Elisabeth Leonskaja Essentials

Russian pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja has been working to master the classics since the ‘50s. The melodic lines of her Chopin (Nocturne No. 19 in E Minor) communicate both wisdom and pathos, and her Schubert impromptus are full of levity. Later in her life, Leonskaja became friends with the famed pianist Sviatoslav Richter, and their impressive body of work together reflects a tenderness and a fire—especially in their piano sonatas—that only comes from the greatest partnerships. Her penchant for collaboration also shines in her work with the SWR Symphony Orchestra on Beethoven’s seductive Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major.