At her peak, pianist Annie Fischer could let loose in front of an audience in ways that her studio recordings do not consistently reveal. This holds true for these live recital performances, all dating from 1977 and 1978, save for the 1994 Chopin Third Ballade. I suspect that they stem from stealth audience tapes, judging from the poor and often distorted sound quality. Still, Fischer’s ardent, impetuous, and engaging artistry usually manages to cut through the sonic crud.
In Schubert’s D. 935 Impromptus, Nos. 1 and 2 emerge with volatile mood shifts and dynamic extremes. No. 3 features lovely rubato touches and caressing scale passages, while No. 4 articulates the music’s metrical syncopations with less tension than in the pianist’s EMI studio traversal. The aforementioned Chopin Third Ballade is a model of controlled freedom, and features uncommon inflections and accents in the left-hand runs. The Schumann C major Fantasy and Kinderszenen warrant less commentary because one can easily find artistically comparable yet sonically and technically superior Fischer versions.
A pity that the Chopin B-flat minor sonata’s heavy wow and flutter renders Fischer’s tone as if she’s playing under water, for this is an exciting, risk-fraught account of a work that Fischer otherwise didn’t record. Similar comments apply to the Schumann First sonata, where we can only imagine the big juicy tone behind Fischer’s wild abandon and rhythmic swagger, rather than this ear-shredding, tinny reproduction. I was lucky enough to hear Fischer in person at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and believe me, her sound shook the room. Although my sonic caveats prevent a general recommendation, hard-core Annie Fischer enthusiasts will want to know about this release.
