Annie Fischer, the
great Hungarian pianist, who died in
1995, was in her mid-forties when these
superlative performances were committed
to disc. She was at the height of her
powers, and had as her collaborators
in Wolfgang Sawallisch and the Philharmonia.
In Sawallisch she had a conductor who
could respond whole-heartedly to her
aesthetic and as for the Philharmonia
this was certainly one of the best orchestras
in the world at that time.
The trick with Mozart’s
concertos is to be subtle without ever
being twee, and Fischer knew exactly
how to do that. As the liner-notes point
out, her first entry in the C major
concerto is masterly, sidling in almost
apologetically amidst the woodwind conversation.
The middle movement of each concerto
is probably quite a bit slower than
we have come to expect of a Mozart Andante
these days. But that’s no bad thing,
for Fischer and Sawallisch are able
to give the music space and time without
undue indulgence. This performance of
the ‘dream Andante’ of the C major,
long before Elvira Madigan was
thought of, is perfection; the dreaminess
is there, captured with ineffable beauty,
but so are the uncomfortable twinges
of realism that keep intruding. The
finale of K.467 is again on the slow
side of Mozart’s prescribed Allegro
assai vivace, but has everything
you would want in terms of wit and élan.
K.482 is one of the
very finest of the Mozart keyboard concertos,
with its majestic opening Allegro,
its surprisingly dour Andante,
and the serenade-like episode that interrupts
the jolly finale. Fischer is devastating
in the profoundly emotional solo passages
of the Andante, and Sawallisch
and the orchestra, particularly the
fine woodwind soloists, respond magnificently.
The recording was in
the absolute top class for its day,
and this excellent transfer job by EMI
means that it has come up sounding fresh
as a daisy, and completely natural.
An issue for which the word ‘great’
is in no way misplaced.
Gwyn Parry-Jones
EMI
Great Recordings of the Century
An issue for which the word ‘great’
is in no way misplaced. ... see Full
Review
Annie Fischer, piano