FRITZ KREISLER (1875-1962) The Complete Recordings, Vol 4

Recorded 1916-1919

Ward Marston, producer and audio restoration engineer

 

BIZET L’Arlésienne: Adagietto • BOCCHERINI String Quintet Op 11 No 5: III. Minuet • BRAHMS Hungarian Dance No 5 • BRANDL The Old Refrain • DVOŘÁK Songs My Mother taught me • EARL Beautiful Ohio • FOSTER Old Folks at Home • GRANADOS Andaluza Op 37 No 5 • HUBBELL Poor Butterfly • KRAKAUER Paradise • KREISLER Aubade provençale (in the style of Couperin), Berceuse romantique Op 9, La Gitana, Liebesfreud, Polichinelle and Rondino on a Theme by Beethoven • MASSENET Thaïs: Méditation • PADEREWSKI Minuet Op 14 No 1 • RAMEAU Les fêtes d’Hébé: Tambourin • SCHUBERT: Rosamunde D 797: Ballet Music No 2 and Moments musicaux D 780: No 3 in F minor • SMETANA Andantino ‘Bohemian Fantasie’ • SPENCER Underneath the Stars • TCHAIKOVSKY String Quartet No 1 Op 11: II. Andante cantabile • VALDEZ Sérénade du Tzigane • WINTERNITZ Dream of Youth

 

The 1916-19 period saw Fritz Kreisler at his peak as an artist, although the shadow cast by America’s entrance to World War one in 1917 forced him to cancel numerous concerts. The improved fidelity possible by 1916 saw Kreisler making substitutes of his earlier American recordings, including his own Liebesfreud. Amongst an abundance of technical marvels, Kreisler’s superb ‘parlando’ bowing is demonstrated in Granados’s Spanish Dance. The string quartet recordings include a fine Andante cantabile by Tchaikovsky, and persuasive performances with small orchestra in 1917 include Beautiful Ohio which would later be adopted as the state’s official song. After the Armistice, Kreisler was able to return to the studio in 1919 for showcase works such as Valdez’s Sérénade du Tzigane.

 

This ongoing series of the complete Fritz Kreisler recordings generates new interest with each release. Our highest standards of audio restoration and remastering make these volumes the reference for these historic recordings, with comments such as ‘the results are incredible’ (ClassicsToday.com on Vol 3, 8110922) encouraging seasoned collectors and inquisitive newcomers alike.

 

Naxos Historical 8111384