Korngold’s Schauspiel Overture: Music of a Young Viennese Prodigy
It is stunning to consider that Schauspiel Overture, Op. 4 is the work of a 14 year old boy. Composed in 1911, the first orchestral piece of Erich Wolfgang Korngold unfolds with Romantic melodies and lush, shimmering orchestration. It delivers the fully formed sound world of Korngold’s Hollywood film scores of the 1930s and 40s. The title translates as “Overture to a Drama.” Tense, turbulent, and adventurous, the first theme gives way …