon Fleisher, piano (original LP release  1959) 

Mozart: Sonata in C Major, K.330 / Sonata in E-Flat Major, K.282 / Rondo in D Major, K. 485 – Leon Fleisher, piano (original LP release 1960)

Liszt: Sonata in  B Minor / Weber: Sonata No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 70 / Invitation to the Dance,  Op. 65 – Leon Fleisher, piano (original LP release  1960)   

Copland: Piano  Sonata / Sessions: From My Diary / Kirchner: Piano Sonata /  Rorem:  Three Barcarolles – Leon Fleisher, piano (original LP release  1963)

Brahms: Quintet  for Piano and Strings in F Minor, Op. 34 – Leon Fleisher, piano / Juilliard  String Quartet (original LP release 1963) 
 
The re-releases are available from iTunes, Amazon MP3, Rhapsody, Zune and other major digital outlets.  iTunes is the only digital vendor to carry the original liner notes by Konrad Wolff and Charles Burr.  Physical CDs, complete with each album's original cover art and liner notes, are only available through ArkivMusic.
 
Fleisher has also recorded an exclusive series of podcasts for Sony BMG Masterworks, available on iTunes. His conversation is appealing, relaxed and sincere, as he recounts his early successes and stumbling blocks, most significantly his battle with focal dystonia. He explains his art beautifully but also brings a refreshingly human element to his often-funny interactions with some of the most formidable artists of the 20th century, including Artur Schnabel, George Szell and Leonard Bernstein.  

To hear these podcasts go to http://www.sonybmgmasterworks.com/podcast/
 
Leon Fleisher is among the most revered pianists of his generation. His grace, intelligence, and wide-ranging musical imagination are the hallmark of a storied career that spans over sixty years and encompasses Fleisher's pursuits as a pianist, conductor, and teacher.  All of these qualities are in ample evidence on these six releases. 
 
Born in 1928, Fleisher led what seemed a charmed musical life. As a nine-year-old, he began studies with the legendary Artur Schnabel before making a sensational debut with the New York Philharmonic at the age of 16 in 1944. Hailed by conductor Pierre Monteux as the "pianistic find of the century" at the time, he went on to become the first American to win the Queen Elisabeth International competition in Belgium in 1952. He made many recordings, foremost among them his concerto recordings with George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra, before his career as an international star was cut short in 1965. For the next thirty years, he threw himself avidly into a career as a teacher and conductor with Peabody Conservatory, the Tanglewood Music Center, and Baltimore Symphony, among others.
 
Recently, following new forms of treatment and therapy, Fleisher has miraculously resumed his performance of two-hand literature. The extraordinary renaissance of Fleisher's career has been documented in his first two-hand recording in some forty years, the critically acclaimed Two Hands.  The recordings in this re-release, which were once thought to be the final word on Fleisher's pianism, now stand as a distinguished bookend to an ongoing career, an invaluable marker on his timeline as an artist of the highest distinction. As Stephen A. Schwarzman, Chairman of the Kennedy Center Honors, said of Fleisher, who was a 2007 honoree, he remains "a consummate musician whose career is a moving testament to the life-affirming power of art."

Crossover Media Projects with Leon Fleisher

  • Leon Fleisher

    Mozart Piano Concertos

    A fixture on the American music scene for more than six decades, pianist Leon Fleisher releases Mozart's Piano Concertos No. 12 in A Major, K. 414; No. 7 in F Major for two pianos, K. 242; and No. 23 in A Major, K. 488. Fleisher plays alongside the Kammerorchester Stuttgart, a distinguished ensemble that has made something of a specialty of the Viennese Classicists, and is joined by wife Katherine Jacobson-Fleisher, in Piano Concerto No. 7 for two pianos.

    Praised in his early career for his poetic yet vigorous performances of works by the Viennese masters, this is Fleisher's first two-hand concerto recording in over 40 years. The pianist naturally devoted his new disc of two-hand concertos to the music of Mozart, following his miraculous recovery from a neurological impairment of his right hand.

    5 New ON this week / 74 Total
    Synd:     PRI / Classical 24
    Direct: Music Choice/Classical Masterpieces, Sirius/Symphony Hall, XM/Classics, Spafax
    State Networks: CA, CO, MN, TX, OR, AL, IA
    Markets include: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Wash DC, Philadelphia, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, Seattle, Denver, St. Louis, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Indianapolis, New Orleans
    Online: Taintradio