Koerner Hall

I’m so happy I discovered Koerner Hall!  When I found out that my mom and aunt were going to an afternoon piano concert last Sunday I immediately had to buy myself a ticket (I love classical music and family hang time!).  This special concert venue at the Royal Conservatory is in its second season of hosting a variety of award winning musical artists from all over the world (if you live in Toronto then you MUST go!).  It was really interesting to see the interior architectural design blending the old Ihnatowych Hall with the extremely modern design of Koerner Hall - thank you KPMB Architects for your creativity!  I had the pleasure of listening to the pianist Leon Fleisher who to my surprise only used his left hand.  At 16 the conductor Pierre Monteux hailed Leon as “the pianistic find of the century” and then at 37 a rare neurological disease caused him to lose the use of his right hand.  He’s recently been playing with both hands after botox injections helped to restore mobility.  Before he played on Sunday, he comically addressed the audience telling us that his recent hand surgery hadn’t gone as well as he’d hoped and that his doctor had informed him that he wouldn’t be able to use his right thumb “professionally” for a while.  I was extremely moved by his performance – he truly poured his heart and soul into every note.

Here’s a link to an article about Leon Fleisher’s inspiring story:  My Nine Lives

Gusssygirl xx