Concert of Film Music: Korngold in Hollywood

Johan Dalene, photo: Marco Borggreve Erich Wolfgang Korngold was a child prodigy whose talent enchanted Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss. He staged his most famous opera at the age of 23, pursued a career as a conductor shortly afterwards and then became, still at a very young age, a lecturer at the Staatsakademie für Musik in Vienna. Nothing foreshadowed his great turn to film, which – bored by the silent image – decided to speak with an audible voice. A few years before the outbreak of the Second World War, Korngold moved to the US, and he eventually took American citizenship. He became permanently associated with Hollywood, setting the mould for later film music composers. At the same time, he remained faithful to the style of the composers whom he had captivated in his early career. Korngold wrote music for many films, including The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and Kings Row (1941), twice receiving an Oscar. However, he did not abandon the classical forms and contexts of symphonic music. In 1945 he completed his Violin Concerto, with Jascha Heifetz performing the solo part. It is undoubtedly one of the most ‘cinematic’ of instrumental concertos, be it only because the composer took numerous themes from his film scores.