The Symphony in F sharp, Op. 40, was a critical failure at its 1954 world premiere in Vienna, as it was at odds with the prevailing post-war clamor for serialism and atonality.
Performer Biography
The Sinfonia of London, originally formed in 1955, was re-established in 2018 by British conductor John Wilson primarily for recording projects, with this Korngold album being its first CD.
Composition History
Korngold's Symphony in F sharp, Op. 40, was intended as his comeback piece after eleven years in Hollywood, where he had revolutionized film scoring.
Composer Biography
Gustav Mahler, a renowned composer, recognized Korngold's remarkable gifts when Korngold was nine years old, pronouncing him a genius after hearing an early cantata.
Composition History
Korngold's Theme and Variations, Op. 42, and Straussiana were commissioned by the American School Orchestras Association in 1953.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Korngold deliberately composed his Symphony in F sharp without specifying major or minor, resulting in an ambiguous tonality with complex modulations.
Composer Biography
Korngold refused to give Straussiana an opus number, superstitiously believing he would not live to write beyond Opus 42, and it indeed became his last completed work.
You might also enjoy...
Hoffding: Orchestral Works
Moeran: Symphony in G Minor / Overture for A Masque / Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra
Alfvén: Symphony No. 1, Drapa & Midsommarvaka
Danielpour: First Light - The Awakened Heart - Symphony No. 3, "Journey Without Distance"
Sumera: Symphony No. 5 / Music for Chamber Orchestra / In Memoriam
Le Flem, P.: Magicienne De Mer (La) / Symphony No. 1 / Fantaisie
Mats Larsson Gothe: Symphony No. 2, The Apotheosis of the Dance & The Autumn Diary
Kernis, A.J.: Symphony in Waves / Newly Drawn Sky / Too Hot Toccata
Lutoslawski: Symphonies 1 & 2 [Gemini Serires]
Lutoslawski: Orchestral Works
Gallagher: Orchestral Music
Lutosławski: Symphony No.1 / Symphonic Variations etc.
