Serenade. Par KREISLER FRITZ. Apart from the collection of Classical Manuscripts composed by the violin virtuoso Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962) which he had passed off as transcriptions of settings of old masters, the violinist published original works early on as well. Kreisler himself liked to play them as encore pieces, thus sweetening many a concert with this 'musical confectionery'. Famous tunes are, for example, Liebesfreud, Liebesleid and Schön Rosmarin, his old Viennese dance tunes, in which Kreisler evoked the coffee-house atmosphere of his home town with beautiful melodies and mellifluous harmonies. Another wonderful example is his Marche miniature viennoise, with its humorous theme and a rather march-like middle section - and everywhere, Kreisler takes the audience by surprise with a little Viennese snide humour. Kreisler's original compositions are lovely miniatures, lively and catchy, even with a touch of melancholy - yet full of charm and elegance. Arranged for string trio, they are enjoyable to play and worth listening to and a valuable addition to the repertoire - ideal for sociable music-making or as pieces to end a 'serious' concert./ Répertoire / Trio à Cordes

10 Intermediate-Level Arrangements. Par DIVERS AUTEURS (ARR.BROOKER DAVID). Since graduating from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, David Brooker has been a performer on the viola and a music educator with a special interest in using ensemble music in instrumental teaching. His first two books, 'Stringplay” and 'Stringplay Around the World” reflected this, providing resources for elementary string orchestra and now 'String Trios from Around the World” takes the idea to the smaller ensemble of violin, viola and cello. This book of folk music from four continents, with an emphasis on love songs, keeps to the spirit of the original pieces while making the music idiomatic and fun to play. The parts are equal in difficulty (easy to intermediate) - in fact, David says that, as a violist himself, he has made sure that the violinist doesn't get all the tunes! The arrangements include a few unusual techniques but David promises they are not as hard as they look or sound./ Recueil / Trio à Cordes