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
Klassiek - Released by Biddulph Recordings on 14 okt. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The 1926 & 1927 Victor Recordings
Kamermuziek - Released by Biddulph Recordings on 4 aug. 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Art of Fritz Kreisler
Klassiek - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 30 jan. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Kreisler & Others: Works
Klassiek - Released by Biddulph Recordings on 11 nov. 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Henryk Szeryng Plays Kreisler, Gluck, Leclair & Locatelli
Kamermuziek - Released by ISIS on 7 jul. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Early Victor Recordings, Vol. 2
Klassiek - Released by Biddulph Recordings on 30 okt. 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grabaciones Históricas
Klassiek - Released by RHI on 15 apr. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: The 10 Violin Sonatas
Fritz Kreisler, Bruno Walter, Franz Rupp
Kamermuziek - Released by Biddulph Recordings on 28 nov. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Poème, Op. 25 (Live)
Fritz Kreisler, The Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra, Donald Voorhees
Klassiek - Released by Biddulph Recordings on 30 okt. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Kreisler Collection: The Complete Acoustic HMV Recordings
Kamermuziek - Released by Biddulph Recordings on 14 jul. 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
BEETHOVEN / SCHUBERT / GRIEG: Violin Sonatas (Kreisler / Rachmaninov) (1928)
Fritz Kreisler, Serge Rachmaninoff
Kamermuziek - Released by Naxos on 31 mrt. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kreisler: The Complete Recordings, Vol. 10
Kamermuziek - Released by Naxos on 29 jan. 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Complete Recordings, Vol. 8 (1926-1927)
Fritz Kreisler, Carl Lamson, Michael Raucheisen, Arpad Sandor
Klassiek - Released by Naxos on 8 feb. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77
Klassiek - Released by Past Classics on 19 jun. 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
Kamermuziek - Released by Naxos on 14 jul. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
BEETHOVEN: Violin Sonatas (Complete) (Kreisler) (1935-1936)
Kamermuziek - Released by Naxos on 17 feb. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kreisler Plays Kreisler
Klassiek - Released by Hallmark on 1 jan. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kreisler: Slavonic Fantasy in B Minor (Arr. for flute and piano by Sarah Rumer)
Kamermuziek - Released by Prospero Classical on 4 aug. 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 - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms, Grieg & Others: Works
Fritz Kreisler, John Mccormack, Carl Lamson, Edwin Schneider
Kamermuziek - Released by Biddulph Recordings on 28 sep. 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Intégrale des enregistrements (Volume 4)
Klassiek - Released by Naxos on 6 mrt. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo