Customer Reviews

Fritz Kreisler: The Complete RCA Recordings

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I would give this set a 10 stars, if I were allowed to. Kreisler has been my favorite violinist as far as I can remember, and have never gotten tired of his playing (and never will be either!) His playing has deceptive ease and elegance that makes people forget how phenominal his technique was(just listen to his crystalline trills and amazing articulation of fast runs). And even at his sweetest moments, his performance always had strong backbone and never sank into tasteless sentimentality. Kreisler's playing was really one of the kind and anyone who loves violin should listen to his recordings. I cannot recommend this set highly enough! The CD transfer is excellent.

Ever since he first toured The U.S as a child in 1888 with pianist Moritz Rosenthal Fritz Kreisler's musical talents have left us spellbound. His playing combines a searching intelligence with intense and delightful musicality, his mellow honey-like tone appeals to the heartstrings, and awakens enthusiasm in his listeners. He was a great violinist who at the same time could touch and charm his audience. I highly reccomend this set to all lovers of the violin!

I was delighted to hear the many never-before-available recordings in this set. While Kreisler's name is obviously eternally linked with his masterful, unique and inimitable approach to encore peices (in which he consistently demonstrates unerring rhythmic control), he also remains singularly engaging in the weightier sonata repertoire also represented in this collection. Especially intriguing are excepts (w/piano) from the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto and Lalo's Symphonie Espagnol. (I had no idea he'd recorded these.) Kreisler's eternally youthful readings make this a set to grow old with. Every aspiring violinist deserves to apprehend the possiblity, to awaken the dream, of making an individual imprint through what they re-create as well.

It is one of the real advatages of modern life that we can still hear and be moved by artists from the early 20th century. As listners, there are probably psychological factors that predispose us to be touched by the original rather than someone imitating a style from the past. Part of the psychological impact for me is the nostalgia element and connections this music has to memories of my ancestors who where alive when this music was being played and recorded. But beyond the listener's psychological factor(s) the artists from the early 20th century had a completely different set of musical and non-musical experiences from our contempory artists. A contemporary artist trying to duplicate the style from another era often sounds false and affected. Regardless, ultimately performances have to stand on their own musical merit. These most definately do.

Ever since he first toured The U.S as a child in 1888 with pianist Moritz Rosenthal Fritz Kreisler's musical talents have left us spellbound. His playing combines a searching intelligence with intense and delightful musicality, his mellow honey-like tone appeals to the heartstrings, and awakens enthusiasm in his listeners. He was a great violinist who at the same time could touch and charm his audience. I highly reccomend this set to all lovers of the violin!

First thing I be wondering is where RCA (BMG--now probably Wal-Mart) got the idea that a $120 set of Kreisler faves--most short 78-era items--would be marketable? I'd love to check the Homeland Security records and see just who bought this set. I would never have sprung for it but now that I was given one I have to comment on it. Amazing!

First, there's the playing. This is a professionally ebullient fiddler. Technically astounding, but with the communicative warmth the other reviewers seem to uniformly note. I find violin tiring to the ear sometimes, but not this guy's violin. A joy to listen to.

Second, the selection. Fairly much 11 discs of solid "pop" music--a kind of Fiedlerian dream world where every piece catches the attention usually because of potent melodic pungency. I found myself looking forward to each cut, knowing I would be well-rewarded. Kreisler chose his repertoire well.

Third, oh yeah sure, nostalgia. Everything here is an echo of a world that passed largely by 1914 and was already deep nostalgia for many by the time these last recordings were made in the 1940s. I'm not sure there's anything wrong with that, it's a kind of longing not for an idealized past but for aspects of that past that are clearly missing in the world today (or even back in 1948 when the last tracks were set down). Heck, I listen to Beethoven and find myself getting nostalgic for an era when my local department store music department would make a big deal out of a new Bernstein release and a major network would actually give Lennie time to talk about classical music to the masses.

Anyway, I never intended to own the collection, now I do and I'd replace it in the blink of an eye. Charming and entertaining from disc one to disc eleven.

I just can't praise this set highly enough. Every phrase, every note is just brimming with musicianship and good taste. Even though the music he is playing is for the most part popular fluff from the turn of the last century, he makes these pieces transcend themselves with his highly expressive and individual playing style.

The remastering is not likely to be improved upon. It is from the mid-1990's and is a perfect balance between suppressing surface noise to a reasonable level, and yet preserving every bit of Kreisler's glorious tone.