more than you ever knew before about Korngold

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windshieldbug
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Re: more than you ever knew before about Korngold

Post by windshieldbug »

Thanks for pointing this out, bloke!
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Re: more than you ever knew before about Korngold

Post by Bowerybum »

I love the music of Korngold! This suite From "KIngs Row" could be programmed at a regular symphony orchestra concert.
I remember what a big deal this was when the LP was released in 1979. Thanks for sharing the Korngold link!
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Re: more than you ever knew before about Korngold

Post by Ace »

Excellent material. Thanks Joe. My first really good brass teacher, Hyrum Lammers, played in the Sousa Band and was staff bass trombonist in the Warner Brothers orchestra during the period when Korngold was writing and conducting the scores for a lot of great Hollywood films, including Robin Hood; Captain Blood; The Seahawk; Kings Row; and many others. When I hear those old sound track recordings, it's fun to hear my old teacher's playing. As for Korngold, as a youth he wrote major opera works in Europe before Jack Warner recruited him to Hollywood.

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Re: more than you ever knew before about Korngold

Post by Alex C »

You are right, Bloke. This is more than I ever knew before about Korngold and I have been a fan for 20 years or so. I prefer to study his scores rather than read about him, a genius!

He has written three fanfares for brass quintet which you may be able to find for free on the internet. They are indicative of his movie writing of the 30's with the tonal shifts he so enjoyed.
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Re: more than you ever knew before about Korngold

Post by barry grrr-ero »

Good stuff. It's a shame that Korngold faded and died at a time when the purveyors of 'ugly' music had a stranglehold on music criticism and music teaching positions. If either UCLA or USC had begun a film scoring curriculum at that time, Korngold would have undoubtedly been called upon.

I think it's a pity that, in the concert hall, Korngold will mostly be remembered for "Die tote Stadt" and the violin concerto. But are good pieces, but I think there are better ones. I think it's interesting that the author calls "Das Wunder der Heliane", Korngold's reaction to R. Strauss' "Die Frau ohne Schatten". I've always thought that "Heliane" sounds a bit like "Die Frau". To me, it's a far better opera than "Die tote Stadt" (listen to the segment with the last 16 minutes of it).

I also very much like his symphonic overture "Sursum Corda" - a work that's a tad more lean and muscular than most of Korngold's. In my mind, it's to Korngold what the "Symphonic Dances" are to Rachmaninoff (that's an exaggeration).

While short, perhaps the very best work is his last opus: the "Theme and Variations". Here Korngold perfectly melds the best aspects of his more 'serious' works and the overtly - almost shameless, actually - lush melodies of his best film scores. One wonders if that goal wasn't precisely what he had had in mind.

Barry (I think Korngold very much lived up to Mahler's hopes and expectations, especially under the circumstances) Guerrero
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