Erich Wolfgang Korngold

[vandermolen]

I received the Kempe world premiere of Symphony in F sharp, so I'll definitely be giving this recording a spin at some juncture (probably over the weekend). I've been drooling over this recording for years and when I finally found a copy for a good price on eBay, I jumped on it.

Excellent. It's the classic first recording.

[Mirror Image]

Excellent. It's the classic first recording.

Yep and I finished about an hour ago and I LOVED it. So far, this is my reference for this symphony even surpassing Previn on DG.

[Wanderer]

I find this to be gorgeous performance of the Suite:



Deeply Romantic feel in this performance and find that it gets better and better with each successive listen.

Actually, I find this is one of the weakest interpretations of the superb Op. 23. I believe I have reviewed my top recommendation earlier in the thread. The Forsberg et al. and Benjamin Schmid et al. renditions are also excellent.

[Roasted Swan]

Yep and I finished about an hour ago and I LOVED it. So far, this is my reference for this symphony even surpassing Previn on DG.

In many ways the Korngold Symphony - once it got accepted and once it managed to achieve a 2nd recording has been lucky on disc.  You are right - the Kempe is excellent - I think he captures the 'in memoriam' spirit of the work as well as any.  But there are several other versions well worth a mention too which if not the best are well worth a hear.  Welser-Most's Philadelphians are sonically well-suited to the piece and Downes with the BBC PO benefit from Chandos glamour.  The only ones that leave me relatively underwhelmed are Storgards who I find only competent as an interpretation and Albert who I find competent as execution.

My feeling about Wilson - which I expressed the very first time I heard it - is that it is technically astonishing.  Some of the most electric playing of any orchestral work I have heard in a long time.  But somewhere down the line this comes at the expense of the sense of loss and memorial that surely the work should encompass.  Fascinating - as always with Korngold - to compare early and late works.  The Sinfonietta and Symphony almost book-end his career as large-scale orchestral works.  On a compositional level it is remarkable how "fully formed" the teen-aged Korngold was - he creates orchestral sounds in the earlier work that can be heard echoed in the later.  But the key is the change in mood from youthful leaping confidence of the former to regret and loss pervading the latter.  That is where Kempe (and Previn) can tap into literal life experience in a way that Wilson cannot.  A Wilson recording of the Sinfonietta would be interesting for sure.......

[vandermolen]

I'd be interested to hear your view of Halffter's recording with the Grand Canary Philharminic which I think you alerted us to. I've now played it a couple of times with great pleasure. I think that it's a very exciting and deeply-felt performance.

[Roasted Swan]

I'd be interested to hear your view of Halffter's recording with the Grand Canary Philharminic which I think you alerted us to. I've now played it a couple of times with great pleasure. I think that it's a very exciting and deeply-felt performance.

I completely agree - I bought it on a whim because - as I mentioned - at the time it was a really cheap download.  I was completely taken aback by how successful it is on every level - artistically, technically and its a pretty good recording too

[Mirror Image]

In many ways the Korngold Symphony - once it got accepted and once it managed to achieve a 2nd recording has been lucky on disc.  You are right - the Kempe is excellent - I think he captures the 'in memoriam' spirit of the work as well as any.  But there are several other versions well worth a mention too which if not the best are well worth a hear.  Welser-Most's Philadelphians are sonically well-suited to the piece and Downes with the BBC PO benefit from Chandos glamour.  The only ones that leave me relatively underwhelmed are Storgards who I find only competent as an interpretation and Albert who I find competent as execution.

My feeling about Wilson - which I expressed the very first time I heard it - is that it is technically astonishing.  Some of the most electric playing of any orchestral work I have heard in a long time.  But somewhere down the line this comes at the expense of the sense of loss and memorial that surely the work should encompass.  Fascinating - as always with Korngold - to compare early and late works.  The Sinfonietta and Symphony almost book-end his career as large-scale orchestral works.  On a compositional level it is remarkable how "fully formed" the teen-aged Korngold was - he creates orchestral sounds in the earlier work that can be heard echoed in the later.  But the key is the change in mood from youthful leaping confidence of the former to regret and loss pervading the latter.  That is where Kempe (and Previn) can tap into literal life experience in a way that Wilson cannot.  A Wilson recording of the Sinfonietta would be interesting for sure.......

The Symphony in F sharp is a remarkable achievement and I'm quite happy with the Kempe and Previn performances sitting on top. I'll probably end up listening to the Kempe again today at some point.

[Mirror Image]

Actually, I find this is one of the weakest interpretations of the superb Op. 23. I believe I have reviewed my top recommendation earlier in the thread. The Forsberg et al. and Benjamin Schmid et al. renditions are also excellent.

Oh well. I like it.

[vandermolen]

And here they are - The Philharmonic of Grand Canary:

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Here's another photo:

[Click to enlarge]

[vandermolen]

Here's another photo:

[Click to enlarge]

Very nice John!
Do you think that their concert hall really overlooks the sea?

PS actually I think it does!

[Mirror Image]

Very nice John!
Do you think that their concert hall really overlooks the sea?

PS actually I think it does!

Yes, indeed. I checked it out on Google Maps:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Alfredo+Kraus+Auditorium/@28.1299713,-15.4578278,15z/data=!4m8!1m2!2m1!1sThe+Philharmonic+of+Gran+Canaria!3m4!1s0xc40951c3f26b075:0xefbac9ff16ede6b1!8m2!3d28.1299713!4d-15.4488581

[vandermolen]

Yes, indeed. I checked it out on Google Maps:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Alfredo+Kraus+Auditorium/@28.1299713,-15.4578278,15z/data=!4m8!1m2!2m1!1sThe+Philharmonic+of+Gran+Canaria!3m4!1s0xc40951c3f26b075:0xefbac9ff16ede6b1!8m2!3d28.1299713!4d-15.4488581

Yes, me too. Great minds etc 

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Yes, me too. Great minds etc 

[Wanderer]

Salvaged from the WAYL2N thread; here it will do more good.

The Korngold Symphony recording from Sinfonia of London (chandos). I regret all the years I didn't know this piece but I'm glad this is the recording that introduced me to this larger than life gem. Almost certainly my most played classical recording of the past 12 months and still a joy.

I'm open to any Korngold recommendations, I'm really not familiar with him at all and it needs to be fixed!

Since you loved the Symphony, I believe the next step should be the masterful Sinfonietta (don't let the title mislead you, it is indeed a proper symphony!), an utterly charming and brilliant work, with a rousing finale full of swagger and good humour. Furthermore, I'd emphatically recommend the Op.23 Suite for 2 violins, cello & piano left hand, the most accomplished among his chamber works. Do prefer the Rowland/Mitchell/Arp/Magalhães, aka "The Korngold Project" version (possibly OOP, but available for streaming). The Forsberg et al. version is also excellent (whereas e.g. the Fleisher et al. version is definitely not).
More recommendations: the (left hand) Piano Concerto (it has been described as "a keyboard Salome"), the Cello Concerto, the Violin Concerto, the Suite from "Much ado about nothing" and the operas Die tote Stadt and Das Wunder Der Heliane. And that's for starters. Happy exploring!

[Roasted Swan]

Salvaged from the WAYL2N thread; here it will do more good.

Since you loved the Symphony, I believe the next step should be the masterful Sinfonietta (don't let the title mislead you, it is indeed a proper symphony!), an utterly charming and brilliant work, with a rousing finale full of swagger and good humour. Furthermore, I'd emphatically recommend the Op.23 Suite for 2 violins, cello & piano left hand, the most accomplished among his chamber works. Do prefer the Rowland/Mitchell/Arp/Magalhães, aka "The Korngold Project" version (possibly OOP, but available for streaming). The Forsberg et al. version is also excellent (whereas e.g. the Fleisher et al. version is definitely not).
More recommendations: the (left hand) Piano Concerto (it has been described as "a keyboard Salome"), the Cello Concerto, the Violin Concerto, the Suite from "Much ado about nothing" and the operas Die tote Stadt and Das Wunder Der Heliane. And that's for starters. Happy exploring!

Good recommendations all - although, once you find yourself engaged with Korngold's style and aesthetic he is remarkably consistent.  Indeed some might consider that a potential weakness - whereas some composers/artists you can chart their development from apprentice works to final masterpieces, Korngold in his teens is recognisably the Korngold of his last years.  To that end I find his early opuses truly remarkable -  and I've enjoyed a lot the recent Naxos disc of the Op.1 Piano trio and Op.10 String Sextet;



A big thumbs up for the Sinfonietta - I like the Chandos version here


although this is another good version and you get the (obilgatory) violin concerto for good measure;



Mentioning the Violin concerto - the original Heifetz is compulsory listening but there are many good versions - Gil Shaham with Previn and the LSO is lovely.  With the operas probably Die Tote Stadt is a good place to start and I still like the RCA recording which introduced most people to the work in the 70's



great cast singing their hearts out........

but like I say - you'll probably enjoy it all now.......

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I tend to prefer Korngold's chamber music and lieder more than his orchestral works or operas. I do still have a soft spot for his Violin Concerto, though and the Symphony in F-sharp major is a knock-out piece if performed with genuine conviction, which, so far, I like the Kempe performance the best of all the ones I've heard.

[MusicTurner]

The Symphony on Chandos would be my single chosen Korngold CD; it's an ambitious work, and I think that it doesn't necessarily feel as radically conservative, compared to quite a lot of other symphonies up to 1952 (though Webern's, Schoenberg's and Henze's for example are of course more modernist). Some might disagree however.

[vandermolen]

I enjoyed the John Wilson recording but prefer this one and those by Previn and Kempe:

[Symphonic Addict]

Listening to this utterly spectacular symphony on a cracking performance. Now I understand the reputation this rendition has gained over the years, it's simply tremendous! Once again I'm especially struck by the slow movement, how poignant and beautiful it is, music to die for. My love for this work is much more cemented now, one of my very favorites.