Three major performers – Leila Josefowicz, Vladimir Feltsman and Leon Fleisher – will join a few friends and play some of their favorite pieces during La Jolla Music Society SummerFest's “An Evening With ” series. We asked them why they chose the music and what it means to them.

Pianist Leon Fleisher appears in his “80th Birthday Celebration” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at La Jolla's Sherwood Auditorium in the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego; (858) 459-3728 or LaJollaMusicSociety.org.

His program:

Bach's “Sheep May Safely Graze” from Cantata 208 (arranged by Egon Petri), “Capriccio” in B-Flat Major (“On the Departure of his Most Beloved Brother”), and “Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue”: “I chose these pieces because they make a very interesting overview of Bach. I play 'Sheep' as a kind of mantra – it's extraordinarily beautiful and really sets a mood, an atmosphere, for sitting and listening to music. The 'Capriccio' is unique in Bach's output in that it's the only instrumental piece that tells a story. And the 'Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue' is one of Bach's most dramatic instrumental pieces – very accessible and exciting.”

Bach's “Chaconne” from the Partita No. 2 for Solo Violin (arranged for piano left-hand by Johannes Brahms): “Playing the piano with only my left hand feels natural to me.” (Fleisher learned to rely on his left hand when his right was afflicted by the debilitating neurological ailment focal dystonia.) The condition with my right hand is in a constant state of flux – that's one of the things that makes it so fascinating. I'm often not sure how my right hand is going to behave when I go on stage.”

Schubert's “Fantasie” in F Minor for Piano Four-Hands: “My wife (Katherine Jacobson Fleisher) and I do between 15 and 20 recitals together each season, and Schubert's 'Fantasie' and Ravel's 'La Valse' are two of our favorite pieces. We're delighted to share them with listeners. The 'Fantasie' is one of Schubert's loftiest and most transcendent works – the haunting quality of the opening stays with you.”

Ravel's “La Valse” for Piano Four-Hands (arranged by Lucien Garbon): “We try to duplicate the instrumental colors of the orchestral version. I make sounds like harps; Kathy makes sounds like a trumpet. I do the pedaling for both of us. Pedaling is a big responsibility, and to say we've had many discussions is putting it nicely. Fortunately, 'irreconcilable pedaling' isn't grounds for divorce – at least, not yet.”

– VALERIE SCHER