Leon Fleisher In Palm Beach
Leon Fleisher
Palm Beach Symphony Rolls Out Grand Piano For Living Legend Leon Fleisher
To Perform Mozart At Sapphire Season Finale
Boca Raton, FL – Palm Beach Symphony will position the Steinway grand piano center stage at Dreyfoos Hall, where guest soloist Leon Fleisher will perform with the Symphony’s 75-piece orchestra in PRECIOUS GEMS at 8:00 P.M. on Friday, April 12, 2019 at The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in Downtown West Palm Beach.
“Music is a living art. It’s impossible to encompass everything a great piece of music has to say in one performance because it has so many refractions,” said the 91-year-old Fleisher, who celebrated his 90th year by appearing in Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal with the Toronto Symphony and at the Gilmore Keyboard Festival in Kalamazoo, Michigan, then continuing the celebration in 2019 with recitals in New York (Carnegie Hall), Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco before making his way to West Palm Beach to appear in PRECIOUS GEMS with Palm Beach Symphony.
Hailed as one of the greatest comeback stories in classical music history, Fleisher made his debut with the New York Philharmonic in 1944 at the age of 16 and quickly rose to fame as one of the 20th century’s greatest pianists. When he developed a neurological movement disorder that affected his right hand, leaving him unable to play, Fleisher turned his focus to teaching and conducting but remained determined to return to his beloved piano. Three decades passed before Fleisher regained the use of his right hand thanks to an experimental therapy of Botox injections. After a series of successful concert performances of Mozart concertos, Fleisher released his first solo recording in more than 40 years – 2004’s acclaimed Two Hands.
“My approach to Mozart isn’t the same as it was a half-century ago,” says Fleisher. You hear new connections, new relationships – you’re playing for the moment, really.” On April 12, Fleisher will perform Mozart’s Concerto No. 12 with Palm Beach Symphony, followed by a performance of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7. Palm Beach Symphony Artistic and Music Director,Ramón Tebar, will lead the orchestra in PRECIOUS GEMS, the final masterworks concert of the Symphony’s 45th Anniversary Sapphire Season.
ABOUT PALM BEACH SYMPHONY
PALM BEACH SYMPHONY is South Florida’s premier orchestra known for its diverse repertoire and commitment to community. Founded in 1974, the Symphony is dedicated to its mission of engaging, educating, and entertaining the greater community of the Palm Beaches through live performances of inspiring orchestral music. The orchestra is celebrated for delivering spirited and exacting performances led by Artistic & Music Director Ramón Tebar. Now in its milestone 45th season, Palm Beach Symphony has recently moved its administrative offices to West Palm Beach where it continues to expand its education and community outreach programs with children’s concerts, student coaching sessions and master classes, instrument donations, and free public concerts. For more information, visit palmbeachsymphony.org.
