Over the past few years, critics and piano mavens have discovered a treasure trove in previously unpublished broadcast recordings issued by Sonetto Classics featuring the distinguished British pianist and highly sought-after teacher Norma Fisher.
Fisher stopped performing in the early 1990s due to the onset of Focal Dystonia, focusing her energy and time on teaching. Although she did not make commercial recordings, her existing BBC broadcasts attest to her exquisite command of the piano and deep interpretive insights. "I was bowled over by Fisher's artistry when I first encountered these discs of her broadcasts," says Jed Distler, the Classical Network's Artist-in-Residence and the creator, producer and host of the ASCAP Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys.
"I wrote a rave review of Sonetto Classics second volume of 'Norma Fisher at the BBC,' and the great lady herself responded with a lovely e-mail. We began to correspond, and in the fall of 2019 I spent a memorable afternoon with her and her husband at their London home. I recorded an interview with Norma that we'll hear on this week's episode, along with some remarkable performances of works by Chopin, Debussy, Scriabin, Brahms, Liszt and André Tchaikowsky."
Tune in to celebrate Norma Fisher this week on Between the Keys, Tuesday night at 10, with the rebroadcast Wednesday at noon, exclusively on The Classical Network and WWFM.org