Erich
Wolfgang KORNGOLD
(1897-1957)
FEATURE REVIEW
The First
Recording of Korngold’s Symphony in F Sharp by Rudolf Kempe
followed by a
survey of available recordings of the Symphony.
Erich
Wolfgang KORNGOLD (1897-1957)
Symphony in F sharp (1947-52) [48:49]
Munich Philharmonic Orchestra/Rudolf Kempe
rec. 27 November 1972 for release in LP format (RCA
Red Seal ARL1-0443). Produced by the composer’s younger son,
George Korngold (1928-1987) then transferred to digital under
the supervision of George Korngold for CD reissue in 1983.
VARÈSE SARABANDE VSD-5346 [48:49] 
PURCHASE
MDT
AmazonUK
AmazonUS
It should be stated at the outset that
this is not a new release.
It is, nevertheless,
an important historical recording. With two new CDs
of Korngold’s Symphony released within the last year - Marc
Albrecht’s on Pentatone PTC5186373
(2011) and John Storgårds’s on Ondine ODE11822 (2011) – it
was thought that it was high time that we covered this, the
very first recording of this Symphony, made in 1972 by Rudolf
Kempe (b. Dresden 1910 - d. Zurich 1976).
Brendan G. Carroll,
Korngold’s principal biographer [The Last Prodigy – A Biography
of Erich Wolfgang Korngold by Brendan G. Carroll, 1997, Amadeus
Press ISBN 1-57467-029-8] and President of
the International Korngold Society commenting on Korngold’s
Symphony for MusicWeb International has written, "This
Symphony is one of the most demanding orchestral works in
the repertory and conductors and orchestras that approach
it thinking it is an easy ride, do so at their peril. It is
in a very difficult key (especially for the strings) and the
writing demands virtuosity from all sections. It is also a
common mistake to try to make it sound like a Hollywood film
score, which it isn't. The tempi and rhythm must be kept taut
and when Korngold's markings are obeyed, it makes a devastating
effect."
Korngold’s Symphony
in F-Sharp is scored for a large orchestra with expanded percussion
including marimba, plus four horns, three trumpets, four trombones,
celesta and (percussive) piano. The solemn elegiac Adagio
is the emotional heart and Brendan Carroll describes this
as Korngold’s finest slow movement and has written that “many
commentators have described it as the greatest since Bruckner
and Mahler and that Korngold had described the conclusion
of the Adagio as an ‘ecstatic Abgesang’”.
Although Korngold
professed that there was no programme to his Symphony, he
admitted that some listeners might have, on first hearing
it, read into the first movement the terror and horrors of
the years 1933-45 and into the Adagio the sorrows and
sufferings of that time. Furthermore, one cannot
but conjecture that this music reflected Korngold’s disillusion
with life in Hollywood, his disenchantment on return to post-war
Vienna to see it in ruins, and his disappointment at the general
antipathy to the overt emotionalism of Late-Romantic music.
The first performance
of the Symphony, in October 1954, at the studios of Austrian
Radio in Vienna had been under-rehearsed; in fact after the
final rehearsal Korngold begged unsuccessfully for the performance
to be cancelled. As he feared, the premiere proved to be very
disappointing and Korngold, in deep depression, asked for
the tapes to be erased - “the sound of the tape was louder
than the trumpets”, he complained. Expectations of a better
performance in America, a little later, by Golschmann came
to naught. Only two other performances were given in the composer’s
lifetime - in Graz by Alois Melichar and by Jan Koetsier with
the Munich Philharmonic in 1955.
The German conductor,
Rudolf Kempe found the score of Korngold’s Symphony in the
Munich Philharmonic library where it had sat, unnoticed since
that 1955 performance. Kempe decided to perform it himself.
Then the composer’s younger son, George Korngold, heard about
this projected performance and persuaded RCA to record it
the day after the concert on 27 November 1972 with George
Korngold, himself, as recording producer. George Korngold
decided to forgo any credit on the LP fearing critics might
claim that Kempe only recorded the Symphony because George
had persuaded him to do so in order to promote his father’s
music. The Kempe recording was put down on tape in just two
three-hour sessions. There was a cut in the Scherzo but otherwise
it is very faithful to the score.
Later, in 1983,
George Korngold prepared this 1972 recording for reissue as
a digital transfer from the original multi-track analogue
master tapes. This new format was prepared for release on
the specialist film music label, Varèse Sarabande, by Tom
Null and Robert Townson. It will be remembered that this Korngold
Symphony makes reference to some of Korngold’s film music
(follow the link above to the Albrecht recording for detail
of these film scores).
[* As a record
producer, George Korgold was much involved with film music
in the 1970s co-producing (with Charles Gerhardt) the 14-volume Classic Film Scores
Series for RCA Records (currently being reissued by Sony
Masterworks). He also produced a series of 'landmark' recordings
of his father's works, including the operas Die Tote Stadt (for RCA) and Violanta (for CBS) and a disc of
the First and Third String Quartets (for RCA; played by the
Chilingirian
Quartet.]
Notwithstanding
the cut in the Scherzo (for whatever reason - possibly the
recording time was running out and the Scherzo had to suffer?)
and the fact that the sessions were so hurried, for me it
is a landmark recording. It’s worth remembering that:-
1. The recording producer
was the composer’s younger son George Korngold, lending undoubted
authority to the project.
2. George Korngold
also supervised the transfer from analogue to the improved
digital sound for the CD transfer adding further authority.
3. Kempe was a much
loved and respected conductor working in Vienna, Dresden (where
he made some of his best-known recordings including the Strauss
orchestral music now on Brilliant Classics) and London with
the BBC Symphony Orchestra and, mainly, the Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra first as Principal Conductor from 1961 to 1962,
then as their Artistic Director from 1963 to 1975. More importantly,
in this context, his association with Munich was strong; both
with the Bavarian State Opera and the Munich Philharmonic.
It was the Munich Orchestra that was used in this recording.
It
is also worth remembering that Kempe must have witnessed the
horrors of World War II. He was
conscripted into the army, but instead of active service was
directed into musical activities, playing for the troops.
Kempe’s taut yet
intensely human reading thrills. It thrusts forward strongly;
there is no indulgence given to the Hollywood-based material,
rather it is integrated seamlessly and naturally into the
structure. There is wonderful virtuoso playing from all sections
especially from the often edgy strings and the scowling brass.
Kempe’s direction is an exciting knife-edge control of Korngold’s
song of terror, of desperate loneliness and nightmarish eeriness.
Such terrors are released by the lyrical romantic sections
and these are rapturous in Kempe’s sure direction; the intensity
of that extraordinary Adagio is played with all stops
out but never allowed to spill over into bathos. The glorious
life-affirming glow of that final section of this movement
has, for me, never been bettered.
In short Kempe’s
reading is a recording to be treasured.
Message
received
Dear Ian (if I may),
Brendan Carroll
was kind enough to forward a link to your wonderful review
of the Kempe recording of my grandfather's Symphony in F#.
I was delighted to read it, and thank you for your thoughtful
analysis of this important recording.
As you made mention of my Uncle
George (wonderful photo, by the way) and seemed interested
in the family connection, I thought you might like to know
that I played on the 1997 Oregon Symphony CD, and as my father
Ernst had died the previous November, I asked that the CD
be dedicated to his memory. Here is what Brendan wrote in
the liner notes:
"It is particularly apt that
this recording should be made in Portland by the Oregon Symphony,
for it is here in Portland that Korngold's eldest son Ernst
spent his final years of retirement before his death in 1996.
His daughter Kathrin, a violinist, also lives here with her
family and she was delighted to be able to join the string
section of the Oregon Symphony for this recording -- which
is dedicated to the memory of Ernst Korngold."
With best wishes,
Kathrin Korngold Hubbard
Other recording
of Korngold’s Symphony in F Sharp
Below is a list of recordings
of the Symphony. Please note that I have included the original
catalogue numbers – some of these recordings will have been
reissued either singly or as part of Korngold collections
and consequently with different catalogue numbers.
Kempe: Varèse Sarabande
VSD-5346 (1972) (Munich Philharmonic Orchestra) no extras
Werner Andreas Albert CPO 999 146-2
(1988) [51:33] (Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie) with Theme
and Variations Op. 42 and Straussiana
Sir Edward Downes Chandos CHAN CHAN
9171 (1992) (BBC Philharmonic) with Abschiedslieder
(Songs of Farewell) with Linda Finnie (contralto) now
midprice CHAN 10431 X
Franz Welser-Möst EMI Classics
5 56169 2 (1995) (The Philadelphia Orchestra) with Sechs
Einfache Lieder (Six Simple Songs) and Marietta’s
Lied (Die tote Stadt) also now at mid-bargain
price as an EMI Gemini Double 50999 21765025 and as a 20th Century Classic double as 50999 09468320
with other Korngold works and on one CD as EMI Classics Encore 86101.
André Previn DG 453 436-2 (1996)
and released in Korngold’s centenary year, 1997 (London Symphony Orchestra) with Much
Ado About Nothing * Suite (review)
James De Preist Delos DE3234 (1997)
(The Oregon Symphony Orchestra) with The Sea
Hawk (film score excerpts) (review)
Marc Albrecht Pentatone PTC5186373
(2010) (Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg) with Much
Ado About Nothing ¶ Suite
John Storgårds Ondine ODE11822
(2011) (Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra) with Tanzchen
im Alten Stil
[* In passing I
must recommend the Caspar Richter 2002 recording
of Korngold’s lovely Much Ado About Nothing
Suite released on the alas now defunct ASV label (CD DCA 1131).
Richter’s recording of this Suite included the world premiere
recording of an extra movement, the beguiling Garden Music
which formed the Prelude to Act III of the Shakespearean production
for which Korngold provided the music. As if this wasn’t enough
the album also includes recordings of Korngold’s Einfache
Lieder and Abschiedslieder beautifully
sung by Gigi Mitchell-Velasco. I notice this CD is still available
from Amazon as I write on 29 May 2011.
Additionally there
is a recording of the Korngold Symphony available from Amazon
(only as a download) by Pedro Halffter conducting
La Orchestra Filarmonica da Gran Canaria†.
This, for less than £4 is amazing value and is a strong
performance of raw emotion caught in excellent sound. The
movements timings are: 15:38, 10:54; 17:14; and 11:02. My
fellow reviewer Nick Barnard, has commented: “... this is
right up there with the very best versions (I still think
the 1st recording by Rudolf Kempe takes some beating for the
sense of discovery it exudes). I prefer this to Welser-Möst
and De Preist and Albert. The Downes recording on Chandos
is good but I think this is better. Very well played indeed
with exciting full throated brass, warm strings and expressive
wind. Very good engineering lets lots of the inner detail
register with bags of attack and passion too. Who would have
guessed that the Orchestra of Gran Canaria could play so well
- this is a VERY tricky piece to bring off indeed - one of
the few pieces in the repertoire written in the horrible key
of F sharp major.”
Erich Wolfgang
Korngold – Symphony
in F sharp - Timings over the nine recordings
| Conductor |
1st Movement |
2nd Movement |
3rd Movement |
4th Movement |
| Kempe |
14:12 |
9:14 |
15:04 |
10:19 |
| Albert |
16:15 |
10:00 |
15:05 |
10:33 |
| Downes |
14:14 |
10:14 |
16:28 |
10:24 |
| Welser-Möst |
12:50 |
9:48 |
14:45 |
10:19 |
| Previn |
15:55 |
10:32 |
16:09 |
10:31 |
| De Preist |
15:19 |
10:31 |
16:56 |
11:02 |
| Albrecht |
14:59 |
10:04 |
15:27 |
10:30 |
| Storgårds |
15:55 |
11:03 |
15:36 |
11:11 |
| Halffter † |
15:38 |
10:54 |
17:14 |
11:02 |
Conclusions
Marc Albrecht’s reading on Pentatone
Albrecht has plenty of attack and verve - and lyricism in
the quieter romantic passages. It is a brilliantly delivered
reading served in excellent, sharply defined and focused sound.
This recording has received the respected ArkivMusic recommendation
status as well as three others from the above list: Welser-Möst,
Previn and De Preist, the latter of which Jessica Duchen,*
Korngold’s other biographer wrote, “The Symphony
receives a particularly warm and beautiful interpretation.
DePreist has a sympathetic feeling for contrasts of textures;
the tempi are excellently judged and atmospheres powerful,
with a vigorous sense of energy, tension and release.” [*
Erich Wolfgang Korngold by Jessica Duchen in Phaidon’s 20th
Century Composers series 1996 ISBN 0 7148 3155 7]
Many
of the available recordings have much to offer and it will
probably come down to personal choice as to which you should
buy. It may well be that the fillers will be the deciding
factor. Sir Edward Downes’ Chandos recording that also includes
Korngold’s quite delectable Abschiedslieder with Linda Finnie
is certainly a major deciding factor for me. So my personal
choice would be:-
Rudolf Kempe Varèse Sarabande
VSD-5346 (1972) (Munich Philharmonic Orchestra)
Sir Edward Downes Chandos CHAN 9171
(1992) (BBC Philharmonic) with Abschiedslieder
with Linda Finnie – now midprice CHAN 10431 X
Marc Albrecht Pentatone PTC5186373
(2010) (Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg) with Much
Ado About Nothing Suite
Ian Lace
