Korngold - the Complete String Quartets

[brendangcarroll]

The popularity of Korngold's beautiful chamber music continues apace. News just recieved:-

"Coming soon: a new and very welcome recording of the complete String Quartets by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, performed by the much admired ALMA QUARTET of Amsterdam, has been made for the enterprising label, Challenge Classics.

Release Date: November/December  2021. "

More details will follow

[Alan Howe]

How might this compare with the Chandos release?
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7988235--korngold-string-quartets-nos-1-2-3

...or the cpo or ASV versions?

[brendangcarroll]

We must wait & see!!! Or rather....hear!

[Gareth Vaughan]

Things are getting to the point where Korngold's music may no longer qualify as "unsung" - which is very good, of course.

[Alan Howe]

Quite - e.g. multiple versions of the String Quartets.

[ewk]

As for recordings, this seems to be the case more and more (if not for all works, but this is surely common for many composers). In the concert hall, things are of course much more conservative, sadly enough. Here in Germany, even Elgar (apart from Enigma and Cello concerto) would qualify ad unusual or even adventurous programming. By Korngold, I've seldomly seen anything apart from the Violin concerto (or die tote Stadt) on a concert programme -- although the symphony seems to make its way out of obscurity these days.
The opposite is of course only true for Brahms, Beethoven and the likes.

[eschiss1]

How often does one hear Brahms' op.104 choral works, or Rinaldo, though, outside of Austria or Germany I wonder? And I'm still inclined to say that until more of Haydn's operas are performed more often, there's that for instance, though you didn't mention Joseph H.

[Alan Howe]

...which tells us that even the greatest sung composers wrote music that hardly anybody knows.

[MartinH]

The only Korngold I've ever heard in concert is the violin concerto - repeatedly - and the main title to The Sea Hawk. And the introduction to The Snowman, which I put on a program I conducted. That's it. I hope to hear the symphony live someday and that the local Chamber Music Society brings in a group to do any Korngold chamber works. There is one thing that could really help Korngold's cause and that is publishing arrangements of some of the film music, simplified to a degree, that would make it accessible to amateur orchestras. So much of his music is extremely difficult to play. And it's a challenge to acquire performance materials. There are many talented arrangers who could create editions for more practical use.

[brendangcarroll]

Dear Martin

Pity you could not be at the London PROMS on Saturday evening. The Korngold Symphony received an electrifying performance from the Sinfonia of London conducted by John Wilson. It will be televised on BBC FOUR on Thursday evening at 7pm (GMT) which is presumably available via BBC SOUNDS on line.

Regarding the film music, Warner Brothers is the problem, they have been uninterested in doing anything with this music in spite of repeated attempts by myself and others to make it more accessible. I spend a lot of my time fielding email queries from conductors and orchestra managers about how to get performance materials for this music.

The chamber music is becoming increasingly popular so I am sure it will make its way to your area soon. This month I wrote notes for the IRISH premiere of the 1st String Quartet for a festival in County Kilkenny!

[eschiss1]

I'm a little surprised the fine Cork chamber festival didn't get there first...

[eschiss1]

ah, I see the Ragazze quartet played the 2nd quartet at the W Cork Festival not long ago, so — close; just not the first

[eschiss1]

Presto confirms that quartets 2 & 3 will indeed be released in early November by Challenge Classics.