Géza Anda ∙ The Ossiach Recitals 1970-1971 ∙ 2CD

The Carinthian Summer Festival in Ossiach, established in 1969, holds a significant position among the esteemed music festivals in Austria. Situated in the southern region of the country, it has garnered immense prestige over the years. Géza Anda graced the festival with his recitals in both 1970 and 1971, and these performances were captured and recorded by ORF, now presented for the first time by Meloclassic. For Anda, this particular venue held profound personal significance. Exactly one year prior to his inaugural recital, Backhaus, whom he greatly admired, made his last public appearance in Ossiach. During his formative years as a student, Anda had the privilege of attending numerous recitals by internationally acclaimed pianists in Budapest, including Cortot, Gieseking, Backhaus, Friedman, E. Fischer, J. Lhévinne, Rachmaninoff, Schnabel, and Sauer. Anda acknowledged Backhaus as a major influence in his pianistic development, and whom he heard during several nights when Backhaus played all of Beethoven’s thirty-two sonatas between January and February 1939 in Budapest.