Leon fleisher dystonia meaning

Pianist Leon Fleisher had already forged one of the more distinguished careers in classical music when, in 1965, he lost the use of two fingers on his right hand due to focal dystonia, a neurological condition that causes the fingers to curl into the palm.

He had made his debut with the New York Philharmonic at 16 in 1944, become the first American to win the prestigious Concours Musical International Reine Elisabeth de Belgique competition, in 1952; and started a prolific recording career with Epic Records in 1954.

The focal dystonia sidelined his two-handed career, though he continued to teach, started conducting, and began playing a left-handed repertoire before he began a lengthy series of operations and treatments to regain the use of his right hand in the 1980s.

In 2003, he performed his first two-handed repertoire concert at Carnegie Hall since 1947.

He has held the An