Fritz Kreisler
Violinist Fritz Kreisler was one of the most beloved and best known of early recording-era musicians. His burnished tone and patrician phrasing were quintessentially Viennese, and the warmth of his playing won him devoted followers wherever he appeared. So great was his fame and the affection in which he was held that he survived a blaze of controversy when he revealed in 1935 that many of the short pieces he had performed as transcriptions of such composers as Couperin, Vivaldi, and Pugnani were, in fact, his own work. While the critics fumed, the public expressed little concern and continued to pack his concert appearances.
Kreisler was the son of a famous surgeon, a good amateur musician who gave young Fritz his first violin lessons. Kreisler made his public debut at seven in a collection of short works. Shortly thereafter, he was permitted to enter the Vienna Conservatory despite a policy that no one younger than 14 be accepted. After three years of study with Joseph Hellmesberger, he was awarded a gold medal. Kreisler was sent to Paris for further studies with Delibes and Massart. At the age of 12, he won the Premier Grand Prix de Rome gold medal, competing against 40 other players, all of whom were at least 20 years old.
In 1888, Kreisler sailed to the United States for a concert tour with pianist Moriz Rosenthal, earning many complimentary reviews. When he returned to Vienna, he applied to the Vienna Philharmonic for a position but was turned down. Feeling discouraged, he resolved to abandon music and chose to pursue a career in medicine. After several years, he rejected that course and began the study of painting. First in Paris, then in Rome, he worked toward mastering his technique, but soon this, too, became tiresome. He returned to Vienna and enlisted in the army.
A full year as a soldier was sufficient to cause yet more rethinking, and Kreisler resigned his commission and returned to the study of violin. He spent eight weeks in country solitude, readying himself for his return to the concert stage. His "second debut" in Berlin was successful, but widespread acclaim came during several American tours between 1901 and 1903. In the U.S., he was hailed as one of the foremost violinists of his time, and, soon after, Europe followed suit in recognizing his extraordinary artistry.
In 1910 in London, Kreisler gave the premiere performance of Elgar's Violin Concerto, a work dedicated to the composer. While vacationing in Switzerland in 1914, Kreisler received the news that Austria was at war. Returning to his native country, he rejoined his former division, now stationed in Galicia. An attack by the Russians resulted in an injury and his discharge with high honors. Wishing to help his country, Kreisler embarked on a lengthy concert tour of America. U.S. entry into the war, however, put him in the awkward position of being an ex-Austrian officer aiding what was now an enemy nation. Negative reaction obliged him to withdraw from concertizing and retire to Maine to pass the remaining period of hostilities.
At his return to the New York concert stage in 1919, however, he was given a tumultuous reception. He took up residence in Berlin for ten years, beginning in 1924. With the Anschluss in 1938, he moved to France but returned to the U.S. before the Nazi invasion and lived his remaining years in America, where he gave his final public concert in 1947. He continued to perform on broadcasts until 1950.
© Erik Eriksson /TiVo
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The Bell Telephone Hour Recordings, Vol. 1: Concertos by Mozart, Viotti, Mendelssohn, Bruch & Brahms (Live) [Remastered 2022]
Fritz Kreisler, The Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra, Donald Voorhees
Classique - Paru chez Biddulph Recordings le 14 oct. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The 1926 & 1927 Victor Recordings
Musique de chambre - Paru chez Biddulph Recordings le 4 août 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven, Mendelssohn & Others: Works
Fritz Kreisler, Leo Blech, Michael Raucheisen, Arpad Sandor, Hugo Kreisler, Staatskapelle Berlin
Classique - Paru chez Biddulph Recordings le 6 mars 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Art of Fritz Kreisler
Classique - Paru chez UME - Global Clearing House le 30 janv. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Kreisler & Others: Works
Classique - Paru chez Biddulph Recordings le 11 nov. 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Henryk Szeryng Plays Kreisler, Gluck, Leclair & Locatelli
Musique de chambre - Paru chez Isis le 7 juil. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Early Victor Recordings, Vol. 2
Classique - Paru chez Biddulph Recordings le 30 oct. 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grabaciones Históricas
Classique - Paru chez RHI le 15 avr. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kreisler: The Complete Recordings, Vol. 10
Musique de chambre - Paru chez Naxos le 29 janv. 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: The 10 Violin Sonatas
Fritz Kreisler, Bruno Walter, Franz Rupp
Musique de chambre - Paru chez Biddulph Recordings le 28 nov. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Poème, Op. 25 (Live)
Fritz Kreisler, The Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra, Donald Voorhees
Classique - Paru chez Biddulph Recordings le 30 oct. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Kreisler Collection: The Complete Acoustic HMV Recordings
Musique de chambre - Paru chez Biddulph Recordings le 14 juil. 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Complete Recordings, Vol. 8 (1926-1927)
Fritz Kreisler, Carl Lamson, Michael Raucheisen, Arpad Sandor
Classique - Paru chez Naxos le 8 févr. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77
Classique - Paru chez Past Classics le 19 juin 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kreisler: The Complete Recordings, Vol. 7 (1921-1925)
Fritz Kreisler, Hugo Kreisler, Carl Lamson, Charlton Keith
Musique de chambre - Paru chez Naxos le 14 juil. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
BEETHOVEN: Violin Sonatas (Complete) (Kreisler) (1935-1936)
Musique de chambre - Paru chez Naxos le 17 févr. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kreisler Plays Kreisler
Classique - Paru chez Hallmark le 1 janv. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kreisler: Slavonic Fantasy in B Minor (Arr. for flute and piano by Sarah Rumer)
Musique de chambre - Paru chez Prospero Classical le 4 août 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61 (Mono Version)
Fritz Kreisler, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms, Grieg & Others: Works
Fritz Kreisler, John Mccormack, Carl Lamson, Edwin Schneider
Musique de chambre - Paru chez Biddulph Recordings le 28 sept. 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Intégrale des enregistrements (Volume 4)
Classique - Paru chez Naxos le 6 mars 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo