Fritz Kreisler

Episode

The Vienna-born Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962) felt at home in the coffee houses of his home town where he not only met the cultural elite of his time but also absorbed the entertainment and folk music of that time. No wonder that he was familiar with the Viennese tone which is reflected in his Alt-Wiener Tanzweisen for example. Less known, however, is the fact that the violinist and composer could also write serious music: e.g. a string quartet, songs, violin concertos, cadenzas on classical solo concertos. Even some character pieces can be found among his serious compositions, such as his Episode, an evocative miniature in which a slow, rhapsodic section alternates with an animated section rushing forward. It is a work that shows a rather unknown, yet musically fascinating side of Fritz Kreisler!