Jascha Heifetz, an internationally renowned virtuoso, premiered Korngold's Violin Concerto and demanded that the finale be made even more technically challenging for the soloist.
Critical Reception
Korngold's Violin Concerto was dismissed by the New York Times as a 'Hollywood concerto' with 'ordinary and sentimental' tunes, leading to the conclusion that 'the facility of the writing is matched by the mediocrity of the ideas'.
Composition History
Korngold was persuaded to abandon his troubled homeland and remain in America by a stratospheric commission fee of $12,500 for his work on the film 'The Adventures of Robin Hood'.
Composer Biography
Both Korngold and Britten had established reputations as resourceful film music composers before writing their violin concertos.
Composer Biography
Both Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Benjamin Britten were child prodigies, often compared to Mozart, and both worked in the US as European immigrants during a time of political upheaval.
Compositional Technique
Korngold's Violin Concerto directly reuses musical material from his pre-existing film scores, including 'Another Dawn', 'Juárez', 'Anthony Adverse', and 'The Prince and the Pauper'.
Album & Artwork
This album brings together two violin concertos by Korngold and Britten, a long-time wish of violinist Vilde Frang.
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