Presents
Fritz Kreisler
 |
Soundbites |
Three Encores for String Quartet
Friedrich 'Fritz' Kreisler (1875-1962), seen playing the piano, needs no introduction. He was one of the most famous violinists of all time. Fritz was also a fine pianist as well as a composer.
He wrote many short pieces for violin and piano which he often used as encores at the end of his concerts. Several of them have become world famous and have been recorded by dozens of violinists since Fritz made the first recordings in the 1920s. Their great popularity led to their being arranged for all sorts of combinations, some were even orchestrated. The three pieces we present--- Miniature Viennese March, Liebesfreud and Tambourin Chinois---were all audience favorites.
The Miniature Viennese March was a humorous take on Vienna life before the First World War. Kreisler often claimed, as a ruse, that his works were by other composers who lived before him. Liebesfreud was one of three Old Vienna Dance Tunes that he originally claimed was Joseph Lanner a lesser known rival of Johann Strauss Sr. Audiences of the day likely heard Tambourin Chinois, composed in 1910, as avant-garde new music by a composer experimenting with exotic musical forms. But other than its use of the pentatonic scale or occasional parallel fifths, Tambourin Chinois has little to do with actual Chinese music—not surprising, considering Kreisler had such limited exposure to genuine examples of the country’s culture and traditions. In the end, the cultural authenticity is beside the point; the piece is a joyous and delightful musical gem, a celebration of imagined worlds and faraway lands, and a reminder that we all perceive differently the world around us
These works have never been available as a collection but sold separately to increase music publishers' profits. We offer them for the first time together a very affordable price..
Parts: $24.95
Parts & Score: $33.95
