| Label: MEDICI ARTS
Catalog: MM0362
Format: CD Wholenote Discoveries - November 2009
American pianist, Leon Fleisher, born in San Francisco in 1928, was a regular on the concert stage from the mid 1940s until 1965 when the problem with his right hand caused his temporary retirement. He successfully continued his career playing works for the left hand until 1995, when some new therapy, including Botox!, restored his right hand. Since then he has made recordings and resumed his public performances. From the archives of the WDR, Medici Arts has issued a mono CD of the second and fourth Beethoven concertos from studio performances in 1956 (the 4th) and 1957 (the 2nd) with the Cologne Radio Symphony. These predate the Cleveland/Szell Columbia recordings by a couple of years. I must say that it was a great pleasure to sit back and enjoy these gorgeous, fresh performances, the second concerto conducted by Hans Rosbaud and the fourth by Otto Klemperer. Klemperer also conducts the Overture to Iphigenie in Aulis. Excellent sound, as is the Gieseking above. Bruce Surtees  Price: $25.98 |
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