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This is Hidden Brain. I'm Shankar Vedantam. When Leon Fleischer was a small child, his older brother took piano lessons. The brother didn't much care for them. But afterwards, little Leon would climb onto the piano bench and play, note for note, the pieces his brother had practiced. That's when his mother realized Leon was the one who should study the instrument.
Leon Fleischer made his debut at Carnegie Hall in 1944. He was just 16 years old.
who is to perform Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor.
A New York Times music critic said this performance established him as one of the most remarkably gifted of the younger generation of American keyboard artists. He went on to perform with the world's top orchestras throughout the 1950s and early 60s. Pause this story here, and Leon Fleischer's life is a triumph. But then, something unexpected happened.
He started to notice an odd stiffness in his right index finger. His fourth and fifth finger started curling under. The pain and stiffness grew steadily worse. Within a matter of months, his career as a concert pianist was virtually over.
As you can well imagine, without becoming melodramatic, I was in a very despairing state of depression for about two years.
If we were to take stock of Leon Fleischer's life at this point, we might say it was a tragedy. But Leon Fleischer still had so much music in him, so he reinvented himself, becoming a much-admired conductor and teacher. Meanwhile, he continued to try every available measure to heal his right hand. Eventually, a combination of Botox injections and deep tissue massage started to help.
In 2003, Leon Fleischer made a triumphant return to Carnegie Hall. He was 75 years old. The next year, he released a CD, his first two-handed recording in more than 40 years. Today, we conclude this year's U2.0 series on purpose, passion, and meaning.
We'll bring you a favorite episode about the stories we tell about ourselves and the many subtle and powerful ways in which our personal narratives shape who we are. How the way we understand the ups and downs of our lives can shape the ups and downs of our lives, this week on Hidden Brain. As we make our way through life, it can feel as if we are buffeted by a swiftly moving series of events.
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