The local impact of an international celebrity: Fritz Kreisler in Australasia

Abstract

From early May to the end of July 1925 the violin virtuoso, Fritz Kreisler, toured Australia and New Zealand giving recitals in major cities to overwhelming audience and critical acclaim. Demand for tickets was so strong that an additional fifteen concerts were added to the tour even while it was underway. This article provides the first comprehensive account of Kreisler ‘s Australasian tour detailing the repertoire performed and considers evidence for the impact of this repertoire and of Kreisler himself on local performance scenes. The role of the media in shaping Kreisler's reception is explored, focusing on pervasive quasi-religious imagery that painted Kreisler as a cultural ‘knight in shining armour’ for the Antipodes.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anne-Marie Forbes

Dr Anne-Marie Forbes has published widely on British and Australian music and the influences that have shaped compositional style, performance and musical taste in Australia in the early twentieth century. She has several articles published in New Grove and has published three editions of solo songs and major choral works of the Anglo-Australian composer, Fritz Hart. Current research projects include the British influence on Australian composition in the years preceding WWII, and her work as a choral conductor has led to a research project focussed on the sacred works of Antonio Lotti. She is currently Director of Graduate Research Studies and Senior Lecturer in Musicology at the University of Tasmania Conservatorium of Music.