Erich Wolfgang Korngold

[anasazi]

I absolutely adore the violin concerto.  Recordings abound.  I have the Korngold DVD (The Adventures of a Wunderkind) and it includes a performance (Kavakos, violin, Wolff cond.)  The Hilary Hahn DVD (A Portrait) includes her performance (conducted by Nagano).  Then there are the CDs.  Shaham's is indeed a very fine one.  Several others.

I love the way the concerto begins, without fanfares or introduction.  It just .begins with that memorable tune.  Watching the DVDs I can easily notice that the solist plays just about the entire length of the concerto.  There are few breaks for the violinist.  But no cadenzas. 

Along with the Sibelius and the Barber, this is my favorite 20th century violin concerto.

I have sometimes felt sad for Korngold.  He grew up and lived to write opera.  His God-father was Richard Strauss, yet hs also was close with Puccini.  But fate dealt him a bad hand.  After trying some film scoring  for Warner Brothers (Captain Blood, etc) he wanted to return to Europe and write Opera.  That was about the time Hitler annexed Austria so  Jack Warner's invitation to stay in the US and score "The Adventures Of Robin Hood" began to make more sense (originally, Korngold had said 'too many notes').

Eventually (after the war) Korngold returned to a bombed-out Europe, but his style of writing operas was already passe.  So we are left with about 18 film scores in lieu of his real dreams.  And no mistake, many of them contain wonderful music.  This composer really did 'invent' Hollywood film music.

I also recommend the original Charles Gerhardt recordings (shame about that Dolby business that RCA added however).  Yet the performances are magnificent.

[Mirror Image]

I've never been that impressed with Korngold's music. There's something about it that just doesn't seem genuine to me. Korngold composing music for film has nothing to do with my opinion. There are a lot of compoers who wrote music for film. This doesn't downgrade their own serious music.

I just haven't made a connection with anything that he composed and I have many recordings of his orchestral music.

[Guido]

I've never been that impressed with Korngold's music. There's something about it that just doesn't seem genuine to me. Korngold composing music for film has nothing to do with my opinion. There are a lot of compoers who wrote music for film. This doesn't downgrade their own serious music.

I just haven't made a connection with anything that he composed and I have many recordings of his orchestral music.

His chamber music is often fine and never more so than the Suite mentioned above. But I think The Symphonic Serenade for Strings, the violin and cello concertos and the symphony are all fine too, as are the juiciest arias from the operas.

[knight66]

I have just ordered this and am awaiting it eagerly. The review in Gramophone described the music in mouthwatering terms.



His four Abschiedslieder are gravely beautiful and well worth looking out for.

Mike

[vandermolen]

The Symphony, in memory of F. D. Roosevelt, ranks very high as far as I'm concerned.

[Scarpia]

I have just ordered this and am awaiting it eagerly. The review in Gramophone described the music in mouthwatering terms.

Have you heard other recordings of the Korngold quartets?

[knight66]

No it has never occured to me to look to them; but the review did its job and I decided to explore them.

Mike

[SonicMan46]

I've never been that impressed with Korngold's music. There's something about it that just doesn't seem genuine to me. Korngold composing music for film has nothing to do with my opinion. There are a lot of composers who wrote music for film.................

Just for those who only associate Korngold w/ Hollywood film music, his life started out quite differently and that of a musical prodigy compared to Mozart - if interested, check out the Bio HERE - might provide a better perspective for those not familiar w/ his pre-Hollywood days - 

[knight66]

I have managed a couple of times through the new quartets disc in the last two days. I sense the music will find a firm foothold as a favourite. It is not as lyrical as I expected. The first quartet was started immediately after Die Tot Stadt was completed. It is fairly astringent with delicate chromaticism.

The later quartets are slightly more lush; but only slightly. This is not perfumed Brahms or watered down Strauss. It is muscular music and makes demands. There is beauty there, but not the easy beauty of his violin concerto.

Mike

[Guido]

This is not perfumed Brahms or watered down Strauss.

I love these descriptions! I have serious issues with Korngold, and while I love a few of his pieces, I have serious reservations about much of the oeuvre (I think I've heard everything by him now) and am very sceptical of the seemingly endless claims of his being a forgotten genius of true stature, who has just been ignored because his music went out of fashion (and then various adjunct stories about the effects of the nazis and hollywood on his reputation). Apart from often being historically questionable to say the least, it's like people aren't actually hearing the music for these reasons and aren't able to truly judge it's worth without the historical blinkers on. It is a disservice to him I think to overstate his importance.

[knight66]

I am reasonably aware of the historical background, who admired him and who did not. Some of his music I really don't much care for, but as I indicated, I do like these quartets and the background to the composer does not come into it for me.

Mike

[listener]

There's a recording of the Concerto with Hilary Hahn coming with the latest BBC Music Magazine (a Mozart concerto is the filler).   The customer ahead of me at my B&M bought their last copy so I can't comment further.

[Scarpia]

The orchestral music has some beautiful use of orchestra (lush orchestration, etc) but I typically don't find it the most convincing music with regards to musical argument.  But I am interested in the quartets and picked up this 2CD set also including a piano quintet for a favorable price.



(Previously I had a few odds and ends of Korngold chamber music.)  Will be listening soon.

[Gurn Blanston]

Well, judging by a fairly quick scan of this thread, it seems that other than film music, one must be pretty much content with the violin concerto and the string quartets. I have the Perlman concerto and I like it fine. And I have these string quartets;



which I haven't seen earlier in the thread, except that I am guessing that the Brilliant disk is a reissue of this one. What else of his music can I not live without?



----------------
Now playing:
Franco Mezzena (Violin) - Viotti G 034 Concerto #6 in E for Violin 1st mvmt - Allegro

[Scarpia]

There's the opera, which is rather good in the Korngoldian way (rich orchestration, etc) and there is a series of songs.

[Wanderer]

What else of his music can I not live without?

The op.23 Suite for 2 violins, cello & piano left hand, the (left hand) piano concerto, the cello concerto, the late Symphony, the Suite from "Much ado about nothing" and, of course, Die tote Stadt. I'd add Das Wunder der Heliane but, then, that's just me. You'll find your way from there.

I don't actually hold the violin concerto in such high esteem as some of the above works, but it's good that at least one Korngold work so far has secured a place in the repertoire.

This is absolutely indispensable. von Otter gives impressive accounts of the (very worthwhile) songs - especially the Shakespearean ones. Plus, the Forsberg & co. version of the magisterial Suite for 2 violins, cello & piano left hand is, I believe, the most intense and distinguished on record so far.

[Gurn Blanston]

There's the opera, which is rather good in the Korngoldian way (rich orchestration, etc) and there is a series of songs.

The op.23 Suite for 2 violins, cello & piano left hand, the (left hand) piano concerto, the cello concerto, the late Symphony, the Suite from "Much ado about nothing" and, of course, Die tote Stadt. I'd add Das Wunder der Heliane but, then, that's just me. You'll find your way from there.

I don't actually hold the violin concerto in such high esteem as some of the above works, but it's good that at least one Korngold work so far has secured a place in the repertoire.

This is absolutely indispensable. von Otter gives impressive accounts of the (very worthwhile) songs - especially the Shakespearean ones. Plus, the Forsberg & co. version of the magisterial Suite for 2 violins, cello & piano left hand is, I believe, the most intense and distinguished on record so far.

Thanks, guys. I may approach the opera rather obliquely, which is totally in character for me.   Meanwhile the cello concerto and the Op 23 suite look quite interesting.

Bear in mind that for me, this is a tentative exploration of "that modern music" more than moving around in my comfort zone. I reckon that's alien to many of you, but hey, what can I say?

[karlhenning]

Take that walk on the wild side, Gurn! ; )

[Gurn Blanston]

Take that walk on the wild side, Gurn! ; )

Working myself up to it, Karl. And after this, I have that pile of Kabelevsky disks at home, as yet unheard...

[karlhenning]

Oh, that made me smile : )