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Jaime Laredo and Leon Fleisher

When: Sunday, March 4th - 2pm
Where: Town Hall

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Jaime Laredo, violin

 


Two of today's master musicians join together to share the joys of Schubert.  "This was a program of advocacy for the just-maturing Schubert; and his spirit could not have wished for a better pair of advocates." - San Francisco Examiner




The Program:

SCHUBERT: Sonatina for Violin and Piano in G minor, D. 408
SCHUBERT: Sonatina for Violin and Piano in A minor, D. 385
SCHUBERT: Sonatina for Violin and Piano in D Major, D. 384
SCHUBERT: Sonata for Violin and Piano A major, D. 574, 'Grand Duo'

The Artists:

When pianist and conductor Leon Fleisher accepted the 2007 Kennedy Center Honor at a star-studded gala in Washington DC, Caroline Kennedy recognized him as “a piano prodigy from the Golden Gate who rose to the heights, embraced adversity and became a musician for all seasons.”  His inspiring story, “Nine Lives”, a memoir written with the Washington Post critic Anne Midgette, will be published by Doubleday in late 2010.
 
Fleisher’s musicianship is the stuff of legend, and his personal story is as heartbreaking as it is life affirming. Leon Fleisher was well on his way to conquering the music world at 16, singled out in The New York Times as "one of the most gifted of the younger generation of keyboard artists" and soon hailed quite simply as "the pianistic find of the century" by the great conductor Pierre Monteux. He was cruelly sidelined at the height of his powers by a rare neurological disease that lost him the use of his right hand at the age of thirty-seven. Treatments involving botulinum toxin (botox) injections have helped restore the mobility in Fleisher’s hand, and for several years he has been playing with both hands, winning enormous acclaim for his 2004 ‘two-hand’ recording aptly titled Two Hands. Fleisher’s story is the subject of the 2006 Oscar-nominated documentary film of the same name, written and directed by Nathaniel Kahn (My Architect), aired on HBO.   The 17-minute film has also been widely seen as a compelling visual program note at Fleisher performances and residencies. His Sony recordings continue to be among the most admired in the catalogue.
 

Performing for over five decades before audiences across the globe, Jaime Laredo has excelled in the multiple roles of soloist, conductor, recitalist, pedagogue, and chamber musician. Since his stunning orchestral debut at the age of eleven with the San Francisco Symphony, he has won the admiration and respect of audiences, critics and fellow musicians with his passionate and polished performances. That debut inspired one critic to write: 'In the 1920's it was Yehudi Menuhin; in the 1930's it was Isaac Stern; and last night it was Jaime Laredo.' His education and development were greatly influenced by his studies and private coachings with masters Josef Gingold, Ivan Galamian, Pablo Casals and George Szell. At the age of seventeen, Jaime Laredo won the prestigious Queen Elisabeth of Belgium Competition, launching his rise to international prominence. With 2009 marking the 50th anniversary of his prize, he was honored to sit on the Jury for the final round of the Competition.

In demand worldwide as a conductor and a soloist, Mr. Laredo has held the position of Music Director of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra since 1999. As Artistic Director of New York's renowned Chamber Music at the Y series, Mr. Laredo has created an important forum for chamber music performances which has developed a devoted following. Founded nearly 35 years ago, by Laredo, cellist Sharon Robinson and pianist Joseph Kalichstein, the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio consistently thrills audiences around the globe with their inspiring performances of traditional repertoire and their commissioning of new works.