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Erich Wolfgang Korngold

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (May 29, 1897 – November 29, 1957) was an Austro-Hungarian film and romantic music composer. While his compositional style was considered well out of vogue at the time he died, his music has more recently undergone a reevaluation and a gradual reawakening of interest. Along with such composers as Max Steiner and Alfred Newman, he is considered one of the founders of film music. Korngold won the Academy Award for his score to The Adventures of Robin Hood in 1938, widely considered one of the greatest scores ever written. His score to Anthony Adverse (1936) also won... MORE

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This is perhaps Korngold's most underrated and little-known score. This remarkable film starred Paul Muni, Bette Davis, Brian Aherne and in a marvellous cameo as Napoleon III, Claude Rains. In this extended sequence (from the soundtrack coducted by Korngold himself), the use of dissonance is particularly effective and proves Korngold was not all about heroic fanfares and romantic melodies. Opening with the triumphantly sinister victory of Benito Juarez over the government forces of Maximilian von Hapsburg, it abruptly changes to the Empress Carlotta's descent into madness (one of Bette Davis' finest portrayals). The shadow of Korngold's operas (especially Die tote Stadt and Das Wunder der Heliane) as well as the slow movement of his String Quartet No 1 can be felt here in the chain of eerie consecutive minor seconds. About 4 minutes in, the music then suddenly bursts forth into a ravishing, bittersweet and totally reharmonised version of Carlotta's love theme, which many may recognise as it also appears in the Violin Concerto (the second subject of the first movement), before a spooky version of the ceremonial march from the presentation of the little Crown Prince ends the sequence. The orchestration throughout is superb, with prominent use of vibraphone, divisi-strings, delicate woodwind solos and even the organ, all mixed with effective Mexican 'colours' . JUAREZ is a fascinating score and needs a modern complete recording.

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