by Stephanie Manning
IN THE NEWS:
Starting August 6, the Bard Music Festival — on the campus of Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York — will present “Nadia Boulanger and Her World,” a two-week exploration of the composer and pedagogue’s life and legacy. The most renowned composition teacher of the 20th century, Boulanger was also a talented composer and conductor. In addition to her music, the twelve concerts of the Festival will also feature the music of her precursors, contemporaries and students as well as works by her sister Lili. Read more in the New York Times here.
SEASON ANNOUNCEMENT:
The Rocky River Chamber Music Society has announced its 63rd season, which will begin in October. The lineup includes the Auryn String Quartet, Russian pianist Arsentiy Kharitonov, Oberlin Clarinet Professor Richard Hawkins and Faculty Friends, Bob Sneider and Friends from the Eastman School of Music, and the Grigoryan Brothers Guitar Duo. All concerts are free and will take place both in person at the West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church (health conditions permitting) and online. Learn more here.
TODAY’S ALMANAC:
Today marks one year since pianist and conductor Leon Fleisher died in Baltimore, Maryland, at the age of 92. A child prodigy, Fleisher performed at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic at the age of 16.
But it was the Cleveland Orchestra with which the pianist formed the strongest relationship. Fleisher became known for his outstanding recordings with the Orchestra and George Szell from the 1950s and 60s — particularly the concertos of Beethoven and Brahms. Listen to his recording of Beethoven’s five piano concertos here.
Focal dystonia in his right hand created a major setback for the pianist in the 1960s, but Fleisher persevered, turning to one-handed works like Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand. His career path expanded into conducting and teaching, and he eventually made a triumphant return to two-handed playing in the 1990s.
Fleischer returned to Cleveland time and time again, resulting in the longest relationship of any visiting artist with the Orchestra. In 2013, he took to the podium for a performance of Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture and Beethoven’s second and third piano concertos. His student Jonathan Biss stepped in to replace Mitsuko Uchida, a testament to Fleisher’s teaching legacy.
In our interview before that concert, Biss (pictured below left, with Fleisher) said of his former teacher: “He really has earned his legend. Not through any razzle dazzle or publicity, but just because he is so inarguably great.”
Photo by Roger Mastroianni
