Erich Wolfgang Korngold was considered an extraordinary child prodigy, with his first compositions at age eleven displaying remarkable maturity.
Composer Biography
In 1932, a poll among Vienna's musical experts named Arnold Schoenberg and Erich Wolfgang Korngold as the most highly regarded living composers.
Recording & Production
This album marks the first time Korngold's String Sextet and Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht have been represented together on a gramophone record.
Historical Context
Both Korngold and Schoenberg, despite their artistic differences, maintained a cordial relationship that blossomed into warm friendship when they were exiled in the USA.
Historical Context
Both Korngold and Schoenberg were victimized as 'non-Aryan' after Hitler came to power, leading to their works being banned.
Critical Reception
Arnold Schoenberg's programmatic string sextet Verklärte Nacht, composed in 1899, was a figure of controversy from its first performance in 1902.
Compositional Technique
Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht is a rare experiment in the 'chamber symphonic poem' field, using intensely chromatic post-Tristanesque harmony with quasi-symphonic textures.
