Fritz Kreisler – författare

"After much persuasion, Mr. Kreisler reluctantly acceded to the suggestion that he write out his personal memories of the war for publication. He has completed his narrative in the midst of grave difficulties, writing it piecemeal in hotels and railway trains in the course of a concert tour through the country. It is offered by the publishers to the public with confidence that it will be found one of the most absorbing and informing narratives of the war that has yet appeared."This book is part of the World War One Centenary series; creating, collating and reprinting new and old works of poetry, fiction, autobiography and analysis. The series forms a commemorative tribute to mark the passing of one of the world''s bloodiest wars, offering new perspectives on this tragic yet fascinating period of human history. Each publication also includes brand new introductory essays and a timeline to help the reader place the work in its historical context.

The ''Old Viennese Dance Tunes'', originally composed for violin and piano, appear here in the original piano version by Fritz Kreisler. It is thanks to the Viennese charm of this music that the pieces have become well-known all over the world. The three-four time typical of Vienna requires a certain, yet hardly noticeable liberty of tempo interpretation without metronomic constraints.

An account, about an Austrian violinist who fought on the sometimes forgotten eastern front during the First World War. (Excerpt from Goodreads)

In trying to recall my impressions during my short war duty as an officer in the Austrian Army, I find that my recollections of this period are very uneven and confused. Some of the experiences stand out with absolute clearness; others, however, are blurred. Two or three events which took place in different localities seem merged into one, while in other instances recollection of the chronological order of things is missing. This curious indifference of the memory to values of time and space may be due to the extraordinary physical and mental stress under which the impressions I am trying to chronicle were received...

Der weltberühmte Violinvirtuose und Komponist Fritz Kreisler kehrte 1914 nach der Kriegserklärung Österreich-Ungarns aus der neutralen Schweiz zurück und rückte freiwillig als Reserveoffizier bei seinem Regiment in Leoben ein. Während eines Kosaken­angriffes im Kampf gegen das zaristische Russland wurde er schwer verwundet und verfasste sechs Monate später eine der authentischsten Beschreibungen der tief greifenden psychischen Veränderungen an der Front. 1915 wurde dieses außergewöhnliche Selbstzeugnis eines feinfühligen Künstlers in den USA publiziert, wo Kreisler seine Konzerttätigkeit wieder aufgenommen hatte. In der englischsprachigen Weltkriegsliteratur gelten seine Four Weeks in the Trenches als eine der bedeutendsten und emotional offensten Schilderungen über die persönlichen Front-Erfahrungen während der ersten Kriegswochen 1914.