• List Price: $15.99  
• Your Price: $15.99
• In Stock: 1

You must login to place orders.




Not purchasing for a business? See our consumer site.

Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962) wrote several operettes, countless songs and even a string quartet, but never touted himself as an important composer; nevertheless, he made a huge contribution to the broadening of the violin repertoire with his transcriptions, arrangements, and, last but not least, his own original works. Some of these little pieces became wildly popular almost the moment they were written, appearing in the programme of almost all the important violinists of the time. Kreisler's seductive tone, his particular vibrato, his portamento never breaching the boundaries of good taste, are first-hand remnants of the magic of the Viennese Secession, of the musical Babel of Austria-Hungary in its final years of peace. These pieces, short or sometimes more extended ones, represent a special "notebook" of the fin de siécle and the beginning of the twentieth century, perhaps one of the most interesting periods in music history. They reflect the mood of the era just as in his time Franz Liszt, with his transcriptions and paraphrases. No wonder their popularity outlived the changes in period, style, and approach. A multifaceted musician, Kreisler was also an excellent pianist, he stands out for the extremely high quality of the piano accompaniments in his pieces, the vast majority of which require great technical skill and interpretative insight. Even at first sight, these piano parts strike one as the work of a pianist himself, at least as far as being able to match the music written with his own physiological and auditory experiences. His piano parts are far from being sight-reading material, and require thorough and subtle preparation. Hardly a single one of his pieces has an accompaniment lacking in precision or minute detail. The textures show his orchestral thinking yet never become unplayably difficult; but the pianist cannot get by without hard work, and even regular experimentation. (based on the booklet text by Zoltán Kocsis)

Track Listing

Press Quotes

This collection is superb on its own terms; violinist Barnabás Kelemen's selection of 21 miniatures by Fritz Kreisler is superbly entertaining. He plays with warmth, charisma and a palpable sense of fun. This music's difficulties shouldn't be underestimated, and hearing Kelemen swoop and swoon through Kreisler's winning 'Syncopation' has been one of my more enjoyable experiences during a long week. Then you reach a piece like the 'March miniature Viennois' and you sense that Kelemen is responding to a fantastic accompanist, every tiny pianist flourish answered in kind. You'd expect nothing less from the great Zoltán Kocsis, whose last recording this was. There's a sweet tribute from Kelemen in the notes, describing the release as 'the sweetest and most coveted fruit' of a 20-year relationship, during which the two musicians had moved 'from the profundities of Bartók to the heights of Bach'. And there's a tribute from composer György Kurtag, paying tribute to Kocsis's Kreisler accompaniments in the following terms: '...pieces we used to pass by with a shrug of the shoulders have become diamonds.' Kocsis lamented the fact that Kreisler's superb piano parts were often overlooked and badly played. Not here - this collection presents a proper meeting of equals. It's as if the same mind is inhabiting both instruments, as in a stunning traversal of 'La Gitana'. It smoulders and fizzes. Familiar numbers like 'Midnight Bells' and the 'Toy Soldier's March' sound freshly-minted. Kocsis's erudite notes are a good read. Lovely, life-enhancing stuff, and an upbeat farewell to a great pianist.

     —Graham Rickson, theartsdesk.com

This was Zoltán Kocsis' last recording, taped in August 2016... This perhaps unexpected Kocsis swansong documents the excellent rapport he had developed with his younger compatriot. It's also a splendid recital in its own terms.

     —Jonathan Woolf, musicweb-international.com (UK)