Renowned classical musicians, who collect prestigious awards and
honors in bundles, take tremendous pride in their art. For
instance, when the word “show” was accidentally uttered
to him, acclaimed pianist Leon Fleisher quickly pounced on the
misusage.
“It isn’t really a show ““ it’s a
concert,” Fleisher said. “A show is entertainment. A
concert is something that you participate in by giving your
undivided and rapt attention. If you do that, you stand a chance of
adding a beautiful experience.”
With that established, the observant Fleisher will be in concert
along with France’s celebrated Orchestre National de Lyon led
by conductor David Robertson at Royce Hall this Sunday at 7
p.m.
Born in Santa Monica and schooled at London’s Royal
Academy of Music, Robertson has conducted mainly in Europe,
building a reputation as one of the leading conductors of his
generation. In 1999, he was named Conductor of the Year by the
magazine “Musical America.” Robertson shortly joined
the Orchestre National de Lyon in 2000, adding his taste for
regional symbolism to one of Europe’s finest ensembles.
“Lyon is famous for food because of the actual quality of
the produce,” Robertson said. “At the same time, the
subtlety of the blend of flavors is exactly mirrored by the
subtlety of colors the orchestra can get when they play a piece of
music. The types of sounds you’ll hear are what you
can’t possibly imagine coming through on a
recording.”
Although unknown as a food connoisseur, Robertson is a noted
proponent of contemporary music. However, the Royce Hall concert
will feature French pieces from no later than 1931, including
Russian composer Igor Stravinsky’s masterpiece “The
Rite of Spring.”
“Stravinsky’s “˜The Rite of Spring’ is a
work that is very much connected with the whole experience in
France because it was specifically written for (Serge)
Diaghilev’s company, the Ballets Russes, which was a Russian
ballet company that had a season in Paris,” Robertson said.
“In a sense, it’s a program with music of real French
quality, but the French influence of the late 19th and early 20th
century is also being felt in the Stravinsky.”
The intricacy of the Stravinsky piece poses a challenge, but a
confident Robertson believes the orchestra can “absolutely
nail it with one hand tied behind its back.”
Meanwhile, Fleisher can literally play with one hand tied behind
his back. Dubbed the “Obi-Wan Kenobi of the keyboard”
by students at Baltimore’s Peabody Conservatory, the San
Francisco native will demonstrate his knowledge of the musical
force on Maurice Ravel’s “Piano Concerto for Left Hand
in D.”
“(Ravel) was commissioned to write this piece by a wealthy
Austrian pianist who lost his right arm in the First World
War,” Fleisher said. “He had the perseverance and the
obsessive compulsiveness that, even when his right arm was shot
off, he had to make music. That’s the way some of us
are.”
According to Fleisher, Ravel’s intention as he wrote the
piece was to make five fingers sound like ten to an oblivious
audience.
“It’s really tremendous to see how (Fleisher) is
able to make the piece completely fresh every time he does
it,” Robertson said. “When you’re doing a number
of performances, that’s really something to prize. He
doesn’t treat it like he’s making breakfast.”
One of the most distinguished pianists of the 20th century,
Fleisher was recognized as a prodigy before the age of 10.
“I studied with a local teacher in San Francisco, what you
might call a prodigy maker,” Fleisher said. “It
wasn’t a good lesson unless he made me cry. I demonstrated a
certain gift. It was what I enjoyed doing most, and it brought me a
lot of cookies. It’s one of those happy marriages where what
the parents foresee for the child is in concurrence with the gift
of the child. It actually doesn’t happen too
often.”
Perhaps the notion that classical musicians are flat, dead
serious old-timers is a key misconception. They can be a sharp
bunch.
“I had a choice between being the first Jewish President
of the United States or being a great concert pianist,”
Fleisher said. “Well, being a concert pianist is a hell of a
lot easier.”
Orchestre National de Lyon performs at Royce Hall on Sunday at 7
p.m.