# Annie Fischer



## DavidA

I've recently added to my collection recordings by the late Annie Fischer, the Hungarian pianist who in my opinion was one of the really great pianists of the last century. How do others feel about her and what recordings can you recommend?


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## aajj

I count her among the best for Mozart and Schubert sonatas, as well as Mozart piano concertos. Her touch, her feel, is perfection.


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## Triplets

I just listened to her recording of Beethoven's Pathetique today. Her cycle of the Beethoven Sonatas is the most consistently enjoyable one that I own.


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## hpowders

I have the complete Annie Fischer Beethoven sonata set on Hungaraton.

Every so often I play the entire set from first to last.

The only problem is the CDs are a mish-mash and completely out of chronological order.


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## Triplets

hpowders said:


> I have the complete Annie Fischer Beethoven sonata set on Hungaraton.
> 
> Every so often I play the entire set from first to last.
> 
> The only problem is the CDs are a mish-mash and completely out of chronological order.


Agreed. I have burned them to a hard drive and made my own play lists.


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## Dirge

My two favorite Annie Fischer recordings can be found on the BBC Legends disc of her 1961 Edinburgh Festival recital: Bartók's 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs and Brahms's Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5. To those recordings I might also add her 1955 EMI studio recording of Bartók's Piano Concerto No. 3 with Markevitch and the LSO, if only for the magically atmospheric, goose bump-inducing account of the slow movement-_brrrrrr._

I like a fair number of her other recordings as well, especially of Schumann, but these three stand out to me as sounding so utterly "right" and "in the groove" that it's hard to accept the works played any other way. Indeed, her account of the 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs features the most compellingly natural Bartók playing that I've heard in this or any Bartók piano work, including the playing heard in Bartók's own recordings. Her playing is earthy and strong without crustiness or banging, her phrasing to the manner born, her peasants a poor but proud lot.

Brahms's somewhat wild and woolly F-minor Sonata is a touchy work to put across (or so it seems to me): reign it in too much, play it too formally and strictly, and you break its spirit; loosen the reigns too much, let it get away from you, and form/structure become too vaguely defined for the listener to latch on to. For me, Fischer somehow manages to get the best of both worlds, and hers is the only recording of the work that I listen to these days. (I'm not generally a fan of this work, so this might be an account of the Brahms F-minor Sonata for those who don't normally cotton to the Brahms F-minor Sonata.)


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## Celiac Artery

DavidA said:


> I've recently added to my collection recordings by the late Annie Fischer, the Hungarian pianist who in my opinion was one of the really great pianists of the last century. How do others feel about her and what recordings can you recommend?


LOVE her. Probably my favorite pianist for the Beethoven sonatas in general. I recommend the entire Beethoven cycle. I do not know much about her interpretations of other composers though.


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## Viardots

Here's sharing a website specially devoted to Annie Fischer's life, career, artistry and recorded legacy (both studio and live), together with many wonderful rare photos. It has been developed and established by a devoted fan based in Toronto, Canada.

I had posted the website in another thread under "Musicians"

The website can be accessed via the following link. Once you enter the website, it automatically plays a live recording of her performance of Schubert's Impromptu Op. 90, No. 3 in G flat major (played as an encore after an all-Beethoven programme in a solo recital in Toronto on 4 March 1986; since she never recorded this piece commercially and this is her only recorded performance of the work, it is all the more precious):

http://yuanhuang.wix.com/annie-fischer


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## Albert7

I want to get this:


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## Dave Whitmore

I've just become a fan! Listening to her play my favourite piano concerto, Mozart's 21st, is giving me chills!


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## Mandryka

DavidA said:


> I've recently added to my collection recordings by the late Annie Fischer, the Hungarian pianist who in my opinion was one of the really great pianists of the last century. How do others feel about her and what recordings can you recommend?


Apart from the Hungaroton Beethoven sonatas, you may want to try her BBC recordings of the Schumann Fantasie, Bartok Hungarian Peasant Songs and Liszt's Un Sospiro. Her Schumanm Fantasie is, IMO, the most impressive recording of that piece made my anyone, because of they way she uses the percussive piano timbres to illustrate the musical structure. For once the Fantasie is revealed to be more interesting than a romantic effusion.

Personally I'm less of a fan of her Mozart and Beethoven concertos. The Beethoven PC3 with Fricsay on DG is clearly a major achievement though. Be careful, she recorded it twice with Fricsay, and the DG one is more successful. You may also enjoy the Mozart concertos with Kurtz, they're certainly worth trying.


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## Albert7

Dave Whitmore said:


> I've just become a fan! Listening to her play my favourite piano concerto, Mozart's 21st, is giving me chills!


Same here when I first heard her playing a few months ago.


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## Viardots

albertfallickwang said:


> Same here when I first heard her playing a few months ago.


Fischer recorded K467 two times, the first for EMI in 1958 with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch, the second in 1965 for Hungaroton with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra under Ervin Lukacs. The EMI version is excellent, but on the whole, I personally prefer the Hungaroton version. EMI's rather distant and murky acoustic vitiates the impact of Fischer's playing by lending a bizarre opaqueness to her tone, whereas Hungaroton's drier, boxier, close-miked acoustic enhances the fiery intensity of Fischer's 1965 rendition.

The same observation applies to the two versions of K466 that Fischer recorded [1959 for EMI with the Philharmonia O under Adrian Boult; 1965 for Hungaroton with the Budapest SO under Lukacs]

To anyone interested in Fischer's Mozart, I would recommend the 1965 Hungaroton versions of K466 & K467 without any hesitation, with her EMI recordings of K466, K467, K482, K488, K491 and K595 suggested as supplement.

Concerning K488 - Fischer's 1959 EMI studio version with the Philharmonia O under Boult is very good, but if one is interested in Fischer in this particular concerto, one should consider saving up money and getting the 1961 George Enescu International Festival live recordings edition:

http://www.amazon.com/Richter-Rozhdestvensky-Szeryng-Ciccolini-Fischer/dp/B00HX25C7O/ref=cm_rdp_product

The set can also be found on ebay by searching with the key words "George Enescu Festival".

Her live performance of the same work on 15 September 1961 in Bucharest is arguably more alive and inspired than the EMI studio recording. The piano was placed quite forward in the live radio recording and Fischer's articulation sounds crisper and clearer compared to EMI's early stereo sonic. While the Romanian National Orchestra under Constantin Bugeanu was not on the same level as the Philharmonia O and Boult, they were at least serviceable and accompanied Fischer with sensitivity.


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## Albert7

Thanks for the recommendation. I promise to catch up after my Morton Feldman month is over.


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## DavidA

As an introduction to Annie Fischer's playing, I would heartily recommend this ICON set which has some superb Mozart concertos, Schumann, Schubert, Beethoven, etc.. Really a very good investment in great piano playing:


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## hpowders

Annie Fischer was not just a Beethoven specialist. As a Hungarian, she championed Bartók's music.

She also left definitive performances of Mozart and Schubert.


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## Viardots

DavidA said:


> As an introduction to Annie Fischer's playing, I would heartily recommend this ICON set which has some superb Mozart concertos, Schumann, Schubert, Beethoven, etc.. Really a very good investment in great piano playing


The Warner Icon box set of her complete EMI studio recordings is certainly a very good introduction to anyone new to Annie Fischer, given its wide range of selections. But if one is ready to become a seasoned fan of this great pianist, it is simply not enough.

Apart from the Warner Icon box set and the complete Beethoven piano sonatas set on Hungaroton, another essential acquisition for Fischer fans is the Centennial Collection set published by Hungaroton last year to commemorate her 100th birthday. Her re-recordings of Mozart's K466 & K467 (1965) and Schubert's D960 (1968), IMHO, better her efforts for EMI. The Hungaroton Centennial set also contains her classic 1953 recording of Liszt's Sonata in b minor. As for her re-recording of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Budapest Symphony under Herbert Esser (1966), while the orchestral support is not on par with that of the Bavarian State Orchestra under Ferenc Fricsay in her earlier DG recording (1957), Fischer's playing suffers no loss of power and coherence at all and Hungaroton's boxier, drier, closer-miked acoustic actually lends a greater degree of intimacy to Fischer's playing of the quieter, more introspective passages:









Seasoned fans-to-be are also recommended to snap up her live BBC radio broadcast recordings on BBC Legends while they are still available for purchase from amazon.com or amazon.co.uk marketplace sellers (not many copies are left):


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## Viardots

Also highly recommended are her Cologne Radio broadcast recordings made in 1957-8. The Beethoven Eroica Variations (Op. 35) and Piano Sonata No. 30 (Op. 109) are transcendent. The Schumann piano concerto recorded with Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra under Joseph Keilberth in 1958 is, IMO, one of the most touching and moving recorded performances of this work. The start of the development section in the first movement has a most inward twilight poetry that is simply magical:


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## Mandryka

anniefischer said:


> Also highly recommended are her Cologne Radio broadcast recordings made in 1957-8. The Beethoven Eroica Variations (Op. 35) and Piano Sonata No. 30 (Op. 109) are transcendent. The Schumann piano concerto recorded with Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra under Joseph Keilberth in 1958 is, IMO, one of the most touching and moving recorded performances of this work. The start of the development section in the first movement has a most inward twilight poetry that is simply magical:
> 
> View attachment 65512


Agreed............


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## Viardots

Meloclassic, an independent label specializing in rare live and radio broadcast recordings of famous artists, as well as those of many now virtually forgotten ones from the early-mid 20th century, released a CD devoted to Fischer's radio broadcast recordings in Frankfurt and Paris (1957 and 1959 respectively) last year as a timely tribute to her on the occasion of her 100th birthday commemoration.

Detailed content of the CD is given as follows:

1-3. BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No.8 in C minor, Op.13 
4-6. MOZART: Piano Sonata in F Major, K.332 
Recorded · 14 February 1957 · Frankfurt · Hessischer Rundfunk · Raum 3/C · Radio Studio Recording

7. HÄNDEL: Chaconne in G Major, HWV.435
8-9. BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No.24 in F-sharp Major, Op.78
10. SCHUBERT: Impromptu No.1 in F minor, D.935
11. SCHUBERT: Impromptu No.2 in A-flat Major, D.935 
12. SCHUBERT: Impromptu No.4 in F minor, D.935 
13. BARTÓK: 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs, Sz.71 
Recorded · 02 January 1959 · Paris · Studio 107 · Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française · Radio Studio Recording

The CD can still be ordered from Meloclassic's official website: http://www.meloclassic.com/

The sonic quality of these radio recordings is a bit dry, but the piano tone comes out crisp and clear, conveying Fischer's pianistic and interpretive powers quite vividly. All performances on this disc are worth having, with the Mozart F major sonata, the Handel Chaconne, the Schubert Impromptus and the Hungarian Peasant Songs by Bartok standing out as the highlights of the disc.


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## Viardots

Hungaroton, the state-owned record company in Fischer's home country, re-released her complete Beethoven sonata cycle (given a new packaging) and other recordings made for the company ("The Centennial Collection") last year to commemorate her 100th birthday, yet the real highlight of Hungaroton's commemoration effort is the first-ever release of bootleg recordings of her live concert in Budapest (1977, 1978) and Szolnok (1994, her last concert). Included in this release are Fischer's performances of works for which no other recorded evidence exist - Chopin's Ballade No. 3 and Sonata No. 2; Schumann's Sonata No. 1. There is also the only recording available at the moment of Fischer's recording of Schubert's Impromptu in B flat, Op. 135 No. 3, played in a concert in Budapest in 1977 (This work was included in the programme of Fischer's concert in Moscow in 1951 - the live recording, available some years ago on a CD released by the pirate label Dante, can no longer be found). The existence of these live concert recording owe entirely to the effort and perseverance of an ardent Fischer fan named Anna Dévény, who captured these concert using a portable tape recorder. The sound of these bootleg recordings, inevitably, is less than ideal, but Fischer's prowess, imagination and inspiration are on their fullest display when performing live in front of an audience and without any knowledge at all of herself being recorded. Taken together, this is truly precious and valuable release that no doubt adds significantly to our knowledge and appreciation of Fischer.

Telling us more about this milestone release is Lynn René Bayley, another ardent Fischer fan, in a review published in the March/April 2015 issue of the Fanfare magazine:

"This first-ever release of live concert material by Annie Fischer is titled Encore In Concert, and as the notes relate it is due to the perseverance of one Anna Dévény that we have these documents at all. Fischer was notoriously microphone-shy, even more so than Sviatoslav Richter or Toscanini, and sometimes even the knowledge that a concert was being recorded would inhibit her creative juices. She always gave of herself in an uninhibited fashion when she didn't know microphones would be present, thus Dévény was very careful to hide this fact from her when these concerts were given. (Dévény, who was not personally acquainted with Fischer until her last years, also collected programs, reviews of Fischer's playing, and any writings about her, some of them copied by hand if necessary.)

I must point out, however, that although these recordings are indeed "stereo," they were recorded by Dévény with a portable ITT tape recorder. These recordings have been very well cleaned up, re-equalized, and made listenable by engineer János Györi, but one needs to take this factor into account when approaching these performances. The artistry contained on them is first-rate, at times astounding, but the sound quality will not tickle your fancy if you are an HD/SACD enthusiast.

That being said, what Fischer does with much of this music, particularly the Schubert Impromptus (in the last of which her fingers seem to fly over the keys almost of their own volition) and the Chopin material, is absolutely stunning. She uses her full imagination to shape and color phrases in her own fashion, and one can hear the musical brinksmanship she brought to bear in her unique set of Beethoven's piano sonatas (which, the liner notes tell us, she did give permission to release posthumously). Fischer was a master of rhetorical phrasing, a mode of expression that was part and parcel of the Romantic school of pianism that had pretty much died out by the time these recitals were given-except in the hands of musicians left over from that era, like Cherkassky, Rubinstein, and Fischer herself. In a certain sense this style had to die out because it was too difficult to pursue unless the artist had the highest sense of integrity and artistic sensibilities. Like the "bel canto" school of singing, in which numerous rubato effects, rallentandos, and an assortment of decorative fiddlybits were inserted into the music at will (and, sometimes, apparently, at random), it was simply too difficult to allow artists to pursue this style without risk of overdoing it. Thus the artistic clock of our time allowed the sands in the hourglass to run out on Shura Cherkassky and Annie Fischer, preserving their performances as best they could until they were no more, but not encouraging new artists to play the same way. Occasionally we still get the odd eccentric who follows his or her own muse stylistically, but by and large these recordings are a window on a vanished musical world.

The Chopin Ballade is notable since it comes from her last-ever public concert, in Szolnok, Hungary, on October 24, 1994. All that was programmed was the Mozart Piano Concerto in D Minor, and according to the booklet she stated beforehand that she would not play any encores. Yet the public reception to her performance of the Mozart was so enthusiastic and vociferous that Fischer "resignedly" went back to the piano and began playing encores … loads of them, Schubert, Chopin, and Liszt, eventually far exceeding the time she had spent playing the Mozart Concerto. Ironically, this late performance has thinner, tinnier sound than the 1977 recording; a bit of treble reduction and both mid-range and bass boost works wonders on it. But what a performance! It has a peculiar energy all its own, as if Fischer knew that this was going to be the last time she would appear in public and wanted to give her audience everything she had left. About three quarters of the way through it, Fischer suddenly hits upon a dark mood, using the sustain pedal to run the notes together, from which she only emerges when she returns to the principal melody.

The concert of February 7, 1978, from which we get the Schumann Fantasie and Chopin Sonata, is also somewhat tinnily recorded, so get your audio editor ready for these tracks, too. Fischer was in a particularly feisty mood on this occasion, making these performances smolder with intensity (despite a couple of finger slips in the second movement of the Schumann work). This feeling of nervous impulsivity (for lack of a better term) also informs her interpretation of the Chopin Sonata, bringing the Polish composer's music more in line with her concept of, say, Beethoven or Liszt (who was also a friend of Chopin's). In our modern era of trying to perform works the way we imagine the composer did, or at least as was done in the composer's lifetime, an out-of-center interpretation like Fischer's may seem strange if not a willful distortion of the composer's "intent"; but who knows what the composer really "intended" in this work, or whether or not he played it the same way each time? Perhaps Chopin himself once played, for instance, the Scherzo of this sonata with the same kind of feverish intensity that Fischer brings to bear on it, transforming it into a miniature Mephisto Waltz in the outer sections with a surprisingly tender nocturne-like mood in the middle, or maybe not. The important thing is, the score can bear this kind of interpretation, and I've not heard any other pianist attempt this. She also slightly accelerates the tempo during the major-key, plaintive melody in the midst of the Funeral March while playing the march itself rather slower.

Her performance here of the well known Kinderszenen is more playful, to my ears, as well as more structurally "bound" as a cycle than many other performances, even those of Clara Haskil, although "Träumerai" receives an especially relaxed and wistful reading. But this fine performance is eclipsed by her smoldering interpretation of the Schumann Sonata, in which she digs deep into the keys to pull out some of the most remarkable sonorities ever heard from a keyboard (and this despite the less-than-perfect sound). At times she sets up a motor rhythm that allows her to take the music in stride, at other times she pulls back on the tempo and broadens the phrase with telling effect, at still others she digs into the bass notes like a panther prowling underbrush for its prey, but at no time is she predictable, mechanical, or lacking the right feeling for each specific phrase.

For those of us who are already Fischer aficionados, this set is a must despite the less-than-ideal sound and a pretty good but not great Kinderszenen. For those who have not yet discovered Fischer, you might want to start with her BBC Legends CD, which is in better sound and also contains some surprising performances, but sooner or later you'll want this one, too." (Lynn René Bayley)


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## Viardots

View attachment 65529
View attachment 65530


Hungaroton, the state-owned record company in Fischer's home country, re-released her complete Beethoven sonata cycle (given a new packaging) and other recordings made for the company ("The Centennial Collection") in 2014 to commemorate her 100th birthday, yet the real highlight of Hungaroton's commemoration effort is the first-ever release of bootleg recordings of her live concert in Budapest (1977, 1978) and Szolnok (1994, her last concert). Included in this release are Fischer's performances of works for which no other recorded evidence exists - Chopin's Ballade No. 3 and Sonata No. 2; Schumann's Sonata No. 1. There is also the only recording available at the moment of Fischer's performance of Schubert's Impromptu in B flat, Op. 135 No. 3, played in a concert in Budapest in 1977 (This work was included in the programme of Fischer's concert in Moscow in 1951 - the live recording, available some years ago on a CD released by the pirate label Dante, can no longer be found). The existence of these live concert recordings owe entirely to the effort and perseverance of an ardent Fischer fan named Anna Dévény, who captured these concerts using a portable tape recorder. The sound of these bootleg recordings, inevitably, is less than ideal, but Fischer's prowess, imagination and inspiration are on their fullest display when performing live in front of an audience and without any knowledge at all of herself being recorded. Taken together, this is a truly precious and valuable release that no doubt adds significantly to our knowledge and appreciation of this great pianist.

Telling us more about this milestone release is Lynn René Bayley, another ardent Fischer fan, in a review published in the March/April 2015 issue of the Fanfare magazine:

"This first-ever release of live concert material by Annie Fischer is titled Encore In Concert, and as the notes relate it is due to the perseverance of one Anna Dévény that we have these documents at all. Fischer was notoriously microphone-shy, even more so than Sviatoslav Richter or Toscanini, and sometimes even the knowledge that a concert was being recorded would inhibit her creative juices. She always gave of herself in an uninhibited fashion when she didn't know microphones would be present, thus Dévény was very careful to hide this fact from her when these concerts were given. (Dévény, who was not personally acquainted with Fischer until her last years, also collected programs, reviews of Fischer's playing, and any writings about her, some of them copied by hand if necessary.)

I must point out, however, that although these recordings are indeed "stereo," they were recorded by Dévény with a portable ITT tape recorder. These recordings have been very well cleaned up, re-equalized, and made listenable by engineer János Györi, but one needs to take this factor into account when approaching these performances. The artistry contained on them is first-rate, at times astounding, but the sound quality will not tickle your fancy if you are an HD/SACD enthusiast.

That being said, what Fischer does with much of this music, particularly the Schubert Impromptus (in the last of which her fingers seem to fly over the keys almost of their own volition) and the Chopin material, is absolutely stunning. She uses her full imagination to shape and color phrases in her own fashion, and one can hear the musical brinksmanship she brought to bear in her unique set of Beethoven's piano sonatas (which, the liner notes tell us, she did give permission to release posthumously). Fischer was a master of rhetorical phrasing, a mode of expression that was part and parcel of the Romantic school of pianism that had pretty much died out by the time these recitals were given-except in the hands of musicians left over from that era, like Cherkassky, Rubinstein, and Fischer herself. In a certain sense this style had to die out because it was too difficult to pursue unless the artist had the highest sense of integrity and artistic sensibilities. Like the "bel canto" school of singing, in which numerous rubato effects, rallentandos, and an assortment of decorative fiddlybits were inserted into the music at will (and, sometimes, apparently, at random), it was simply too difficult to allow artists to pursue this style without risk of overdoing it. Thus the artistic clock of our time allowed the sands in the hourglass to run out on Shura Cherkassky and Annie Fischer, preserving their performances as best they could until they were no more, but not encouraging new artists to play the same way. Occasionally we still get the odd eccentric who follows his or her own muse stylistically, but by and large these recordings are a window on a vanished musical world.

The Chopin Ballade is notable since it comes from her last-ever public concert, in Szolnok, Hungary, on October 24, 1994. All that was programmed was the Mozart Piano Concerto in D Minor, and according to the booklet she stated beforehand that she would not play any encores. Yet the public reception to her performance of the Mozart was so enthusiastic and vociferous that Fischer "resignedly" went back to the piano and began playing encores … loads of them, Schubert, Chopin, and Liszt, eventually far exceeding the time she had spent playing the Mozart Concerto. Ironically, this late performance has thinner, tinnier sound than the 1977 recording; a bit of treble reduction and both mid-range and bass boost works wonders on it. But what a performance! It has a peculiar energy all its own, as if Fischer knew that this was going to be the last time she would appear in public and wanted to give her audience everything she had left. About three quarters of the way through it, Fischer suddenly hits upon a dark mood, using the sustain pedal to run the notes together, from which she only emerges when she returns to the principal melody.

The concert of February 7, 1978, from which we get the Schumann Fantasie and Chopin Sonata, is also somewhat tinnily recorded, so get your audio editor ready for these tracks, too. Fischer was in a particularly feisty mood on this occasion, making these performances smolder with intensity (despite a couple of finger slips in the second movement of the Schumann work). This feeling of nervous impulsivity (for lack of a better term) also informs her interpretation of the Chopin Sonata, bringing the Polish composer's music more in line with her concept of, say, Beethoven or Liszt (who was also a friend of Chopin's). In our modern era of trying to perform works the way we imagine the composer did, or at least as was done in the composer's lifetime, an out-of-center interpretation like Fischer's may seem strange if not a willful distortion of the composer's "intent"; but who knows what the composer really "intended" in this work, or whether or not he played it the same way each time? Perhaps Chopin himself once played, for instance, the Scherzo of this sonata with the same kind of feverish intensity that Fischer brings to bear on it, transforming it into a miniature Mephisto Waltz in the outer sections with a surprisingly tender nocturne-like mood in the middle, or maybe not. The important thing is, the score can bear this kind of interpretation, and I've not heard any other pianist attempt this. She also slightly accelerates the tempo during the major-key, plaintive melody in the midst of the Funeral March while playing the march itself rather slower.

Her performance here of the well known Kinderszenen is more playful, to my ears, as well as more structurally "bound" as a cycle than many other performances, even those of Clara Haskil, although "Träumerai" receives an especially relaxed and wistful reading. But this fine performance is eclipsed by her smoldering interpretation of the Schumann Sonata, in which she digs deep into the keys to pull out some of the most remarkable sonorities ever heard from a keyboard (and this despite the less-than-perfect sound). At times she sets up a motor rhythm that allows her to take the music in stride, at other times she pulls back on the tempo and broadens the phrase with telling effect, at still others she digs into the bass notes like a panther prowling underbrush for its prey, but at no time is she predictable, mechanical, or lacking the right feeling for each specific phrase.

For those of us who are already Fischer aficionados, this set is a must despite the less-than-ideal sound and a pretty good but not great Kinderszenen. For those who have not yet discovered Fischer, you might want to start with her BBC Legends CD, which is in better sound and also contains some surprising performances, but sooner or later you'll want this one, too." (Lynn René Bayley)


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## Viardots

Sorry, duplicate post due apparently to a technical hiccup on the website while trying to post. Please delete.


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## Albert7

Thanks for the information on Annie Fischer. I skimmed through it and found it rather helpful .


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## Albert7

And now a video tribute to her wonderful beauty:


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## Viardots

Just uploaded to YouTube: Annie Fischer's live performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K488, at the George Enescu Festival in Bucharest, Romania, on 15 September 1961. She was accompanied by the Romanian National Radio Orchestra conducted by Constantin Bugeanu.


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## Albert7

anniefischer said:


> Just uploaded to YouTube: Annie Fischer's live performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K488, at the George Enescu Festival in Bucharest, Romania, on 15 September 1961. She was accompanied by the Romanian National Radio Orchestra conducted by Constantin Bugeanu.


We need a Fischer chanel on Youtube


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## leroy

Is her live BBC recording of Beethoven's piano sonata no 30 available on disk anywhere?


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## Viardots

leroy said:


> Is her live BBC recording of Beethoven's piano sonata no 30 available on disk anywhere?


Fischer's 1987 BBC radio broadcast recording of Beethoven's Sonata No. 30 had been available on Carlton Classics BBC Radio Classics series (released in 1996), together with No. 15 "Pastoral" (1977), No. 19 (1971) and No. 32 (1977):









The CD has long been out of print. One remaining copy, priced at 30 Pounds sterling, is available from a seller at amazon.co.uk marketplace:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beethoven-P...qid=1426017886&sr=1-40&keywords=annie+fischer

I uploaded the recording to YouTube last year. Here it is:


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## Alydon

'Ashtray Annie,' as she was affectionately referred to by many players for her devotion to cigarette smoking was certainly one of a handful of musicians who weren't only great, but also remarkable in that her range was massive, and her interpretations sound fresh-minted and have a certain rightness which sets them in a very special category. It was one of the musical crimes of the twentieth century that Phillips omitted her from their Great Pianists of the Century series, but this omission ironically, caused such a stir that Annie Fischer's genius received a higher profile than before.

I can't begin to improve on the fine recommendations already given, only to say as I write I'm listening to Annie Fisher's heavenly interpretation of Schubert's piano sonata D960, and could easily recommend it as a definitive version. In the face of such a performer it was not surprising to read that at her last ever concert in 1992, at the age of nearly 78, and smoking off the platform as much as ever, this frail woman played the fugue from Beethoven's Hammerklavier sonata as an encore; an endearing as well as heroic farewell from this titan of the keyboard.


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## Viardots

Alydon said:


> ...In the face of such a performer it was not surprising to read that at her last ever concert in 1992, at the age of nearly 78, and smoking off the platform as much as ever, this frail woman played the fugue from Beethoven's Hammerklavier sonata as an encore...


I guess you must have had read the _Gramophone_ magazine's obituary of Annie Fischer (in the July 1995 issue). In the obituary, what is mentioned there is "Annie Fischer decided a few years ago to retire and* her final London concert, given in June 1992*, concluded in unforgettable style. For her encore she chose the last movement of Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata......"

In fact, she continued to play in concerts into 1994. According to the pieces of information researched and gathered by Yuan Huang for his wonderful website devoted to Annie Fischer (http://yuanhuang.wix.com/annie-fischer), an independent classical music label in Japan, TOBU, had planned to release a CD that included a live performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 in Tokyo on June 20, 1994 (with the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jahja Lin). Unfortunately (and most frustratingly!), for unknown and unexplained reasons, the CD was never released as planned and publicized earlier:









In Hungaroton's Fischer centennial release of "Annie Fischer: Encore. In Concert", mentioned above in this very thread, the Chopin Ballade No. 3 was captured by the ardent and devoted Fischer fan Anna Dévény on portable tape recorder during a concert in *Szolnok, Hungary, on October 24, 1994*. The Chopin work was played as an encore after a performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20. According to the research work by Yuan Huang, *this was actually Fischer's last official concert*. She was considering a visit to Japan later on but the plan was eventually aborted due to deterioration of her health. Fischer passed away on April 10, 1995, in Budapest.


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## Viardots

Here, by the way, is the obituary published in the July 1995 issue of the _Gramophone_ magazine:









(Need to click two times, then magnify)


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## leroy

anniefischerfan said:


> Fischer's 1987 BBC radio broadcast recording of Beethoven's Sonata No. 30 had been available on Carlton Classics BBC Radio Classics series (released in 1996), together with No. 15 "Pastoral" (1977), No. 19 (1971) and No. 32 (1977):
> 
> View attachment 66026
> 
> 
> The CD has long been out of print. One remaining copy, priced at 30 Pounds sterling, is available from a seller at amazon.co.uk marketplace:
> 
> I uploaded the recording to YouTube last year. Here it is:


Thanks for the cd info, does it have the the clipping issues that are on the video or is that just your transfer?


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## Viardots

leroy said:


> Thanks for the cd info, does it have the the clipping issues that are on the video or is that just your transfer?


There is no clipping issue at all on the CD. The clipping issue in the video has entirely to do with the process of my transfer from CD to wav lossless audio file on the PC (probably caused by the boosting of volume). If you are interested in getting the CD, just grab that sole remaining second-hand copy from the Amazon.co.uk marketplace seller as soon as possible.


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## Mandryka

I listened to her Mozart 21 today with Ervin Lukács, a Hungaroton recording. I enjoyed the alert conducting and Fischer's very distinctive percussive tone. Is there anyone else who plays with a similar tone?


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## Viardots

Mandryka said:


> I listened to her Mozart 21 today with Ervin Lukács, a Hungaroton recording. I enjoyed the alert conducting and Fischer's very distinctive percussive tone. Is there anyone else who plays with a similar tone?


Fischer most likely played on a Bosendorfer, which, though one of the world's finest pianos, has an enervated and slightly wooden timbre.


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## Albert7

anniefischerfan said:


> Fischer most likely played on a Bosendorfer, which, though one of the world's finest pianos, has an enervated and slightly wooden timbre.


That is so awesome. Valentina Lisitsa also enjoys playing on a Bosendorfer as well so perhaps she is continuing her legacy here?


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## Mandryka

anniefischerfan said:


> Fischer most likely played on a Bosendorfer, which, though one of the world's finest pianos, has an enervated and slightly wooden timbre.


I wonder whether she used a Bosendorfer for the BBC Schumann fantasie I like so much. You make an interesting point because maybe it explains, or contributes to, her variability. I'm not so keen on the EMI Beethoven, for example, but I like the Hungaroton Beethoven.

Tons of pianists have recorded music using Bosendorfers - Schliessman, Woodward, Gulda, Ohlsson, Frager . . .


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## DavidA

It is 20 years since Annie Fischer's death

http://slippedisc.com/2015/04/the-most-gifted-hungarian-pianist-of-the-20th-century/


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## Brahmsian Colors

I feel Fischer was one of the truly greats. I wish her wonderful recording of Mozart's 21st Concerto with Ervin Lukacs conducting on Hungaroton was better recorded though. A real shame, since both the lp and cd sound too bright, at least to my ears. As for Mozart in the broader sense, my preference is for Clara Haskil, a contemporary of hers, whose style projects an abundance of gracefulness and sensitivity as well as authority.


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## silentio

I absolutely adore her. Her Mozart's PC are immense. I love her Bartok, Brahms, and Schubert too. I usually think of her as a Schnabel (for example the impulse with which she attacks the note ) with more finesse. 

Too bad, for me only, that she (and Schnabel) specialized in Beethoven, whose solo piano output I recognize the importance but always fail to connect to emotionally. Just wish she had performed more Bach, late Brahms and Haydn.


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## Pugg

silentio said:


> I absolutely adore her. Her Mozart's PC are immense. I love her Bartok, Brahms, and Schubert too. I usually think of her as a Schnabel (for example the impulse with which she attacks the note ) with more finesse.
> 
> Too bad, for me only, that she (and Schnabel) specialized in Beethoven, whose solo piano output I recognize the importance but always fail to connect to emotionally. Just wish she had performed more Bach, late Brahms and Haydn.


Perhaps she didn't like it that much.


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## Quartetfore

Heard her play in New York many years ago. I don`t remember very much about the concert, but I do remember that she was a very composed figure at the keyboard.QF


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## hpowders

I have Annie Fischer's complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas on Hungariton and it is very fine.

She was also terrific in Mozart and Schubert.


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## Pugg

Quartetfore said:


> Heard her play in New York many years ago. I don`t remember very much about the concert, but I do remember that she was a very composed figure at the keyboard.QF


Must have been a wonderful experience.


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## Quartetfore

Pugg said:


> Must have been a wonderful experience.


It was. It seems to me that today performers fell that they must "act out" the music rather then letting the music speak for its self. She of course did not. I wish that I could remember what she played, but I can`t.QF


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## jegreenwood

I am a contrarian on Annie. I know a lot of people love her Beethoven, but I'll take Arrau or Kempff. And a lot of the Goode cycle as well. The mediocre quality of the recordings does not help.

For those who want to sample her work, the entire cycle is now on Tidal. Probably Spotify as well.


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