Annie Fischer

Hungarian pianist Annie Fischer suffered reprisals for her Jewish background, but after the Second World War she enjoyed her international breakthough with Mozart playing of gentle elegance, supple virtuosity and dramatic power.

Sviatoslav Richter’s comment that Hungarian-born Annie Fischer (1914–1995) was ‘a great artist imbued with a spirit of greatness and genuine profundity’ is just a sign of the esteem in which her fellow musicians held her. Curiously, of all the mid-century pianists, she seems to have been among the least recorded due to her profound dislike of the studio. Winner of the Franz Liszt International Competition in 1933, she made recordings of Schumann and Liszt with Klemperer (a close friend), Bartók with Markevitch and Mozart with Sawallisch. She recorded over a 15-year period all the Beethoven sonatas for Hungaroton.

Annie Fischer’s ‘unerring awareness’ (David Threasher) of the shifting moods in the Schumann Piano Concerto has been caught in wonderful sound by the WDR engineers in this ‘live’ recording which has never been issued before.

In the two Beethoven works, ‘she is powerfully authoritative’ (David Threasher).

Both these ‘live’ recordings have never been published before.

Maurizio Pollini said Fischer’s playing was marked by ‘a childlike simplicity, immediacy and wonder’ while the distinguished writer Bryce Morrison commented on her ‘depth and spiritual serenity’. All these recordings are great additions to her relatively small discography.

Otto Klemperer's reputation as one of the greatest conductors of the second half of the 20th-century was founded principally on his interpretations of the main orchestral repertoire, but his interests ranged more widely than that. For many years, he was considered to be one of the greatest interpreters of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, and on this very important CD we have gathered several of his little-known performances of Bach's music, especially including the Magnificant and the Fifth Brandenburg Concerto, with the legendary Annie Fischer as pianist. In addition, we include two short pieces, an arrangement by Klemperer himself of one of the 'Anna Magdalena' Notebook miniatures, and the famous 'Air' from the Third Orchestral Suite. This is a rare and most valuable collector’s item.

Annie Fischer’s (July 5, 1914 - April 10, 1995) main teacher was Ernst von Dohnányi at the Budapest Music Academy. In 1933 she won the first prize at the International Liszt Competition and soon established an illustrious solo concert career. She was regularly invited to perform throughout Europe by the likes of Otto Klemperer, Ferenc Fricsay, Igor Markevich, Antal Dorati, Walfganf Sawalisch, Adrian Boult. and considered one of the most admired pianists of the 20th century. Her great qualities were the poetic, passionate and magically beautiful performances that created a special communication with the audience.