Fritz Kreisler
Slavonic Fantasie on Themes by Dvořák for Violin and Piano

- Born February 2, 1875, in Vienna
- Died January 29, 1972, in New York City
- Composed in 1914
- Duration: 5 minutes

Almost unbelievably, Fritz Kreisler’s entire formal training on the violin took place before the age of 12. First learning the instrument from his father, a doctor and amateur violinist, he then took private lessons before enrolling at the Vienna Conservatory at age seven, winning a gold medal there by age nine. He then enrolled at the Paris Conservatoire where, at twelve years old, he was one of four violinists awarded the premier prix. Following these accomplishments, he embarked on a brief concert tour of the United States, after which he sifted through a variety of alternate career tracks including enrolling in pre-med studies and entering military service with the Austro-Hungarian Army.

After a few years, Kreisler returned to music, but his attempt in 1896 at an orchestral position fizzled when he was unable to sightread music sufficiently. However, the setbacks did not last long. By 1899 he debuted with the Berlin Philharmonic and soon made appearances in the United States and debuted in England. At the onset of World War I, he was recalled to serve in the Third Army Corps of the Austro-Hungarian Army due to his previous military experience. Narrowly escaping death on the battlefield, he documented the harrowing experience in a memoir, Four Weeks in the Trenches, which is still in print.

A uniquely talented performer, Kreisler was renowned for the warmth of sound he elicited from the instrument thanks to a technique that heavily applied vibrato and portamento, or a sliding between notes, both of which applied a kind of soft-focus glow. Additionally, Kreisler built a repertoire of works that were in a more popular vein. (This included works touted as his arrangements of pieces by well-known 18th- and 19th-century composers, which in fact were entirely his own). The Slavonic Fantasie is a mash-up between elements of different works by Antonín Dvořák, most prominently featuring the melody from Songs My Mother Taught Me, which opens the piece. It is contrasted by an energetic dance-like middle section that in turn inspires a quickening of pace and ardent feeling when the primary theme returns. This pairing repeats again before the tempo increases and the concluding chords scamper toward a vigorous bass-note hit.

Program note © Kathryn Bacasmot