A new album from longtime piano-cello duo Jeanne Kierman Fischer and Norman Fischer, both professors at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, commemorates the 50th anniversary of the twosome performing together with music expressing the pain of loss and the hope for a better tomorrow.
“2020 Visions” is a celebration of the Fischer Duo’s versatility and musicianship, and highlights newly commissioned works from composers from many different generations. Plans for the album came together during the pandemic, which heavily influenced the sound of the record. Fischer calls it “a declaration of love and resilience."
“When we were making plans for some kind of anniversary celebration, we were in the midst of COVID-19 and had no clear knowledge of when we could actually plan a celebratory concert,” said Fischer, the Herbert S. Autrey Professor of Cello. “We’ve always made it a point as a performing duo to champion the great works of the past while celebrating lesser-known composers — especially women — and commissioning new works.”
“2020 Visions” includes commissioned pieces from friends of the couple, including composers Robert Sirota, Theo Chandler and 1988 Pulitzer Prize for music winner William Bolcom . The duo was also introduced by record label PARMA Recordings to Welsh American composer Hilary Tann and New York-based composers Michael Cohen and Preston Stahly, who contributed works to the album.
“Each piece adds significantly to the feeling of the whole project that inspired us to call the album ‘2020 Visions,’” Norman Fischer said. “We’re profoundly impressed with the excellence of each of these works and are honored to have performed them.”
More information on the album, which was released Aug. 26, is available at https://www.navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6444 .