Leon Fleisher Reflects: A Peabody Founder's Day Interview with Ray Sprenkle

A special night with Leon Fleisher, a legendary pianist and conductor at the Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute, hosted live on our Ustream channel: www.ustream.tv/channel/johnshopkinsu.

Fleisher was interviewed live by Peabody faculty member Ray Sprenkle -- a noted composer, historian and lecturer -- against the backdrop of the gorgeous Peabody Library.

At the age of nine, Fleisher began studies with the great German pianist Artur Schnabel, made his New York Philharmonic debut at sixteen and was the first American to win the prestigious Queen Elisabeth of Belgium Competition in 1952. He made touchstone recordings with Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra and for a dozen years he appeared in all the world's major music centers to great acclaim until, in 1965, he was struck with a neurological affliction that rendered two fingers of his right hand immobile.

For almost four decades, Fleisher continued to share his special gifts through performances of the repertoire for left-hand, as a conductor and teacher, never giving up the hope that he would play again with both hands. Through special treatments, he has been playing with both hands again in recent years and making critically-acclaimed recordings.

At the Kennedy Center Honors, he was recognized as "a consummate musician whose career is a testament to the life-affirming power of art."

Видео Leon Fleisher Reflects: A Peabody Founder's Day Interview with Ray Sprenkle канала Johns Hopkins University