Fritz Kreisler - Liebesleid
Augustin Hadelich, violin and piano
Recorded on April 9 during Covid19 hiatus.
Since I uploaded Liebesfreud two days ago ( • Augustin Hadelich play... ), I simply had to record Liebesleid too!
Liebesleid (which means Love's Sorrow) is bittersweet. The opening section (in A Minor) conveys a feeling of longing, reaching out, while the major section feels to me like a happy memory. Why is it so much more beautiful when it comes back again at the end? I think there are two reasons: since it is the second time we hear this A Major section, it is not only Kreisler remembering at that point, but the listener as well. And, he changes the piano part in subtle ways every time the violin line is repeated, until at the end, the rhythmic figurations of the violin and piano move rhythmically together and around each other, so it feels like there are two people dancing and connecting in this memory.
Even though it's often thought of as "just an encore piece", Liebesleid has a lot of depth and many layers of meaning in the score.