Erich Wolfgang Korngold was a Viennese boy wonder who
was admired by Strauss and was expected to be the next great
European Musical
Genius when his early works appeared in the first decade of the
twentieth century. Alas, politics and the havoc wreaked upon
the continent by Hitler and the Nazis changed the course of his
life, eventually landing him in Hollywood and a respected career
as a film composer. Now famous for having essentially invented
the “swashbuckling” film score, it has taken a few
decades for Korngold’s substantial output of concert music
to make a comeback. Fortunately, interest in these works has
revived and none is more popular than the tuneful Violin Concerto
of 1945, inspired by Bronislav Hubermann, but given its first
performance by Jascha Heifetz.
Like the string quartets of Ravel and Debussy, Korngold’s
violin concerto is often paired on recordings with Samuel Barber’s
equally lush concerto. We have the happy fortune here of hearing
a couple of Korngold’s purely orchestral works. The concerto
however is the center-piece, and although it is given a satisfactory
performance by Philippe Quint, he stands against some serious
competition. Chock full of Hollywood movie themes, this is still
a substantial work, and requires a great deal of thought on the
part of the soloist to keep it from sounding merely showy. Quint’s
technical prowess is adequate for the task, but the sound seems
a bit thin to these ears, lacking depth of tone in the lower
register, and coming off as a bit reedy in the upper. By the
end, I was left with a feeling that although his performance
was certainly professional, it did not particularly inspire me.
Compare this reading to James Ehnes’ brilliant performance
(
Onyx
4016) or the equally remarkable reading by Gil Shaham (
DG
439886).
Inspired by Shakespeare’s
A Winter’s Tale, the
Overture
to a Drama was the first work that the teenaged composer
orchestrated without assistance. It was given its first performance
by the Gewandhaus Orchestra under no less a luminary that Artur
Nikisch. Although the influence of Strauss is obvious, particularly
in the charming use of three-quarter time, there is much that
is original and it is understandable that musicians of the day
saw such great potential in the young composer. Carlos Miguel
Prieto leads a taut performance, elegantly shaped and balanced.
Special mention goes to the horn section of the Mineria orchestra
for their potent yet never overpowering playing.
The incidental music to
Much Ado about Nothing was composed
for a 1920 production of the play in Vienna. Knowing that the
orchestra’s musicians would not be available for the full
run of the play, Korngold arranged the score for violin and piano,
an adaptation that has won more favor than the original orchestral
version. Marked by wonderfully clever orchestration, with deft
use of the piano and the harmonium, Korngold makes extremely
creative use of a modest yet diverse cadre of instruments. Although
each of the movements is brief, there is much delightful music
squeezed in, and Maestro Prieto gives us a perfectly paced performance,
making this little suite the highlight of this all too brief
disc!
Kevin Sutton
Philippe Quint (violin) 
