Early Training For Talented

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31661, 23 April 1968, Page 3

Early Training For Talented

When a child shows exceptional musical talent his training should begin when he is five or six years old, according to the Hungarian concert pianist. Miss Annie Fischer, who was a child prodigy herself. Miss Fischer, who was in Christchurch yesterday, began playing the family piano in Budapest, when she was three years old and commenced music lessons when she was five. Although her parents were not musicians they were musical and recognised her exceptional ability. When they chose a teacher they chose a good one. “An exceptionally musical child should not just learn music. He should learn from a good teacher because the beginning is very important for his musical feelings and his technical mastery.” she said. The upbringing for the gifted child should be as normal as possible. She cited the case of her own parents, who would not let her begin touring until she was old enough not to be described as a child prodigy. Liszt Contest While still in her teens, Miss Fischer confirmed her early success by winning the first International Liszt Contest. She was immediately in demand for concert appearances. Although she is particularly renowned as an interpreter of Mozart, she says she has no favourite composer. Modern composers interest her intellectually but she has no deep feelings for them, andi she does not play anything later than Bartok. “Bartok is as far as I will go.” she said. Miss Fischer has been a concert pianist almost all her life but she found it difficult to say whether she liked travelling. “A concert tour is very different from a holiday tour. 1 rarely get time to be a tourist—in some European countries where I have already

been 30 times before It does not matter but I would like to see more of New Zealand.” A Perfectionist Being a perfectionist. Miss Fischer is very particular about her pianos. Before coming to New Zealand she made 17 concert appearances with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and it was only in Adelaide that she found a piano “exactly to her tastes.” Miss Fiseher believes she can usually learn something from critics even if she does not agree with them. Her most respected critic is her husband, Dr Aladar Toth, former director of the Budapest State Opera and an eminent musical critic. “He understands real music and if he says something 1