Word: kreislers
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...Kreisler's achievement of learning the craft of composition might be commendable if his method were not Machiavellian--he accomplished his ends by stealing and lying (it was the only way for a violinist to succeed in a field so competitive and demanding.) He filched the style and flavor of classical composers and used them in his own works. Fortunately, he admitted his crimes--for musicologists' sakes--in pieces like "Variations on a Theme of Corelli in the Style of Giuseppe Tartini." But he sometimes tried to fool other composers by publishing old-style pieces under the names of 18th...
Mintz's musicianship becomes his salvation too, especially in the well-known Liesbesleid (Love's Sorrow), Liebesfreud (Love's Joy) and Caprice viennois op. 2. Mintz plays ricochet bowings and fancy-fingered high notes in the umpteenth position with more clarity and precision than the old master himself (Kreisler had to be a genius to be able to make millions of his concerts and records and manage to get away with an hour's practicing once a month). Shlomo's earthy, robust tone enlivens every phrase in these three pieces...
...Though Kreisler plays his other pieces faster, with more articulation, and with less shmaltz than Mintz, the latter's Liebesleid--slow and sorrowful--has more appeal. On RCA Victrola's 1968 release of Kreisler "Souvenirs," recorded in the 1920s, the composer plays the piece with slides and portamentos at every place imaginable. Mintz plays important notes with vibrato and spirit without sliding. Directors might consider using the piece for a romantic movie scene. The choice of lovers will be irrelevant; the mood of the scene--an intense, despairing good-bye--will be the same...
...Caprice viennois, Mintz plays fast passages clearer than Kreisler and has a wide, loud vibrato in slow passages. Kreisler plays with more appeal, though, because his short notes and even harmonics get vibrato. Mintz plays the double stops (two notes sounded at the same time) more ambitiously than Kreisler, who plays nothing out of place...
...BEAT Kreisler playing Kreisler. Maybe he developed his individuality from giving up the violin in his teens, joining the army and studying to become a doctor. Maybe it was his training at Vienna and the Paris Conservatoire before he was 12. In any event, the charm of Mintz's recording of the three pieces mentioned disappears in the others' lack of diversity in phrasing and tone color. Mintz sometimes plays too fast, too strong or too rubato. Some of his accents and tenutos (notes slightly lengthened for effect) are either too numerous or unnatural. Mintz' basically solid performance will give...