Leon Fleisher, a grizzled bear of a man, sits slightly crumpled in a chair at his publisher's office, somewhat worn for wear. But his eyes are as probing as searchlights. That's not surprising. The 82-year-old pianist has a reputation for piercing to the heart of things with the lyrical insights of a poet; students at the Peabody Institute have even nicknamed him "Obi-Wan Kenobi" in an affectionate reference to the wise Jedi knight from "Star Wars."

We are together to talk about his new autobiography, written with Anne Midgette,...