Leon Fleisher

July 23, 1928 – August 2, 2020

Leon Fleisher, the revered American pianist and conductor who taught at the Peabody Conservatory for 60 years, died at a Baltimore hospice on August 2.

“With the passing of Leon Fleisher, the music world has lost one of its towering figures,” said Peabody Dean Fred Bronstein. “Leon’s remarkable gifts as a musician, pianist, and teacher were matched only by his charm, wit, intelligence, and warmth as a human being. We were extremely fortunate to have had this man in our midst for so many years, and his absence will be felt keenly throughout the Peabody community.”

Famously a child prodigy, Fleisher made his debut with the New York Philharmonic when he was 16 years old and was hailed as “the pianistic find of the century.” He went on to international renown and a prolific performing and recording career, most notably making recordings with George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra that are recognized as among the great collaborations in the concerto repertoire. When focal dystonia cost him the use of his right hand, Fleisher channeled his musicality into the piano repertoire for left hand, took up conducting, and renewed his dedication to teaching at Peabody, where he has inspired hundreds of students since 1959. It would be several decades before combined therapies allowed him to regain the use of his right hand, leading to an extraordinary return to performance and recording. A documentary film about his amazing life story, Two Hands, was nominated for a 2007 Academy Award. In 2013, Sony Classical issued a 23-CD box set of his entire recorded output.

Leon Fleisher held the Andrew W. Mellon Chair at the Peabody Conservatory and served on the Peabody Institute Advisory Board. He continued teaching and conducting online master classes into the final weeks of his life.

Reflections

Elena Fischer-Dieskau (GPD ’15, Piano) Leon Fleisher, you are not gone, you will never be gone...you are immortal. Because every word, every moment, every thought, every gesture, every sound, every idea shared with you is wide awake and alive — it will always be. The years spent learning next to you are more precious than all of the treasures in the world, and I remain forever grateful. Not a day goes by without having your wise, deep, and powerful words resonating in my mind. I know you are having a toast with Brahms and Beethoven up there and that thought helps.

Michael Sheppard (BM ’98, MM ’00, GPD ’03, Piano) Thank you, Leon, for all the gifts you’ve given me. Some of them are still unraveling or tripping or unfolding into the light even to this day. I’m sure many others will hit me or bloom when I least expect it. But I will continue to do my best to share what I’ve learned from you. I know I’ve been given greatness, and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t appreciate it and try, in some small way, to shine it forward, even in these uncertain times.

Yo-Yo Ma, cellist Leon Fleisher’s music and teaching will never be forgotten. From his searing recording of Brahms’s First Piano Concerto to his master classes, which gave such spirited voice to music’s essential truths, we who have been touched by this giant are forever in his debt.

Share your memories of Leon Fleisher at: bit.ly/32k9vAi