From both a technical and musical point of view, Mr. Leisner is now in superb shape. He moved easily through the brisk passagework and sharp accenting of the Ginastera Sonata, and his approach to the work's many coloristic effects was remarkably fluent and free-spirited. Riffs became developed themes, simple chord progressions took on interesting harmonic twists, and momentary illusions of improvisation were created within what was clearly a tightly structured, evolving work. Mr. Leisner also played his own Passacaglia and Toccata, matched pair in which the Passacaglia unfolds calmly but insistently, with articulation and timbral effects woven into the musical fabric, and the Toccata is a virtuosic whirlwind. And he made an eloquent case for Richard Rodney Bennett's alternately flowing and pointillistic Sonata.
Some musical stories have happy endings.
David Leisner is living proof. The American classical guitarist left the concert stage in 1984 when a neuromuscular problem hit his right hand. He began performing again in 1991, but with alternate fingerings that lightly limited his ability. Leisner has been working at full steam since last year, when he fully recovered and dove once again into an extensive concert schedule. His recital Sunday afternoon at the Cleveland Museum of Art's Gartner Auditorium confirmed his technical health and artistic sensitivity.