Annie Fischer

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

Annie Fischer's recordings of K466 and K488 conducted by Boult and K467 and K482 conducted by Sawallisch have been reissued on Major Classics:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Favourite-Piano-Concertos-Mozart/dp/B00C6XBDKK/ref=sr_1_27?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1377964483&sr=1-27&keywords=mozart+piano+concertos

[Barbirollians]

Annie Fischer's recordings of K466 and K488 conducted by Boult and K467 and K482 conducted by Sawallisch have been reissued on Major Classics:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Favourite-Pi...iano+concertos

Yes interesting that the Kurtz recording has been missed off on this release too.

[Barbirollians]

an Annie Fischer ICON box would be much welcomed by me .

And hey presto one turned up !

[Tony Halstead]

And hey presto one turned up !

Could you kindly point all we adoring Fischer fans in the right direction, please?

[Barbirollians]

Could you kindly point all we adoring Fischer fans in the right direction, please?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Annie-Fischer-Complete-London-Recordings/dp/B00I3LJQYO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398274562&sr=8-1&keywords=icon+annie+fischer

[Tony Halstead]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Annie-Fische...+annie+fischer

Many thanks - I've just ordered it!

[Barbirollians]

An Annie Fischer CD new to me and surprisingly it seems one of those rare BBC Legends CDs to have avoided the chop. Schumann Carnaval from 1963 in one of the liveliest and sharply characterised accounts I have ever heard and then Op10 no 3 and Op31 no 1 - both marvellous and the former with a shockingly dark and unconsoling Largo . Snap it up I say .

[Barbirollians]

Although I am conscious that I am talking to myself on this thread three evenings listening to this CD has just reinforced to me what outstanding performances they are .There may be a slip or two but the intelligence and energy of the playing is stunning . I feel I may have to invest in that expensive hungaroton set of the complete sonatas .

[richardfinegold]

Although I am conscious that I am talking to myself on this thread three evenings listening to this CD has just reinforced to me what outstanding performances they are .There may be a slip or two but the intelligence and energy of the playing is stunning . I feel I may have to invest in that expensive hungaroton set of the complete sonatas .

I have that Hungaraton set, and it is stunning. It is the most consistently satisfying of all the complete sets that I own.
I have been tempted by the other discs that you mention.

[french frank]

Although I am conscious that I am talking to myself on this thread

Doesn't mean there aren't eavesdroppers …

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Doesn't mean there aren't eavesdroppers …

[Ferretfancy]

After a couple of weeks in the Lakes I've just managed to hear the BBC Legends disc-what a splendid version of Carnaval! So many performers seem to think that it's necessary to be capricious throughout, with constant tempo changes and an attempt to play any presto passages as fast as possible. Not so Annie Fischer. The opening preambule doesn't turn into a hectic rush after the opening maestoso, and from there on there's wonderful dynamic shading. It's also a great change to hear 'Chopin' played agitato as marked, other pianists give us a slow romanticised approach, which is often touching but not as marked.

All in all, this is a superb performance which makes a well know favourite completely fresh

On my equipment the 1963 mono recording for the Schumann sounds better to my ears than the 1987 Beethoven, the latter is fine but the internal detail is less clear.

[Barbirollians]

After a couple of weeks in the Lakes I've just managed to hear the BBC Legends disc-what a splendid version of Carnaval! So many performers seem to think that it's necessary to be capricious throughout, with constant tempo changes and an attempt to play any presto passages as fast as possible. Not so Annie Fischer. The opening preambule doesn't turn into a hectic rush after the opening maestoso, and from there on there's wonderful dynamic shading. It's also a great change to hear 'Chopin' played agitato as marked, other pianists give us a slow romanticised approach, which is often touching but not as marked.

All in all, this is a superb performance which makes a well know favourite completely fresh

On my equipment the 1963 mono recording for the Schumann sounds better to my ears than the 1987 Beethoven, the latter is fine but the internal detail is less clear.

I agree - it is a remarkably good recording for its age . I wonder , however, if some of the clarity comes from her playing being a little more technically accurate in 1963 .

[Barbirollians]

Away from the frenzy of the Schumann Concerto BAL I can strongly recommend the Audite CD of the Piano Concerto with Fischer/Giulini . I would possibly rate it above the recording with Keilberth I mentioned in my OP.

It is coupled with a very sparkly Beethoven 2 with Fleisher and Szell apparently recorded shortly before he went down with the condition they affected his right hand got so many years - very different playing but equally wonderful .

A record I think our old friend Ferretfancy might well like if he is looking in .

[gurnemanz]

Away from the frenzy of the Schumann Concerto BAL I can strongly recommend the Audite CD of the Piano Concerto with Fischer/Giulini . I would possibly rate it above the recording with Keilberth I mentioned in my OP.

It is coupled with a very sparkly Beethoven 2 with Fleisher and Szell apparently recorded shortly before he went down with the condition they affected his right hand got so many years - very different playing but equally wonderful .

A record I think our old friend Ferretfancy might well like if he is looking in .

The BaL "winner" Andras Schiff was a also great admirer of Annie Fischer, (“never heard more poetic playing in my life.”).

Glancing back down this thread I notice I confessed in 2013 to not owning a single Annie Fischer CD. I have since remedied this to good effect and at a modest outlay by getting the excellent 10CD Milestones box, issued in 2017, which amongst many other gems also contains the above-mentioned Schumann Concerto with Giulini.