New Recording of Korngold's Piano Concerto in C#

[Alan Howe]

Still, let's venture beyond Korngold a little, eh? I mean, ArkivMusic lists 37 recordings of the Violin Concerto; and the PC has now been recorded at least five times - by Stavy, De Groote, Shelley, Hamelin and Weiss. Unsung? Yes. Rarely recorded? Would that any number of major works I could mention had been recorded just once.

[eschiss1]

and as to the Chopin, there are many unrecorded and perhaps quite good Romantic Polish concertos worthy of a look- how about Sowinski's, for example- but one gets the idea. (Or Stojowski's Rhapsodie symphonique, for that matter .. Fortunately Zelenski's is no longer on the completely commercially unrecorded list, likewise Rozycki's 2, ... hrm )

[ewk]

Alan, I totally see your point that other composers are recorded less. But isn't Korngold just a fabulous success story of an unsung composer finally getting some attention (well-deserved I think, but that's surely a matter of taste)? In expert circles like here, he is not so unsung anymore, of course.
I understand you do not like some of his works, which is perfectly fine. What I do not understand, to be very honest, is the amount of criticism Mr Carroll earns every time he opens a thread on this board... But maybe I'm just prejudiced as a Korngold fan.
However, you are of course very much right that the money doing unto duplicate recordings could also go into first recordings! That it does not is probably because of economic reasons, as always...
Best wishes, ewk

[Alan Howe]

I think Korngold is overrated, personally speaking - and is verging in some respects on the over-exposed (do we need another recording of the VC?) Now that he's emerged from his (undeserved) obscurity, I just don't find it all that interesting to pursue a thread such as this, focusing on the fifth recording of his PC. Compare, for example, this thread with others on this board and you'll mostly find instances of discussions of music receiving first recordings - or mentions of music which has never been recorded at all. Another example last year was the thread on the VC and String Sextet, with the latter receiving its fourteenth recording, according to Presto at the time.

If new threads are going to be started on Korngold, they should IMHO concentrate on unrecorded works (if there are any), or pieces that have received barely any attention. That would be of greater interest to me personally, although, of course, I accpet that some members come fresh to these discussions and appreciate the perspective that they offer.

[eschiss1]

OTOH it's very hard to say much at all about music receiving its first recording in -most- cases, even when the score is public domain, beyond announcing "look, this much anticipated work will finally be recorded."

[Alan Howe]

Well, how about Grimm's Symphony? According to Chris Fifield, this is a pivotal work in the history of the Symphony in Germany: he discusses it at some length in his book, the score has been republished in an up-to-date edition and yet it's never been recorded. I mean, it doesn't even require a soloist, for crying out loud...

[Gareth Vaughan]

I agree that a recording of Otto Grimm's Symphony would be a very good thing indeed. We might be able to interest CPO once the world returns to nomality.

[Alan Howe]

What I do not understand, to be very honest, is the amount of criticism Mr Carroll earns every time he opens a thread on this board

Let me just state where I stand:

1. Some of Korngold's music is just not unsung any more - and some has been recorded quite a lot by now such that comparisons between multiple versions is possible. However, we can, of course, continue to bring them to the notice of a wider audience at UC.

2. With regard to opera recordings, criticism inevitably focuses on two aspects - the quality of the singing and, in the case of DVDs, the type of production (the latter being all-too frequently the victim of the Regie culture in many opera houses/theatres). This, I think, is inevitably the case when studio-made recordings have become much rarer and live productions released on DVD have taken their place.

[chriss]

Was the Korngold Concerto ever recorded by Wittgenstein or is there something like a broadcast recording?

[Alan Howe]

Quote from: ewk on Yesterday at 10:12

What I do not understand, to be very honest, is the amount of criticism Mr Carroll earns every time he opens a thread on this board...

I thought I was the only person who noticed.

...which means that I have overstepped the mark here. Accordingly, I apologise profusely for the offence that I have evidently caused.

[brendangcarroll]

A lot of people have messaged me privately expressing concern that I may have been upset by certain critical remarks made about my posts concerning Korngold and the new recordings of his music.  I appreciate these kind concerns.

Rest assured however that I am very thick skinned and that, given the ever increasing interest in Korngold and his fine music, I shall continue to post news of new recordings and perfomances that I believe are significant. Of course I will not be listing every new release of his (by now) ubiquitous Violin Concerto which, at the last count, has racked up some 87 recorded versions!

In the case of the Piano Concerto, while there are indeed 5 recordings available, this highly original work almost never appears in live performances anywhere, which is why I posted the link. It is 'unsung' as a piece, so I believed it qualified for this forum. I consider it a significant work because it not only was the first LH Concerto to be commissioned by Paul Wittgenstein in March 1922, long before Ravel, Prokofiev, Strauss et alia, but it addressed the significant technical challenges of writing for the left alone to create the illusion of two hands playing, and solved the many probems therein, thereby offering the blueprint for those composers that followed him.

Yes, I am well used to Korngold being dismissed, criticised and sneered at as being second rate, overrated, lacking originality and whatever else. It will not deter me from being his chief advocate. And I am grateful for this forum offering a viable and pertinent source of information for -and about- him, from time to time.

BRENDAN CARROLL

[Mark Thomas]

Thanks to both Alan and Brendan for their messages. I'm now drawing a line under this area of debate.

Let's move on.

[Alan Howe]

Now that we're back on the subject of the PC, perhaps, Brendan, you could offer your thoughts on the available recordings, especially the new one?

[brendangcarroll]

Alan, I will be glad to do so, once I have heard the new CD which is not due to land on my mat until mid March!

[eschiss1]

I believe there may be some such dissertations.
Scanlon, Emma (2017) Pianism Reimagined: an analytical inquiry of left-hand piano through the career and commissions of Paul Wittgenstein. PhD thesis, National University of Ireland Maynooth. (Downloadable dissertation) is one.