Schumann & Beethoven: Piano Concertos

Released for the first time in their entirety, these remastered live recordings document two piano icons in their Lucerne Festival debuts. The Hungarian-born Annie Fischer concertized more than she recorded, and as a result perhaps enjoys a greater reverence amongst pianists than the public, a cultural injustice this recording assists in resolving. In what was her sole performance in Lucerne in 1960, Annie Fischer performs the Schumann Piano Concerto to rapturous reaction with Carlo Maria Giulini and the Philharmonia Orchestra. The American Leon Fleisher was at the peak of his career in his 1962 Lucerne debut in a Brahms-Beethoven program with George Szell and the Swiss Festival Orchestra, but only a few months after this performance he developed a condition making the use of his right hand impossible. Though Fleisher remained active as a specialist of left-handed repertoire and in his elder years regaining the use of both hands, thanks to undergoing innovative medical procedures; this recording stands as an essential milestone in Fleisher’s discography. Includes a sumptuous 32 page booklet in three languages providing extensive background information on Annie Fischer and Leon Fleisher.