The Bell Telephone Hour Recordings, Vol. 1: Concertos by Mozart, Viotti, Mendelssohn, Bruch & Brahms (Live) [Remastered 2022]

Featuring

Donald Voorhees
Fritz Kreisler
Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Giovanni Battista Viotti
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy

Johannes Brahms
Max Bruch

Did you know?

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Historical Context

The period from 1930-1950 is known as the 'Golden Age of Radio,' when radio broadcasts were the primary source of mass entertainment before television.

Recording & Production

A strike by the American Federation of Musicians in the summer of 1942 banned commercial recordings for two years, leading radio broadcasts to fill the void.

Performer Biography

Fritz Kreisler, a violinist featured on 'The Bell Telephone Hour,' was hit by a truck in Manhattan in 1941 and was in a coma for several months.

Historical Context

In 1940, NBC created a weekly classical music radio show sponsored by Bell Telephone, which established a 'Great Artists' series in 1942.

Interpretation

Fritz Kreisler performed Viotti's Concerto No. 22 in his own arrangement with an expanded orchestration.

Composition History

The second theme of Brahms's Double Concerto is intentionally modeled after the opening theme of Viotti's Concerto No. 22, serving as a reconciliatory gift to violinist Joseph Joachim.