Fritz KREISLER (1875-1962)
Hommage À Fritz Kreisler
Barnabás Kelemen (violin)
Zoltán Kocsis (piano)
rec. August 2016, Phoenix Studio, Diósd
BUDAPEST MUSIC CENTRE BMCCD250 [75:20]
This was Zoltán Kocsis’ last recording, taped in
August 2016. It was also a disc in which he, and not Barnabas Kelemen,
selected the Kreislerian repertoire, and it was Kocsis who wrote the
erudite, witty and sometimes even combative booklet notes. For example,
he characterises Kreisler’s accompanists as ‘relatively
poor, sometimes even unworthy…mediocre or worse’. There’s
certainly an argument to be had here, but at a time in recorded history
when all too often the piano accompanist remained anonymous on the 78
label, it could not help being a case of coach-and-horses. What Kocsis
is pointing out, though, is the relative downplaying of the piano role
in Kreisler recordings and it’s clear that he is determined that
this is not to be the case in his own. Kreisler himself, as is well-known,
was an excellent pianist. Kocsis duly honours the piano spectrum.
In any case the Kelemen-Kocsis partnership is one fully worthy to play
these 21 pieces. There is a full quotient of élan in Tambourin chinois
and whilst Kelemen sensibly makes no attempt to replicate Kreisler’s
(in any case) inimitable expressive arsenal, he plays up to tempo and
with invigorating confidence throughout the recital. A case in point
is the hyphenated Dvořák Slavonic Dance where the violinist’s
assertive confidence is matched by Kocsis who, as his notes would suggest,
remains unafraid to draw the listener’s ear as much to the piano
writing as to that for the violin. The Balogh-Kreisler Dirge of
the North is quite rare on disc – it’s certainly no
lollipop staple – and here Kelemen’s vibrato takes on a
richer tone whilst Syncopation is also welcome given its own
relative rarity in all-Kreisler discs. There are a couple of adeptly
succulent slides, and fine dynamics, in Liebesleid and superb,
Buster Keaton pianism in its companion, Liebesfreud where the
exchanges between the two musicians are at their zenith. It’s
hard sometimes not to overdo the coquettish rubati in Schön Rosmarin
but Kelemen just about stays within bounds, adding a flirtatious patina
to his playing. Maybe the Beethoven Rondino is slightly too
droll for its own good especially in respect of articulation and Kocsis’s
own high octane contribution, and the Marche miniature viennoise
is quite lavishly characterised – but rather that than a too timid
approach. If Dvořák’s Humoreske is too arch then
compensation comes in the form of the richly lyric Andante cantabile
performance, the fine Recitativo and Scherzo-Caprice, where
Kelemen is solo, and the masculine swagger of the Praeludium and
Allegro which ends the programme confidently.
This perhaps unexpected Kocsis swansong documents the excellent rapport
he had developed with his younger compatriot. It’s also a splendid
recital in its own terms.
Jonathan Woolf
Disc contents
Tambourin chinois, Op. 3 [3:36]
Chanson Louis XIII et Pavane in the style of Louis Couperin (1626-1661)
[4:55]
Allegretto in the style of Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805) [3:04]
Dvořák-Kreisler: Slavonic Dance No.2 [4:13]
Balogh-Kreisler: Dirge of the North [2:54]
Liebesleid [3:44]
Liebesfreud [3:20]
Schön Rosmarin [1:55]
Syncopation [1:59]
Rondino on a theme by Beethoven [2:21]
Dvořák-Kreisler: Indian Lament [5:00]
Marche miniature viennoise [3:14]
Dvořák-Kreisler: Humoreske, Op. 101, No. 7 [2:55]
La Gitana [3:24]
Gypsy caprice [4:46]
Tchaikovsky-Kreisler: Andante cantabile, Op. 11 [5:26]
Toy Soldier’s March [2:16]
Recitativo and Scherzo-Caprice, Op. 6 [4:32]
Heuberger-Kreisler: Midnight Bells (Der Opernball) [2:51]
Caprice viennois, Op. 2 [3:57]
Praeludium and Allegro in the style of Gaetano Pugnano (1731-1798) [4:46]
