Lisztomagia Piano Works by Franz Liszt (1811-1866) GEN 89147
The CD has been released on the 20. March 2009.
| 01 |
Liebesbotschaft |
(F.Schubert-F.Liszt) |
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| 02 |
Liebeslied ("Widmung") |
(R.Schumann-F.Liszt) |
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| 03 |
Ballade No. 1 in D flat major |
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| 04 |
Ballade No. 2 in B minor |
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| 05 |
Rhapsodie Espagnole |
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Listen |
| 06 |
Valse Impromptu |
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| 07 |
Mephisto Waltz No. 1 |
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Caroline Fischer Plays: Piano Pieces by Franz Liszt - Acrobatic Artistry
On her second solo CD recital, Caroline Fischer not only demonstrates that such music can sound fantastic of you have the right skills, but also that it is great fun to listen to the thundering passages and flicher of the Mephisto Waltz No. 1 and Rhapsodie Espagnole which, in technical terms, border on the limits of the humanly possible.
Quite apart from the atmosherically dense sonority which she produces here, one is capturde much more by the marked sensibility with which she succeeds in weaving the ever flwoing melodic part into the accompanying murmur of broken chors.
The content of the CD largely consists of piano works of more or less familiar acrobatic artistry such as the "Rhapsodie Espagnole" or the "Mephisto Waltz No. 1". Yet, in addition to the Ballade No. 2 in B minor, with a duration of around 15 minutes, Miss Fischer also includes the not so popular Ballade No. 1 in D flat major which gives her "Lisztomagia" CD the requisite degree of balance. First and foremost, it is her almost unheard of serenity which wins one over, the plasticity and precision with which she shapes chains of chords, octaval transpositions, runs and the rhythmical complexity. The latter applies especially to the "Valse Impromptu" and its many sudden little caesuras. Miss Fischer does not seem to know the meaning of wrong notes. Her Liszt album makes us curious to find out which new paths she will forge next. In any event, she possesses enough talent to achieve great things.
Aron Sayed, klassik.com, 31. July 2009
It is lovely when, even before the advent of his 200th birthday, someone takes up the cudgels on behalf of that great musical magician Franz Liszt, who was a visionary (not only) of the piano. This is all the truer when it is done as elegantly and unpretentiously as it is under Caroline Fischer's hands. Her approach to Liszt is shaped by the musical line, she focuses on the transparency and structure, whether it be in the magnificent transcriptions of songs by Schubert or Schumann in the dissembling Mephisto Waltz No.1.
Peter Korfmacher, Leipziger Volkszeitung, 10. July 2009
CD review written by Peter Cossé at klassik-heute.com
Following her Genuin debut CD with works by Liszt, Debussy, Chopin, Mozart, Scarlatti and Shchedrin (GEN 86068) Caroline Fischer now grabs our attention with a programm devoted exclusively to works by Liszt.
Caroline Fischer begins her recital with two of the most popular Schubert transcriptions: she is secure and self-assured in defining the approprate character of these pieces, whether sond-like and beholden to love, or pianistic in nature. Here, the instrument serves to echo the most beautiful human relationships, hopes and possibilities. With regards to the little grace notes, Miss Fischer satisfies all purity requirements, and invests drive and passion without losing that formal overview which these small, self-contained inner landscapes suggest to the interpreter.
Looking at Caroline Fischer's choice of recital pieces, it is relatively concise Ballade No. 1 in D flat major which - apart from "indispensable" ones - first catches one's eye and then, pleasantly, one's ear. With a few exceptions (Leslie Howard, or perhaps the late Cziffra) this charming work, which however gives the appearance of being somewhat unfinished both thematically and structurally, was and still is avoided. However, performed together with the B minor Ballade a kind of "doubles" emerges with prelude and main section. Caroline Fischer shows nerve, displays energetic attack and, with rhythmic elasticity, steers the first part onwards with clear contours. Then, with full pianistic vividness, she proceeds to execute the undulations of the B minor tremolos reminiscent of the second St. Francis Legend.
Caroline Fischer knows how to build up to pivotional climaxes, and to master them with verve and a willingness to take risks. She understands - for instance at the start of the Mephisto Waltz - how to provoke an acrid atmosphere in marked contrast to the melancholically sentimental variations of the middle section.
Peter Cossé, klassik-heute.com, 12. June 2009
