Edwin Fischer

Edwin Fischer in the wardrobe of the Mozarteum

before his concert on August 7, 1946.
Edwin Fischer (6 October 1886 – 24
January 1960) was a Swiss classical
pianist and conductor. He is regarded as
one of the great interpreters of J.S. Bach
and (particularly) Mozart of the twentieth
century.

Biography
Fischer was born in Basel and studied
music first there, and later in Berlin at the
Stern conservatory under Martin Krause.
He first came to prominence as a pianist
following World War I. In 1926, he became
conductor of the Lübeck Musikverein and
later conducted in Munich. In 1932 he
formed his own chamber orchestra, and
was one of the first to be interested in
presenting music of the Baroque and
Classical periods in a historically accurate
way. Although his performances were not
historically accurate by present-day
standards, they were for his time; e.g., he
did conduct Bach and Mozart concertos
from the keyboard, an unusual practice at
that time. His interpretations of Bach and
Handel were Romantically conceived, with
a wide dynamic range but often quite
compelling.
In 1932 he returned once again to Berlin,
succeeding his great contemporary Artur
Schnabel in a teaching role at the Berlin
Hochschule für Musik after Schnabel's
exile (he was Jewish, and Fischer was not)
from Nazi Germany. In 1942 he moved
back to Switzerland, temporarily putting
his career on hold through World War II.
After the war he began to perform again,
and gave master classes in Lucerne for a
number of later prominent pianists such
as Alfred Brendel, Helena Sá e Costa,
Mario Feninger, Reine Gianoli, Paul Badura-
Skoda and Daniel Barenboim.
Two drawings of Fischer by the German artist and
musician Fritz Tennigkeit (1892–1949)

As well as solo recitals, concerto

performances and conducting, Fischer
performed much chamber music.
Particularly highly regarded was the piano
trio he formed with the cellist Enrico
Mainardi and the violinist Georg
Kulenkampff, (who was replaced by
Wolfgang Schneiderhan after
Kulenkampff's death).

Fischer published a number of books on

teaching, and one on the piano sonatas of
Beethoven. He also made a number of
recordings, including the first complete
Bach Well-Tempered Clavier for EMI,
recorded on the piano from 1933 to 1936.
Other classic recordings by Fischer include
Bach keyboard concertos, miscellaneous
solo Bach works such as the Chromatic
Fantasy and Fugue, various concertos and
sonatas by Mozart and Beethoven,
Schubert's "Wanderer" Fantasie (although
he was not up to the transcendental
technical demands of the finale) and
Impromptus, and Beethoven's "Emperor"
and Brahms' Second Concerto, both
conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler.
Fischer's historically important recordings
have been reissued on CD by EMI and
smaller specialty labels such as APR,
Music & Arts, Pearl and Testament. Those
of the Mozart Concertos K. 453, 466, 482,
491 & 503 (G major, D minor, E-flat major, C
minor and C major) are particularly
outstanding, especially the last three with
the inspired, powerful conducting of John
Barbirolli, Lawrance Collingwood and
Josef Krips respectively, in 1935, 1937 &
1947.

Fischer also accompanied Elisabeth

Schwarzkopf in a renowned early-to-mid-
1950s EMI LP of Schubert Lieder. His last
musical collaboration was with the
violinist Gioconda de Vito. During their
recording sessions for the Brahms violin
sonatas Nos. 1 and 3, he had to go to
London for medical treatment, where he
was told he was seriously ill. He died
shortly afterwards in Zurich.
Pupils of Edwin Fischer

Bibliography
Fischer, Edwin, Musikalische
Betrachtungen, Im Infel 1949 (Reflections
on Music) (French Edition:
Considérations sur la musique, Editions
du Coudrier, 1951)
Fischer, Edwin, Ludwig van Beethovens
Klaviersonaten: Ein Begleiter für
Studierende und Liebhaber, 1954
(Beethoven's Piano Sonatas: A Guide for
Students and Amateurs, 1959)
 Fischer, Edwin, Johann Sebastian Bach:
Eine Studie

Sources
Bredow, Moritz von. 2012. "Rebellische
Pianistin. Das Leben der Grete Sultan
zwischen Berlin und New York."
(Biography on Edwin Fischer's student,
Grete Sultan. Many details referring to
Fischer and another student, Katja Andy.
In German.). Schott Music, Mainz,
Germany.ISBN 978-3-7957-0800-9
Gavoty, Bernard, Edwin Fischer (in
French)
 (collective) Dank an Edwin Fischer,
Brockhaus 1962 (Tribute to Edwin
Fischer)

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to:

Edwin Fischer

Excerpts from two essays by Alfred

Brendel on Fischer at the Wayback
Machine (archived October 27, 2009)
Youngrok Lee's Classical Music page
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