Fritz Kreisler

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Biography

Born: 1875   Died: 1962   Country: Austria   Period: 20th Century
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 Read more 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 of age.

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 United States, 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 him.

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. The United States' 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 United States 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. Read less

Work: Caprice viennois, Op. 2

Browse 76-93 of 93 Available Recordings
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  • 76.
    Kreisler Plays Kreisler - Liebesfreud, Caprice Viennois, Etc
    Kreisler Plays Kreisler - Liebesfreud, Caprice Viennois, Etc
    Label: Rca Victor Gold Seal   Catalog: 68448 Release Date: 01/14/1997   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Fritz Kreisler
    Performer:  Fritz Kreisler,  Carl Lamson,  George Falkenstein
    Conductor:  Donald Voorhees,  Charles O'Connell,  Josef Pasternack
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra,  Orchestra,  String Quartet
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  • 77.
    Virtuoso Piano Showpieces / Jones
    Virtuoso Piano Showpieces / Jones
    Label: Nimbus   Catalog: 5326 Release Date: 01/07/1997   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Moritz Moszkowski,  Ignaz Friedman,  Giuseppe Ferrata,  Christian Sinding  ... 
    Performer:  Martin Jones
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  • 78.
    Miniatures - Kreisler, Et Al / Lazarevitch, Honegger
    Miniatures - Kreisler, Et Al / Lazarevitch, Honegger
    Label: Gall (Formerly Gallo)   Catalog: 877 Release Date: 12/17/1996   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Moritz Moszkowski,  Johannes Brahms,  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,  Fritz Kreisler  ... 
    Performer:  Claire Honegger,  Vojkan Lazarevitch
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  • 79.
    Mathé Plays Kreisler / Ulrike-anima Mathé, Samuel Sanders
    Mathé Plays Kreisler / Ulrike-anima Mathé, Samuel Sanders
    Label: Sono Luminus   Catalog: 90231 Release Date: 08/01/1996   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Cyril Scott,  Antonín Dvorák,  Frédéric Chopin,  Fritz Kreisler
    Performer:  Samuel Sanders,  Ulrike-Anima Mathé
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  • 80.
    The Kreisler Album / Joshua Bell, Paul Coker
    The Kreisler Album / Joshua Bell, Paul Coker
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 444409 Release Date: 02/05/1996   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Fritz Kreisler
    Performer:  Paul Coker,  Joshua Bell
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  • 81.
    Violin Recital / Marina Marsden, Robert Chamberlain
    Violin Recital / Marina Marsden, Robert Chamberlain
    Label: Tall Poppies   Catalog: 67 Release Date: 10/24/1995   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Carl Nielsen,  Fritz Kreisler,  Christian Heim,  Peter Sculthorpe  ... 
    Performer:  Marina Marsden,  Robert Chamberlain
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  • 82.
    Prima Voce - Mccormack & Kreisler In Recital
    Prima Voce - Mccormack & Kreisler In Recital
    Label: Nimbus   Catalog: 7868 Release Date: 05/02/1995   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  John Francis Larchet,  Traditional,  Gaetano Braga,  Francesco Paolo Tosti  ... 
    Performer:  Edwin Schneider,  Fritz Kreisler,  John McCormack,  Vincent O'Brien  ... 
    Conductor:  Josef Pasternack,  Walter Rogers
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Orchestra
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  • 83.
    Szeryng Plays Kreisler And Other Treasures / Charles Reiner
    Szeryng Plays Kreisler And Other Treasures / Charles Reiner
    Label: Mercury Living Presence   Catalog: 434351 Release Date: 04/25/1995   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Pietro Antonio Locatelli,  Christoph W. Gluck,  Jean Marie Leclair,  Fritz Kreisler
    Performer:  Charles Reiner,  Henryk Szeryng
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  • 84.
    Famous Encores
    Famous Encores
    Label: Dynamic   Catalog: 088 Release Date: 01/01/1995   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Fritz Kreisler,  Traditional
    Performer:  Pier Narciso Masi,  Luigi A. Bianchi
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  • 85.
    The Maiden's Prayer - Leaves From Grandmother's Piano Album
    The Maiden's Prayer - Leaves From Grandmother's Piano Album
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8550646 Release Date: 12/13/1994   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Zdenék Fibich,  Christian Sinding,  Leon Jessel,  Fritz Kreisler  ... 
    Performer:  Balázs Szokolay,  Péter Nagy,  Ilona Prunyi
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  • 86.
    Romantic Piano Favourites Vol 3 / Balázs Szokolay
    Romantic Piano Favourites Vol 3 / Balázs Szokolay
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8550107 Release Date: 02/15/1994   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Johannes Brahms,  Claude Debussy,  Ernö von Dohnányi  ... 
    Performer:  Balázs Szokolay,  Péter Nagy
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  • 87.
    Violin Miniatures / Takako Nishizaki, Jénö Jandó
    Violin Miniatures / Takako Nishizaki, Jénö Jandó
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8550306 Release Date: 02/15/1994   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Fritz Kreisler,  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,  Antonín Dvorák,  Jules Massenet  ... 
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki,  Jénö Jandó
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  • 88.
    Virtuoso Vengerov
    Virtuoso Vengerov
    Label: Teldec   Catalog: 77351 Release Date: 02/08/1994   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Olivier Messiaen,  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,  Henri Wieniawski,  Antonio Bazzini  ... 
    Performer:  Itamar Golan,  Maxim Vengerov
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  • 89.
    First Recordings Of Neveu; Complete Recordings Of Hassid
    First Recordings Of Neveu; Complete Recordings Of Hassid
    Label: Testament   Catalog: 1010 Release Date: 10/27/1993   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Fritz Kreisler,  Josef Suk,  Frédéric Chopin,  Christoph W. Gluck  ... 
    Performer:  Ginette Neveu,  Bruno Seidler-Winkler,  Ivor Newton,  Josef Hassid  ... 
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  • 90.
    Leonidas Kavacos Plays Debussy, Kreisler, Paganini, Etc
    Leonidas Kavacos Plays Debussy, Kreisler, Paganini, Etc
    Label: Delos   Catalog: 3116 Release Date: 12/11/1992   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst,  Fritz Kreisler,  Henri Wieniawski,  Claude Debussy  ... 
    Performer:  Péter Nagy,  Leonidas Kavakos
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  • 91.
    My Favorite Kreisler / Itzhak Perlman
    My Favorite Kreisler / Itzhak Perlman
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 47467 Release Date: 10/25/1990   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Eduard Gaertner,  Antonín Dvorák,  Christoph W. Gluck,  Frédéric Chopin  ... 
    Performer:  Samuel Sanders,  Itzhak Perlman
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  • 92.
    Kreisler: Violin And Piano Works / Kavakos, Nagy
    Kreisler: Violin And Piano Works / Kavakos, Nagy
    Label: Bis   Catalog: 1196 Release Date: 12/27/2000   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Henri Wieniawski,  Fritz Kreisler,  Cyril Scott,  Enrique Granados  ... 
    Performer:  Leonidas Kavakos,  Péter Nagy
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