Pianist Leon Fleischer. Photo courtesy Tacoma Philharmonic.

This Sunday, one of the world's greatest pianists will play the Pantages, courtesy of the Tacoma Philharmonic. Not only that, but he'll play with what for him is a relatively recent phenomenon--using both hands.

It's Leon Fleischer, of course, that child prodigy of two Jewish immigrants who began playing at four just by listening to his brother's piano lessons. Soon after, he studied with piano great Artur Schnabel, debuting with the New York Philharmonic at 16 and launching into an international career. Until, at 37, it all fell apart: Fleischer suddenly began to suffer from a neurological disorder called focal dystonia, which removed all sensation and control from two fingers in his right hand. His career was cut short, his family fell apart and he considered suicide, before deciding to devote himself to teaching, conducting and learning left-hand piano repertoire (of which there's actually a lot.)

Just five years ago, though, Fleischer's story had an unbelievably happy ending: Rolfing and botox injections restored function in his fingers, and his comeback in 2004 with the CD "Two Hands" is well-known.

On Sunday, Fleischer will play Bach, Debussy, Albeniz and Chopin--with two hands--in a Tacoma recital as part of his 80th birthday tour. The concert will begin with a screening of the 17-minute, Academy Award-nominated documentary on his life, "Two Hands," by Nathaniel Kahn.

Fleischer isn't just a heart-warming success story. He's a phenomenal pianist, being the first living musician to be inducted into the Classical Music Hall of Fame in 2000 and winning a Kennedy Center Honor in 2007, among many other awards around the globe. Don't miss this chance to hear him play.

Concert 3 p.m., pre-concert talk 2 p.m. Sunday April 19 at the Pantages Theater, 901 Broadway, Tacoma. Tickets $32.50-$62.50. 253-591-5894, www.tacomaphilharmonic.org

Team of pianists. Sitting: Marjorie Skreen-Dickerson (left) and David Asplund. Standing: Erica Minneman (left), Timothy Strong and Diana Walker. Photo: Carole Parkhurst.

Ever heard five pianos played at once? Well, this Sunday is your chance. Local piano teachers will be putting on a fund-raising concert featuring three teams of five pianists each on stage at UPS’ Schneebeck Hall.

The performers are members of the Tacoma Chapter Music Teachers Association, including Marjorie Dickerson, who also plays for local groups such as the Northwest Repertory Singers.

“The Gig Harbor Chapter puts a concert on every two years, and they’re wildly popular,” says Dickerson, of the idea to stage a multi-piano-marathon.

The program includes favorites like Khachaturian’s “Sabre Dance,” Offenbach’s “Cancan” from “Orpheus in the Underworld,” “The Entertainer” by Scott Jopling and more.
Prosser Pianos will loan two grand pianos, while the UPS provides the other three. The concert will raise funds for the Association’s Orchestra Recital Series, which provides opportunities for local students to play concertos with orchestra backing.

The concert will be held 3 p.m. Feb. 1 in Schneebeck Hall, off Union Avenue at the University of Puget Sound. Tickets: $10 general/$20 family, at the door.

He’s played at Seattle’s Paramount for years. He’s in demand worldwide. And now he’s finally debuting in his own town. Dennis James, a Tacoman who’s made a 40-year career out of playing organ for silent films, will play the Rialto Sunday night for the 1926 film “The Black Pirate.” The screening’s in honor of—guess what?—Tall Ships, but as a purely cinematic and musical experience, it’s a whole lot bigger than that.

Starring silent film swoon-man Douglas Fairbanks (“The Mark of Zorro,” “The Thief of Bagdad”,) “The Black Pirate” was the second full-length feature shot in Technicolor, and tells the story of a nobleman who disguises himself as a pirate to avenge his father’s murder. Like many other silent movies, it had its own orchestral accompaniment, sometimes reduced for theater organ. Lost for decades, the film was restored in the 1970s, and in 1988 Dennis James restored the score and re-premiered it on organ with the Indianapolis Symphony.

It’s the kind of thing James, who’s lived in Tacoma the last six years, has spent nearly his whole life doing. The 57-year-old began playing for silent movies when he was 16; since then, he’s amassed a repertoire of 36 scores for organ and orchestra, hundreds in preparation, and several thousand for organ alone. He’s the regular organist at the Paramount Theatre’s “Silent Movie Mondays” series, and tours the world for concerts and film festivals.

And now he’s playing the Rialto, thanks to the First Night folks, who are organizing the show as a fundraiser for the New Year’s Eve arts celebration. Unlike new compositions or improvisations, this silent movie music is original: just what Fairbanks and Mary Pickford would have heard.

So what’s the music for “The Black Pirate” actually like?

“It’s firmly in the 19th century Romantic opera tradition,” says James, “like Richard Wagner. Each character has a theme, a leitmotiv—the captain, the ship, even the monkey has one. It’s rooted in the tradition of melodrama.”

Since the Rialto doesn’t have an organ, James will play a digital replica of a theater pipe organ, complete with sound effects like birdcalls and surf noises.

Being a pirate movie, what happens for cannon noises?

“It’s a cluster of bass drum, timpani roll, cymbals and low pedals all played together,” explains James. “What we in film music call ‘The Grand Crash.’”

“The Black Pirate” screens 7 p.m. July 6 at the Rialto Theater, 310 S. 9th St, Tacoma. Tickets are $15, and can be purchased from LeRoy Jewelers, Glenna’s Clothing, King’s Books and the Broadway Center box office (Sunday only.)