Erich Wolfgang Korngold was a child prodigy whose talent enchanted Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss. At the age of 23, he was to stage his most famous opera, not much later develop a career as a conductor and then become, still at a very young age, a lecturer at the Staatsakademie für Musik in Vienna. Nothing foreshadowed the artist's great turn to the tenth muse, who - bored by the silent image - finally decided to speak in all cinema halls with a sonorous voice. A few years before the outbreak of the Second World War, Korngold moved to the United States and eventually took American citizenship. He became permanently associated with Hollywood, setting the pattern for later (including today's) film music composers. At the same time, he remained faithful to the style of the composers who had impressed him when he took his first steps. He created music for numerous pictures, including The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and King's Row (1941), receiving two Oscars. Korngold did not, however, abandon the classical forms and contexts of symphonic music. In 1945, he completed the Violin Concerto, with Jascha Heifetz performing the solo part. It is undoubtedly one of the most 'cinematic' instrumental concertos, if only by the fact that the author took numerous themes from his film scores.

Performers:
National Philharmonic Orchestra
Rumon Gamba conductor
Johan Dalene violin

Programme
Ferde Grofé
Hollywood Suite [21′]
Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 [24′].
... pause [20′].
Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Fanfare from the music for the film Kings Row [2′].
Miklós Rózsa
Love Theme and Chariot Parade from the music for the film Ben-Hur [6′].
Max Steiner
Tara's theme from the music for Gone with the Wind [4′].
Bernard Herrmann
Suite from the music for the film Psycho (excerpts) [7′].
Bronislaw Kaper
Theme from the music for the film Mutiny on the Bounty [3′].
Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Suite from the film score of The Adventures of Robin Hood [17′].