Rodolphe Kreutzer (1766-1831)
- Concerto (en sol majeur) pour Violon, No.17 (1806)
Performers: Axel Strаuss (violin); San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra; Andrew Mοgrеlia (conductor)
Painting: Unknown artist - Portrait of the composer Rodolphe Kreutzer
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French violinist, composer and teacher. His father, a wind player, gave
him early instruction in music; he began studying violin and composition
with Anton Stamitz in 1778. On 25 May 1780, he played a Stamitz violin
concerto at the Paris Concert Spirituel, and returned there in May 1784
to play his own first Violin Concerto. In 1785 he became a member of the
king's music, and soon established a notable reputation as a virtuoso.
In 1789 he settled in Paris, where he first gained success as a composer
for the theater with his opera-comique Paul et Virginie (1791). His
opera-comique Lodoiska (1791) was also a success, being accorded an even
warmer reception than Cherubini's score of the same name. In 1793
Kreutzer became a professor at the Institute National de Musique; when
it became the Paris Conservatory in 1795, he remained on its faculty,
retiring in 1826. Beginning in 1798 he made a number of outstanding
concert appearances at the Theatre Feydeau and the Opera in Paris, being
made solo violin at the latter in 1801; he also became a member of
Napoleon's chapel orchestra (1802) and of his private orchestra (1806).
His ballet-pantomime Paul et Virginie (1806) found favor with Paris
audiences, as did his ballet Les Amours d'Antoine et Cleopatre (1808)
and his comedie lyrique Aristippe (1808). In 1810 he suffered a broken
arm in a carriage accident, which effectively put an end to his career.
However, he continued to hold his various positions as a violinist. In
1815 he was made maitre de la chapelle du roi. In 1816 he was appointed
second conductor, and in 1817 first conductor at the Opera, retaining
this post until 1824, at which time he became director (1824-26). His
last opera, Matilde (c.1826-27), was refused by the Opera management. By
then in declining health, he spent his remaining years in retirement.
Kreutzer was one of the foremost violinists of his era. With Pierre
Baillot and Pierre Rode, he stands as one of the founders of the French
violin school. Beethoven greatly admired his playing, and was moved to
dedicate his Violin Sonata, Op.47 (the Kreutzer), to him. Kreutzer's
most celebrated publication remains the brilliant 42 etudes ou caprices
for Unaccompanied Violin. He also composed a number of fine violin
concertos. His renown as a teacher brought him many students, including
his brother Jean Nicolas Auguste Kreutzer (1778-1832), Charles Philippe
Lafont and Lambert Massart. With Rode and Baillot, he published 'Methode
de violon' (1803).
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