Edwin Fischer

Blessed with a radiant tone and seamless legato that appeared to transcend the piano’s playing mechanism, Edwin Fischer was one of the first musicians to attempt a more authentic style of playing, directing Bach and Mozart concertos from the keyboard. Born in Basel, Switzerland, into a musical family in 1886, Fischer found playing in smaller ensembles more congenial than making concerto and recital appearances. Accordingly, in 1930 he created his own chamber orchestra of top-flight Berlin musicians, and five years later formed a celebrated piano trio with violinist Georg Kulenkampff (succeeded by Wolfgang Schneiderhan in 1948) and cellist Enrico Mainardi. In 1936 Fischer finished the first complete recording of J.S. Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier (1722/1742), a reference account that encapsulates his searching, improvisatory style and uncanny ability to reveal the creative spirit behind layers of contrapuntal ingenuity. In 1942, Fischer departed Nazi Germany for Switzerland, where after the war he gave a series of legendary masterclasses for the cream of the younger generation of pianists, including Daniel Barenboim, Alfred Brendel and Jörg Demus. He died in Zurich in 1960, aged 73.