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I actually saw Annie Fischer in a recital in Boston in 1989 or 1990. Because she had been taught by a pupil of Liszt, she had a different posture at the piano than we are accustomed to and her hands moved across the keyboard in a different manner as well. However, the music was sublime, warm, human even with a couple of minor errors. The next night I drove to Manchester New Hampshire to hear her perform Mozart Piano Concertos with the New Hampshire Symphony. The conductor looked like Ichabod Crane of Sleepy Hollow and he had an extremely difficult beat for the orchestra to follow, but they managed to play and she was absolutely wonderful. I had earlier versions of Fischer playing Mozart but not other composers so I jumped at the chance to get this icon set. Highly recommended. Pure virtuosity without musicality makes for sterile, "high tech" performances. For me, musicality always wins over pure technique. Get this set and enjoy.

I am an unabashed fan of Annie Fischer, and I already had most of the recordings in this set in prior guises. I jumped at the chance to have them all. There is no weak link here, and the set is warranted for the Beethoven alone, or the Mozart alone, or the Bartok alone. Getting all those, and more, makes this a steal.

I will simply repeat what I just said about Annie Fischer's recordings of the complete Beethoven sonatas in the 9-cd Hungaraton box: Luminous, profound, and in all ways wonderful. And indeed, I am so happy to have found these recordings.

I listened to this set just once, so far. But, it was a real eye-opener to me. Annie Fischer plays piano so intensively and passionately. I felt I was sitting so close to her, and engulfed into her music world!

I've been waiting for her performance of Schumann's Kreisleriana to come out on CD. I love it. I also love her complete collection of Beethoven's piano sonatas.

Wonderful, sensitive pianist. Great musician.

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Wonderful!

In his well-presented and interesting booklet text Leslie Gerber describes the Hungarian pianist Annie Fischer, 1914-95, making her Budapest debut aged eight and four years’ later touring as a concerto soloist. She toured Europe after winning the 1933 Franz Liszt International Piano Competition.Best known for her performances of Mozart and the later Romantic composers, with the exception of 1941-46 which, as a Jew, she spent in Sweden, most of her life was in Hungary, recording for the Hungaroton label [including a cycle of Beethoven’s piano sonatas set down between 1977 and 1992, and which she did not approve of so that they were only released after her death].Although convinced that the interaction with an audience was key for an insightful performance she also recorded a series of performances in London between 1955-66 and these are presented in this 8CD set together with Schumann’s ‘Kinderszenen’ and ‘Kreisleriana’ both recorded in Vienna in 1964.There are eight piano concerti – Mozart’s Number 20 and 23 with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Sir Adrian Boult, 1889-1983, No. 21 with the same orchestra under Wolfgang Sawallisch, 1923-2013, and Nos 24 and 27 with the New Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Efrem Kurz, 1900-95. Both the Schumann and Liszt concerti are played by the Philharmonia Orchestra and Otto Klemperer, 1886- 1973, [his only recording of Liszt’s music] whilst Igor Markevitch, 1912-83, conducts the London Symphony Orchestra in Bartók’s Third Piano Concerto that is also the earliest performance, from 1955.To these are added seven of Beethoven’s piano sonatas [Pathétique, Moonlight, Waldstein and Nos 18, 24, 30 and 32], Schubert’s Sonata D. 960 and his Impromptus nos 2 and 4, Schumann’s Fantasy in C, Op. 17, Carnival and the two works from Vienna. Nine hours of musical imagination and elegance.The Mozart concerti have sympathetic support from the conductors and the sound quality allows the piano and orchestra as a whole and its individual members to be distinguished. Rather surprisingly there is only one performance of a work by Bartók, a composer whose work she regularly included in her recitals, but it is difficult to say which of the other tracks on these eight discs might be omitted to add a second piece by her fellow Hungarian.Whilst the musical meeting of minds between Klemperer and Fischer was not exactly complete [even though they were close friends], that cannot be said of the other conductors heard here. In all cases the orchestras are typical of the period in being large but, in the face of these interpretations, this did not bother me unduly.The works for solo piano emphasise Fischer’s vigorous but never exaggerated response and, especially in the two Schubert Impromtus, her delicacy and spontaneity reveals the music as if for the first time. If only some archivist could uncover the complete set.It may be that, in the face of exaggerated performances by many contemporary male pianists, Fischer’s refined playing suggested a lack of passion or involvement but it is still hard to understand why her reputation was not higher. There are so many subtle shifts of balance and colour that may have gone unnoticed in the concert hall but are revealed in all their delicacy by the CD format.The nuances of sound and tempi of the two extended Schumann works paint pictures that are especially vivid and, even allowing for the somewhat historic sound, would be high on the list of authoritative performances of these works, especially Kinderszenen that reflects looking back on childhood through the eyes of an adult.Gerber concludes by writing that, in the absence of many of the pianist’s Hungaroton recorded performances, some live, ‘We are fortunate to have this major portion of Annie Fischer’s recordings available again, as a reminder of the accomplishments of this great artist and a source of great satisfaction’. Absolutely! And in this relatively inexpensive format too.

Excellent! Lovely to listen to one of my childhood's idol. Interpret Mozart wonderfully!

They talk about Horowitz Serkin Arrau Rubinstein Solomon Gieseking Shnabel and forgive me for those I have left out, as being the last of the great romantic pianists, but when you listen closely to Annie Fischer, Lili Kraus, Myra Hess, Clara Haskil, Ingrid Haebler, Wanda Landowka and forgive me for those I left out you realize the women were if not as good, even better. Annie's Beethoven puts that music in a higher dimension than most. I am addicted to her Schubert 960 and I would give anything to hear more Schubert having listened to the last two impromptus. Maybe such beautiful music is why we are around because we aren't really much good for this incredible planet.

Preciso che non sono un intenditore specialista di musica classica semplicemente potere ascoltare anche al lavoro questo genere musicale è ancora una delle poche gioie della vita.Da non specialista questa raccolta si aggiunge a quella di altri grandi Maestri del Piano, credo imprescindibile per godere di un ampio panorama dei più grandi esecutori del 900 e colma una mia lacuna.La sensibilità esecutiva si giova di un approccio femminile di straordinario valore.Qualità delle registrazioni adeguata considerata l'epoca.Rapporto qualità/prezzo molto favorevole.Altri aspetti comemrciali dell'acquisto in linea con l'usuale eccellenza.

Nice to tap into the sound, as it used to be when I was forming my musical views. Still very good today. Actually, this is excellent orchestral playing, nicely recorded, with the piano brilliantly supported. Solo playing is a revelation. To my shame, I was not familiar with Annie Fischer's Beethoven sonatas, a few of which are represented. Respect! This box would be a bargain at double the price.