Icon - Edwin Fischer: Piano Playing From The Heart

Edwin Fischer: piano

The Swiss pianist Edwin Fischer (1886–1960) first came to prominence in the 1920s. In 1932 he formed his own chamber orchestra, and was one of the first performers to be interested in presenting music of the Baroque era in an historically accurate way. Though his performances were not particularly historically accurate, he did conduct concertos by the likes of Bach and Mozart from the keyboard, which at the time was most unusual. His interpretations, even of Bach, were romantically conceived, but still compelling.
The first five CDs in this set are devoted to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, beginning with a number of keyboard concertos with Fischer as both soloist and conductor. Then comes Fischer's complete Well-Tempered Clavier, recorded between 1933 and 1936, which is one of the landmarks of the Bach discography. This recording remains the yardstick against which all pianists measure themselves in this repertoire.
CDs 6, 7 and 8 are devoted to music by Mozart and include a number of solo works as well as five major concertos, two of which are conducted from the keyboard by Fischer himself.
CDs 9 and 10 move to Beethoven and include a magnificent performance of the ‘Emperor’ Concerto conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler, as well as Concertos Nos 3 & 4 conducted by Fischer from the keyboard. Also heard are Beethoven’s ‘Pathétique’ and ‘Appassionata’ piano sonatas.
The next CD includes eight solo Impromptus and six Moments musicaux by Schubert, and the final CD is devoted to a live performance of Brahms’s Piano Concerto No.2 conducted by Furtwängler made at a concert in Berlin in November 1942, coupled with a 1939 studio recording of the Adagio from Furtwangler’s Symphonic Concerto in B minor.

Price: $199.98