"The sonatas of Mozart are unique," said Artur Schnabel. "They are too easy for children, and too difficult for artists." It was performances like Mikhail Pletnev's that inspired Schabel's maxim. Pletnev's technique is awe-inspiring, and the smooth, room-sized sound he gets out of a grand piano promise wonderful things as one begins listening to the disc. But there's a certain refusal to fool with the music, a Zen detachment perhaps, that's necessary for a really good Mozart performance, and Pletnev does too much tinkering.
This three-disc set of all of the studio recordings of Mozart's piano concertos and sonatas made by German pianist Edwin Fischer between 1933-1947 may elicit different responses from his fans than from listeners not already persuaded of his greatness.
This album is the result of an extraordinary adventure of self-development that began when the pianist Aldo Ciccolini offered Genny Basso to move to his house in Paris and be his personal assistant at international master classes. Much of Basso's current playing style has evolved from this experience, which has deeply influenced the way he feels and perceives interpretation. In the years that followed, Genny Basso had the privilege of listening to Ciccolini every day, trying to discover his secrets, taking his suggestions, listening to and commenting on music with him. And thanks to him Basso probably learned his most important lesson: making music is not narcissism, but full of love and sincerity. That's why his first album could not be anything but a tribute to him, to the intensity and purity of his soul, to his piano art and to the artistic lessons he left Genny Basso.
Schubert: "Wanderer" Fantasy (2019 edition, 1989 edition), Impromptu Op. 90, Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 11, No. 18, Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition, Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 3, Others recorded from 1988-2021.
„An outstanding instrumental soloist who is also brilliant conductor is hard to come by. However, Christian Zacharias of Germany is one such exceptional talent – a well versed, intelligent pianist on the one hand and a conductor with a broad repertoire, including opera, on the other.“ (BZ Basel, Alfred Ziltener, 11 May 2015) With his distinctive combination of integrity, unique style, surpassing linguistic expressiveness, deep musical insight and assured artistic instinct paired with his charismatic and captivating personality, Christian Zacharias has made a name for himself not only as one of the world’s leading pianists and conductors, but also as a musical thinker.