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Work of the Week – Erich Wolfgang Korngold: Symphony in F sharp

Symphony in F sharp by Erich Wolfgang Korngold is his first and only completed Symphony. Written in American exile, it is one of the greatest orchestral works by the originally Austrian composer and to be performed by the Berlin Philharmonic and Kirill Petrenko on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th of November. Following this, New York, Boston, Ann Arbor and Naples will see further performances on the orchestra’s extensive international tour.

Never more than today has Korngold’s music been more recognised and appreciated. During the earlier part of the nineteenth century, the national socialistic ban of Jewish music all but wiped his music from the consciousness of the population. Aside from the operas written before his emigration, his orchestral works were discovered anew and have become essential works in the repertoire of major orchestras all over the world. Premiered in 1954, his Symphony in F sharp combines years of experience composing Hollywood movie soundtracks with his Austrian roots.

 

A timeless masterpiece:

Symphony in F sharp by Erich Wolfgang Korngold

The first moments of the Symphony in F sharp directly emit Viennese nostalgia: The forceful initial chords of the opening movement lead us into a yearning theme on the clarinet which is concluded by an eruption of the entire orchestra. The virtuoso passages in the Scherzo are interrupted by weighty horn melodies reminiscent of certain American imitators. In the third movement, gentle and subtle orchestrated sounds and ingenious thematic treatment propel the music into a breathtaking climax reminiscent of Straussian sonorities. Here Korngold makes use of modified themes of his film scores: Early Hollywood’s charm glimmers throughout the music. The brilliant finale in rondo form makes maximum demands on the orchestra, coercing all instruments into delicate and virtuoso play, until, drastically and dramatically it comes to an end.

The Symphony in F sharp is a masterwork and I hope that the time has come for one of the greatest undiscovered jewels of the 20th century.  - Pedro Halffter

Alongside Korngold’s Symphony in F sharp, the Berlin Philharmonic are performing Unstuck by Andrew Norman, a heated orchestral piece inspired by Kurt Vonnegut’s book ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’. The piece symbolises the conquering of writer’s block: Norman accepts the mismatch of the parts and converges them into a complicated singular piece, as time planes in the novel converge into surrealism. 

 

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Unstuck

Berlin Philharmonic

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