Credits:

Edith Picht=Axenfeld

Description:

Edith Picht-Axenfeldt (1914-2001) is probably best known in Japan as Bach’s harpsichordist, but she was also a brilliant and outstanding piano player. These two CDs include Haydn, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, and Brahms from her broadcast recordings in Germany in the 1950s. The Beethoven Sonata No. 3, in particular, is so fresh that it is hard to believe that it was performed in the mid-20th century, and with No. 22, one can admire a performance that seems decades ahead of its time in an era when heavy Beethoven was prevalent. She also won sixth prize at the 1937 Chopin Competition, but there are very few recordings of Chopin. Not only is her performance of the exercises in her prime a rare treat, but it also offers a glimpse of a passionate pianist different from the Bach-playing Picht-Axenfeldt. Tobu Land System