Erich Wolfgang Korngold

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Korngold conducting the Warner Brothers studio orchestra (Rhino Records)
Korngold conducting the Warner Brothers studio orchestra (Rhino Records)

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (May 29, 1897 – November 29, 1957) was a 20th century neoromantic composer.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Born in an assimilated Jewish home in Brno, Austria-Hungary (now the Czech Republic), Erich was the son of the music critic Julius Korngold. He studied music under Alexander von Zemlinsky and Robert Fuchs. Mahler, upon meeting the young Erich, called him a "musical genius." Richard Strauss also spoke very highly of the youth.

He had success in Europe with his opera Die tote Stadt (1920), among other pieces, before moving in 1934 to the United States. There he composed a number of film scores that have been recognized ever since as classics of their kind, beginning with an adaptation of Felix Mendelssohn's incidental music for A Midsummer Night's Dream for the 1935 Warner Brothers production of the Shakespeare comedy; this was followed by his first original film score, for Captain Blood with Errol Flynn. For the rest of his life he continued to write concert music in a rich, chromatic late Romantic style, with the Violin Concerto among his notable later works.

In 1938, Korngold was conducting opera in Austria when he was asked by Warner Bros. to come back to Hollywood and create a score for their new (and very expensive) film The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn. He agreed and returned by ship. Shortly after he arrived in California, the Anschluss took place and the condition of Jews in Austria became very perilous. Korngold later would say the film score of Robin Hood saved his life. (See the Robin Hood Collectors Edition on DVD for details).

In 1943, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Although Korngold quit writing original film scores after 1946, he was later asked by Republic Pictures to adapt the music of Richard Wagner for a film biography of Wagner, released in color as Magic Fire. He died in Los Angeles.

[edit] Legacy

Despite his achievements and considerable popularity with the musical public, Korngold for years attracted almost no positive critical attention, but considerable critical disdain. Then, in 1972, RCA Victor released an LP titled The Sea Wolf, featuring excerpts from Korngold's film scores performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Charles Gerhardt and supervised by the composer's son George. This was followed by recordings of Korngold's operas and concert works, which led to performances of his symphony and concertos, as well as other compositions. Further recognition came in the 1990s two full-scale biographies of him appeared almost simultaneously. One is Jessica Duchen, Erich Wolfgang Korngold 1996 (Phaidon Press, 20th Century Composers series). The other is Brendan G. Carroll, Erich Korngold: The Last Prodigy (Amadeus Press, 1997); Carroll is President of the International Korngold Society.

[edit] Works

[edit] Orchestral and vocal works

Der Schneemann (need info)

  • Sinfonietta, Op. 5 (composed 1912)
  • Songs of Farewell, Op. 14 (composed 1920; first performed 1921; orchestral version first performed 1923)
  • Piano Concerto (composed 1923; first performed 1924)
  • Songs of the Clown (1937)
  • Violin Concerto (composed 1945; first performed 1947)
  • Cello Concerto (1946, expanded from a work written for the 1946 film Deception)
  • Symphony in F sharp major, Op.40 (composed 1947–52; first performed 1954)
  • Theme and Variations, Op.42 (composed 1953)

[edit] Chamber works

  • Piano Trio in D major, Op.1 (composed and first performed 1910)
  • Piano Sonata No. 1 in D minor with concluding passacaglia (composed 1908; first performed 1908–9)
  • Piano Sonata No. 2 in E major, Op.2, in three movements (composed 1910; first performed 1911)
  • Violin Sonata in G major, Op.6 (composed 1912; first performed 1916)
  • String Sextet in D major, Op.10 (first performed 1917)
  • Quintet for two violins, viola, violoncello and piano in E Major, Op.15 (composed 1920–21; first performed 1923)
  • String Quartet No.1 in A major, Op.16 (composed 1923; first performed 1924)
  • Suite for 2 violins, cello & piano left hand, Op.23 (composed 1930; first performed ?)
  • Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op.25 (composed 1931; first performed 1932) ([1])
  • String Quartet No.2 in E-flat major, Op.26 (composed 1933; first performed 1934)
  • String Quartet No.3 in D major, Op.34 (composed 1945; first performed 1946)

[edit] Operas

[edit] Arrangements for operettas

  • Eine Nacht in Venedig (A Night in Venice) (1923)
  • Cagliostro in Wien (Cagliostro in Vienna) (1927)
  • Rosen aus Florida (Roses from Florida) (1929)
  • Die Fledermaus (The Bat) (1929)
  • Walzer aus Wien (Waltzes from Vienna) (1930)
  • Die schöne Helena (The Beautiful Helena) (1931)
  • Das Lied der Liebe (The Song of Love) (1931)
  • Die geschiedene Frau (1933)
  • Rosalinda (1942)
  • The Great Waltz (1949)

[edit] Film soundtracks

[edit] External links

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