Barnes & Noble
Leon Fleisher's new recital, The Journey, is a slice of musical autobiography, revisiting music that was particularly important in the early stages of the pianist's career. As many listeners will already know, Fleisher's rise was interrupted by a neurological disorder affecting his right hand, and for decades, he focused on teaching at prestigious music schools while exploring in performance the repertoire for left hand alone. Only recently has this courageous musician succeeded in his battle with illness, to the point of releasing an album with the triumphantly modest title Two Hands. This sequel is an equal success: Fleisher's biography is still inevitably a point of interest, but his impeccable musicianship guarantees that you'll forget about his personal struggles as soon as the program begins. His crystalline touch at the keyboard ensures the proper degrees of delicacy, refinement, and charm in his performances of Bach's Capriccio "On the Departure of a Brother" and Mozart's Sonata in E-flat Major, in which the central Minuet is especially ingratiating in its gracefulness. Stravinsky's Serenade in A is well chosen as a neo-classical pendant to those works, its clockwork "Rondoletto" movement giving special evidence -- should any be required -- of Fleisher's renewed technical dexterity, while at the recital's center, Bach's Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D Minor gives the pianist an opportunity to plumb deeper emotional territory. A bonus disc features an interview with Fleisher, discussing these works and their place in his musical past and present, but the explanations are almost superfluous: Even more than his personal journey, Fleisher's playing speaks with an eloquence that puts this disc in a class by itself. Scott Paulin
All Music Guide
Vanguard Classics' Leon Fleisher: The Journey isn't a typical classical piano recital disc. Concert pianist Leon Fleisher had only been enjoying use of both hands for a decade as the right hand clenched up due to focal dystonia in 1964 and stayed that way for 30 years. That Fleisher was able to play is in itself a miracle, and he didn't take it for granted, as much of his touring during that time had been devoted to raising awareness about focal dystopia, along with money to research its cure -- about $80 million worth of funds.
In short, the focus of Leon Fleisher: The Journey is something that goes well beyond mere music-making, and Vanguard Classics has wisely taken note of this and added a second disc containing an interview, drawn from XM Satellite Radio, with Fleisher conducted by former NPR "Morning Edition" host Bob Edwards. It is a touching and deeply felt interview where Fleisher shares his insights on these pieces, which are of considerable depth and wrought from many years of hard-won experience. This is useful in placing the musical portion of the program in context, as the performances there are a little less than ideal in some ways. Fleisher is slow and deliberate in some movements, not due to infirmity, but to his interpretive stance -- the Adagio of Mozart's "Sonata in E flat, K. 282," is "adagio" indeed, clocking in at nearly eight minutes (the average is just over seven). He is unable to sound out the center voice with his right thumb in the Rondoletto of the Stravinsky "Serenade in A" quite the way one is used to, and -- not Fleisher's fault -- the pauses in between movements in the Johann Sebastian Bach "Capriccio on the Departure of a Brother" seem a tad long. Nonetheless, we are not judging a piano competition here, but learning from a master -- listen to how warm and inviting Fleisher's Chopin "Berceuse in D flat, Op. 57," is, or how emotional and unapologetically narrative his rendering of the Bach "Capriccio" is. While Glenn Gould, a pianist of Fleisher's generation, may have persuaded us to embrace the cold and efficient in music, Fleisher, in the wake of his long journey, is attempting to bring us back into the warmth and the light.
Fleisher admits on the interview disc that despite his recovery, his days of playing the Tchaikovsky "Piano Concerto No. 1" are over. Nevertheless, Fleisher still has a lot to offer in terms of majesty, mastery, and sheer beauty of expression, and Vanguard Classics has done well to capture it in its essence in The Journey. Uncle Dave Lewis
Newark Star-Ledger
[Fleisher] brings sage wisdom to the music now, not to mention a glowing, life-affirming tone.
Bradley Bambarger
Classic FM Magazine
Fleisher gloriously displays a luminous tone and generous spirit. This CD is a rare gem.
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