Korngold: Complete Piano Sonatas

Featuring

Michael Schäfer
Erich Wolfgang Korngold

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Cultural Impact

Korngold became a successful film composer, winning Oscars for his scores for "Anthony Adverse" (1936) and "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938).

Composition History

Korngold's Piano Sonata No. 1 in D minor, written at age eleven, features a passacaglia that impressed Gustav Mahler, who suggested adding it to the sonata.

Critical Reception

Richard Strauss, a renowned composer, was so impressed by the quality of Korngold's music at age eleven that he expressed his enthusiasm in glowing terms.

Composer Biography

Erich Wolfgang Korngold, the composer, was an exceptional pianist from childhood, distinguishing him from other child prodigies.

Notable Performances

The Piano Sonata No. 2 in E major op. 2 by Korngold was premiered on October 11, 1911, by the renowned pianist Artur Schnabel in Berlin.

Composition History

Korngold's 'Vier kleine Karikaturen für Kinder' op. 19, composed in 1926, caricatured prominent contemporary composers like Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Bartók, and Hindemith.

Critical Reception

Despite his harmonic daring, Korngold was considered a "last Romantic" and an anachronism by critics during the 1920s, especially compared to the Schoenberg school.