Edwin Fischer - The Mozart Piano Concerto Recordings 1933 - 1947, Vol.3 (2000)

The record label APR has taken to transferring and reissuing much of the legendary pianist Edwin Fischer's recorded legacy and these Mozart recordings are arguably the most revealing of the bunch. With students such as Paul Badura-Skoda, Alfred Brendel, and Daniel Barenboim, Fischer is largely responsible for the way Mozart's piano music is now played and heard. Prior to Fischer, a nineteenth century characterization of Mozart as divine child genius governed interpretations of his music, which often sounded either deifying or trivializing. Fischer emphasized Mozart's resplendent and profound humanity and, in so doing, revolutionized the way this music is understood. On this recording, a magnificent example of this is found in Fischer's collaboration with the famous Mozartian opera conductor, Josef Krips, on the Piano Concerto No. 25. Fischer's pupil, Marcella Barzetti, cited the finale as a model of his pianism: "Each note has the resiliency of a coiled spring. Nothing is merely pretty or pleasing, but exploding with vitality, and the melodic design flows smoothly without coyness." With the guiding opera sensibility of Krips at the helm, the concerto unfolds as a compelling human drama.