At the age of 10, Buffalo-born Leonard Pennario moved with his family to Los Angeles. L.A. would remain his base of operations for the rest of his career. He made his first recordings for Capitol Records in 1950 (over 40 albums were pressed). By 1959, he was the best-selling American pianist.
This Sunday night on “The Lost Chord,” we’ll hear highlights from Pennario’s Capitol catalogue, remastered for a 4-CD set on the MSR label. Tune in to enjoy his superlative interpretations of Prokofiev’s “Visions fugitives,” Ravel’s “La valse,” and the rarely-heard Piano Sonata by Miklós Rózsa.
I’d love to tell you more – about Pennario’s remarkable development and early triumphs, his professional relationships with top-tier musicians and personal ones with Hollywood glitterati, his ambivalent reception by the critics and his excellence at bridge – but my eyes are watering so badly from a cold right now, I’m afraid you’re just going to have to listen to the show!
I hope you’ll join me for “Go West, Young Man” – Leonard Pennario in Los Angeles – this Sunday night at 10:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.
Note that that’s STANDARD time. Hope you remembered to change your clocks!