Upcoming Performances & Anniversaries
Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Born: May 29th, 1897
Died: November 29th, 1957
Country of origin: Austria
Upcoming:
Konzert D-Dur
Conductor: Kristjan Järvi
May 26th, 2012 | Messe - Dresden - Germany
Konzert D-Dur
Conductor: Kristjan Järvi
May 28th, 2012 | Tonhalle - Düsseldorf - Germany
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Chronology
1897
Born in Brünn (today Brno) on 29 May, the son of the soon to be Viennese music critic Dr. Julius Korngold
1903
Piano and music theory lessons
1905
First extant composition
June 1906
Plays his fairy-tale cantata "Gold" to Gustav Mahler who pronounces him to be a genius, recommanding that he be sent to Alexander von Zemlinsky for tuition
1909
His father has the first piano sonata and the piano pieces "Don Quixote" and "Der Schneemann" privately printed to send them to musicians
1910
The ballet pantomime "Der Schneemann" is orchestrated by Zemlinsky and performed at the Vienna Court Opera. Universal Edition prints the Piano Trio, Op. 1
1911
With the "Sinfonietta" based on "Motiv des fröhlichen Herzens", Korngold demonstrates his mastery of the large late-Romantic orchstra
1916
The two one-act operas "Violanta" and "Der Ring des Polykrates" are premièred in Munich under the direction of Bruno Walter. Siegfried Trebisch draws Korngold´s attention to Rodenbach´s novel "Bruges-la-morte" which he himself translated into German. On the basis of this material, Julius and Erich Korngold work on the libretto of the opera "Die tote Stadt" under the pseudonym "Paul Schott"
1917
The twenty-year-old is called up as a recruit into the military band of an infantry regiment
1920
Première of the opera "Die tote Stadt". The Symbolist, Art Nouveau-related work with decorative and expressionist elements in the music sets out on a triumphant tour of the European theatres
1921
Finishes "Lieder des Abschieds" for alto and orchestra
1923
Korngold arranges "Eine Nacht in Venedig" by Johann Strauss for the theatre an der Wien
1924
Marries Luise von Sonnenthal. Earns additional money by conducting and by arranging operettas
1927
Première of the opera "Das Wunder der Heliane" which Korngold considers to be his most important work. It does, however, not become as succesful as his previous operas: this time, Křenek´s "Jonny spielt auf" is the opera of the year. Korngold is appointed professor at the Vienna Academy of Music
1929
Begins collaborating with Max Reinhardt: new production of "Die Fledermaus" by Johann Strauss in Berlin
1932
Starts to work at the opera "Die Kathrin". Première of the "Baby-Serenade" in which Korngold, for the first time, incorporates jazz elements in his style
1934
First stay in America: Korngold arranges Mendelssohn´s music for Max Reinhardt´s film version of "A Midsummer Night´s Dream"
1935
Second stay in America: Korngold writes film scores for Paramount and Warner. "Anthony Adverse" receives an Oscar for the best film music of the year 1936
1937
Première of the song cycle "Unvergänglichkeit". The interest of the Viennese public is waning, the political situatuion in Austria gets increasingly worse for Korngold
1938
Back to Hollywood, the Korngolds are taken by surprise by the "Anschluss" of Austria by National Socialists. It is only now that Korngold decides to write film scores regularly. for the music of "The Adventures of Robin Hood" he is awarded his second Oscar
1939
Première of the opera "Die Kathrin" in Stockholm
from 1945
Makes attempts to return to classical absolute music: in 1946 première of the Cello Concerto, in 1947 première of the Violin Concerto. Both works are inspired by film scores
1946
Korngold composes mainly film music, using his income to support many refugees. Together with Max Steiner, he stands for a new music style in Hollywood: the highly illustrative but independent music partly intervenes in the story of the film by expressing atmosphere and introducing leitmotifs
1947
Creates his last major work, the "Symphony in F sharp"
1949
Returns to Vienna. Succesful première of the "Symphonic Serenade" in 1950, conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler. Other Korngold performances are poorly attended, getting bad reviews
1951
Disappointed, the Korngolds go back to America
Radio première of "Die Stumme Serenade"
Radio première of "Die Stumme Serenade"
1954
Trip to Europe to attend both the première of the symphony and the scenic première of the comedy "Die Stumme Serenade" (The Silent Serenade), and to supervise the scoring of his last film assingment "Magic Fire"-a biography of Richard Wagner
1957
Korngold plans another symphony and an opera after Grillparzer´s "Das Kloster bei Sendomir". Dies on 29 November as a result of a cerebral thrombosis
Calendar
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