Brno 29/5/1897 - Hollywood 29/11/1957

Erich Korngold appears to have led a charmed life unaffected by the painful struggles of many of his contemporaries, and yet his career and life were also marked by the Nazi’s racial and cultural policies.  He was blessed with two composing careers, financial security, powerful friends who ensured the safety of his entire family. His effortless talent prompted Strauss to remark “one shudders with awe to realize these compositions were written by a boy” and Puccini to say “the boy has so much talent he could easily give us some and still have enough left for himself”.  Mahler too pronounced his genius, recommending that he bypass the Music Academy in Vienna as he already had “a deeper understanding of music than most of the teachers he would encounter”.  Korngold, however, died frustrated, his music alternately ignored or ridiculed.

The son of a powerful Viennese music critic, Erich met Mahler in 1907 and on his advice, studied privately with Zemlinsky.  His first major work, a ballet entitled “The Snowman” was premiered at the Vienna Court Opera when he was just 13 receiving some 40 successive productions in the following years.

His collection of “Einfache Lieder” written while still a teenager, (which are anything but “simple”), illustrate his musical skill, his imagination, and the depth of his sensitivity to text and emotion all of which usually lie far beyond the capabilities of someone so young.  His career flourished and the overwhelming success of his opera “Die Tote Stadt” in 1920 brought him to the attention of the wider musical community, and the opera was performed throughout Germany and also at the Met in New York.

As the century progressed, the lush romantic texture of Korngold’s music became anachronistic, and he suffered rejection despite the support of musical luminaries Artur Schnabel and Bruno Walter.  The new trends set by Schönberg, Webern and Berg or even the less radical composers such as Ullmann passed Korngold by, seemingly without any influence.  His soaring, beautiful melodic lines, his overblown orchestration and heavy, late-romantic harmonies were irreconcilable with the new musical aesthetic.

In 1933 Korngold was invited by his friend the impresario Max Reinhardt to arrange Mendelssohn’s music for a Hollywood version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.  Although the film was a flop, Korngold’s aptitude for film composition was recognised. His musical style and the facility with which he was able to write, arrange and orchestrate made him ideal for the industry and he received offers from the major studios.

Korngold spent the next five years dividing his time between Hollywood and Europe.  The racial laws of 1933 in Hitler’s Germany did not affect Korngold’s lifestyle - with the support of Hollywood behind him, he simply restricted his European musical activities to Austria.  While he was in Hollywood in 1938, Austria was annexed to Germany, and Korngold was advised not to return.  With Reinhardt’s help, Korngold’s entire family was able to emigrate to the USA.

During the war years, Korngold’s devoted himself to film music.  At the end of the war, however, Korngold attempted to return to the classical podium.  He discovered that his music was now so far removed from contemporary taste as to appear ridiculous.  Furthermore, he was considered to be “just a film composer”.  His attempts to return to his European roots were similarly thwarted, Austrian musical society not hiding their contempt for his apparent defection to the salaried ranks of Hollywood.

Repeated attempts to revive his career in Austria failed, and he returned to Hollywood where he retired from music.  He died in 1957.