Search - Erich Wolfgang Korngold, James DePreist, Oregon Symphony :: Korngold: The Sea Hawk; Symphony in F-Sharp

Prefer Korngold more layed back? Then this CD is for you!

William F. Flanigan Jr. | North Potomac, MD USA | 05/16/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As an Erich Wolfgang Korngold (EWK) film-score enthusiast, I bought the CD to listen only to the Sea Hawk "suite"; that the Symphony in F-Sharp came along with it didn't much matter. Boy, did I get a surprise! On a scale of five, the CD rates an average 3-1/2 stars (five for being recorded by a "regional" orchestra---more on this later; 3-1/2 for performance; and two for sound quality). The snippets from EWK's score for The Sea Hawk (1940) are laconic, suffer from inferior recording/ mixing, and have been recorded many times before. Aside from the hard-to-find "classic" versions on BMG conducted by Mr. Charles Gerhardt in the 70's--if you can find ANYTHING with Mr. Gerhardt conducting, buy it immediately!--the best modern recording is on Varese Sarabande with Mr. Varujan Kajian conducting the Utah Symphony (another "regional"). If you're just discovering EWK's film music, you'll definitely want to own all of these. The third movement of the Symphony is its best--particularity fortunate for film fans, since it offers what the last part of EWK's score for Elizabeth and Essex (1939) might have sounded like had Korngold scored it himself (a highly-recommended, modern recording of the film score is on Varese Sarabande with Mr. Carl Davis conducting the Munich Symphony). This movement is exceptionally beautiful, but uniquely presented in a touchingly-haunting, and dream-like manner that is in dramatic contrast to the sound-track music (which addresses how the Queen finally manages to isolate the head of the Essex problem). Would I buy this CD again if a Rottweiler ate it? You bet! In fact, I'd buy two copies, since The Oregon Symphony--like a number of other not-as-well-known, regional orchestras (both in the US and Europe)--has had the creative enlightenment, originality, and flat-out courage to help bring back EWK's music."

Pure kornGOLD...

vmzfla | Orlando, Fl. | 05/22/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"At the end of WWII Wolfgang Korngold retired from films and focused the remainder of his life(D.1957)on composing concert music. At that time of completion his massive late-romantic Symphony in F-Sharp was almost completely ignored, in favor of more fashionable chamber works(sparser orchestration)by others. Though ridiculed for his continual tonal writing the F Symphony became one of the gems of the post war era.

The opening dissonant chords however appear atonal until the clarinet introduces a haunting first subject theme, which in my opinion could have used further development. It seemingly being hatched in the middle of chaos and tense development. On a whole the first movement takes on a sinister forboding ambiance. One will feel alot more secure with the goose bump heroic theme brought forth by the horns following a lively tarantella. This scherzo is orchestrated to great effect and is one of my favorite all-time symphonic movements. In the adagio, taking cues from his mentor, Mahler; Korngold provides a overpowering solemn, somber furneral march. This derived from the death march of his 1939 score "The Private Lives of Elisabeth and Essex". There are three different climaxes that form the tragic mood. The finale is a joyous rondo using a dance like main theme borrowed from his score to "Kings Row" and recapitulated material from the earlier movements. This all making for an emotional musical rollercoaster ride of a symphony. For certain Korngold never foregoes his film music roots. You can say the whole package is movie music without a movie. Create your own fantasy, immerse youself in his symphonic bath. Included is a short suite from the best swashbuckler ever,"The Sea Hawk" which I think should have followed the symphony as an encore, rather than precede it.

Delos gives us good expansive sound characteristic for this kind of music. DePriest and his Oregon Symphony seem comptetent enough. A note: Korngold's daughter Kathrin joins the strings for this 1997 recording. Excellent liner notes by Brendon Carroll author of Korngold's bio the "Last Prodigy" adds to the authenticity.

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