Triumph And Tragedy

Description

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Piano Concertos No. 1 to 5 (No. 1, No. 2, No. 4 in 2 Versions) - Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Piano Concertos No. 1 and 2, Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel Op. 24, Waltzes Op. 39 No. 1 to 6 - César Franck (1822-1890): Symphonic Variations for Piano and Orchestra - Edvard Grieg (1843-1907): Piano Concerto Op. 16 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): Piano Concertos No. 12 and 25 - Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Piano Sonata D. 960, Twelve Ländler D. 790 - Robert Schumann (1810-1856): Piano Concerto Op. 54 / Recordings from 1956 to 1962 Leon Fleisher, born in San Francisco in 1928 to a Russian immigrant father and a Polish mother, was one of the greatest hopes of the American stage. Critics were impressed by his recordings of Schubert and Brahms' Handel Variations, and his collaboration with George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra brought him accolades and became best-sellers. Fleisher's meteoric rise was a source of excitement even for audiences in the United States, so accustomed to superlatives. But in the end, the pianist was affected by a progressive paralysis of the right hand that forced him to abandon his concert activities. As a conductor, university professor, and specialist in left-hand piano music, Fleisher, after a surgical operation, appeared several times before concert audiences starting in 1982. The number of recordings from the few years of his early triumphs is naturally limited. Thus, the encounter with this exceptional pianist on the 10 CDs of this collection is all the more precious.