This album is not a historical recording; instead, it uses modern recording techniques to reproduce original interpretations from Welte-Mignon piano rolls on a contemporary Steinway piano.
Instruments
The Welte-Mignon is a player piano system invented in 1904 that could record and authentically reproduce the subtleties of a pianist's performance using perforated paper rolls.
Historical Context
Welte-Mignon player pianos were expensive and found in the music rooms of aristocracy, high society, industrialists, grand hotels, and ocean liners.
Cultural Impact
The Welte-Mignon system was initially hailed by the press as a "wonder of the world" for its ability to authentically reproduce piano performances.
Performer Biography
Edwin Fischer, a renowned 20th-century pianist, suffered from severe stage fright and a general state of anxiety, which limited his concert career to a restricted area of Europe.
Historical Context
Production of the Welte-Mignon system ceased in 1932 due to the Great Depression and the rise of improved electrical gramophone records and radio broadcasting.
Interpretation
Edwin Fischer's Welte-Mignon recordings are considered the oldest existing recordings of his playing and the only ones from the first quarter-century of his career.
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