Korngold, E.W.: Violin Concerto / Schauspiel Overture / Much Ado About Nothing Suite

Featuring

Carlos Miguel Prieto
Philippe Quint
Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería
Erich Wolfgang Korngold

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Critical Reception

While Korngold's effulgent late-Romantic style found little favor in post-war Vienna, recent decades have seen a renewed interest in his music.

Composition History

The Violin Concerto, written in 1945, was prompted by Bronisław Huberman, a Polish violinist, but premiered by Jascha Heifetz, a Russian-American violin virtuoso, who championed the work.

Instruments

Philippe Quint, the violinist on this recording, plays a 1723 'Ex-Kiesewetter' Antonio Stradivari violin, on loan from Clement and Karen Arrison through the Stradivari Society.

Cultural Impact

After settling in Hollywood, Korngold composed lavish film scores like Captain Blood and The Adventures of Robin Hood, bringing his music to millions.

Composer Biography

Erich Wolfgang Korngold, the composer, was a child prodigy who impressed Gustav Mahler with his music at the age of nine.

Compositional Technique

The Violin Concerto unashamedly recalls lush Romanticism and uses themes taken directly from several of Korngold's film scores, such as Another Dawn and Juarez.

Historical Context

Korngold's opera Der Wunder der Heliane was affected by the worsening political situation, and his last opera Die Kathrin was not performed in Vienna due to the Anschluss and annexation of Austria by Germany.