Russian And Slavonic Miniatures

Regular: £11.49

Sale: £11.49
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Cat No: 8557388

Release Date: 07 January 2005

Label: Naxos - Nxc / Naxos Classics

Packaging Type: Jewel Case

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 747313238828

Genres: Classical

Composer/Series: RUSSIAN AND SLAVONIC MINIATURES

Description
Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962)Transcriptions for Violin and PianoFritz Kreisler was born in Vienna in 1875, the son of adoctor. It was the latter, a keen amateur violinist, whofirst taught his son the instrument from the age of four.Lessons followed with Jacques Auber and at the age ofseven he was able to enter the Vienna Conservatory.There he studied the violin with the younger JosephHellmesberger and was instructed in musical theory byAnton Bruckner.At the age of ten he won the Conservatory GoldMedal. Thereafter he entered the Paris Conservatoire asa pupil of Massart, taking theory lessons from Delibes.Two years later he won the Premier Grand Prix, anhonour he shared with four other players, all of them agood ten years older. This success marked the end of hisprofessional training as a violinist.By the age of fourteen Kreisler had embarked on aninternational career as a virtuoso, travelling in 1888 tothe United States with the pianist Moriz Rosenthal in aconcert tour. The following year he returned to Viennafor further schooling and for initial medical training,before his military service. By 1896, however, he hadresolved to return to a musical career and although hefailed to pass the audition to join the Vienna CourtOpera Orchestra, in 1898 he was able to appear with thesame players as a soloist and to resume with greatersuccess his international career, with concerts in Berlin,in the United States, in London and elsewhere. In 1910in London, indeed, he was able to give the firstperformance of Elgar's Violin Concerto, which wasdedicated to him.Wounded during war service in the Austrian armyduring the early months of the Great War, he was able todevote time to composition, particularly of the shortviolin pieces for which he is well known. His return tothe United States was not at first well received by thepublic, and in 1924 he settled in Berlin, where heremained based until the annexation of Austria in 1938.In spite of the offer of French citizenship, he returned tothe United States, where he continued his career, until anaccident forced him to reduce his schedule. He gave hisfinal public concert in 1950, and died in New York in1962.Kreisler's style of playing included an extended useof vibrato, applied to shorter as well as longer notes. Hisvery personal methods of fingering are preserved in themany editions he made of major works in the violinrepertoire, while his use of the bow ensured a sweetnessof tone that avoided excessive pressure or forcedvolume. As a composer he provided a number oftranscriptions, as well as a series of short compositionsattributed by him to lesser known composers of the past.His eventual revelation of the true authorship of thesepieces provoked some hostility from critics, who,incredibly, had accepted the original attributions. Thesepopular compositions have all continued in standardrepertoire, although the validity of the attributions wouldhardly convince a modern audience.The present recording is of transcriptions made
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