The Symphony in F-sharp, Op. 40, is the only symphony by 20th-century Austrian

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

Erich Wolfgang Korngold, although as a teenager in 1912 he had written a '' Sinfonietta'', his Op. 5. Using a theme from the 1939 film '' The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex'', the symphony was completed in 1952 and dedicated to the memory of American president Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had died seven years earlier. The work's premiere on Austrian radio on 17 October 1954 by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra under

Harold Byrns Harold Byrns (13 September 1903 – 22 February 1977) was a German-American conductor and orchestrator. Biography He was born Hans Bernstein in Hanover, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire, in 1903. His father had formed a chamber music society ...

was described as "poorly rehearsed and performed,".American Composers Orchestra
/ref> In 1959 Dimitri Mitropoulos wrote: "All my life I have searched for the perfect modern work. In this symphony I have found it. I shall perform it the next season." Then Mitropoulos's death intervened, and in fact the symphony did not enjoy its first concert outing until 27 November 1972, in Munich under Rudolf Kempe.Composers Datebook
/ref> It was however aired several times on European radio. More recently the work has entered the repertoire with a number of CD recordings, and the score has been published by

Schott Musik Schott may refer to: * Schott (surname) * Schott Dscherid Salt Plain near Nafta, Tunisia * Schott AG, a German glass products manufacturer * Schott frères, a Belgium music publisher, now part of Schott Music * Schott Music, a German music publi ...

in their Eulenburg Series.Korngold: Symphony in F# https://en.schott-music.com/shop/symphony-in-f-no47652.html Retrieved 2/1/2021 The work calls for a large orchestra: 3

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

s (3rd doubling

piccolo The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...

), 2 oboes, 2

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave bel ...

, 2

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

s, double bassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 4 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (3 players are handling:

bass drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. Th ...

, cymbals, gong,

glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( or , : bells and : set) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the vibraphone. The glo ...

, marimba, xylophone),

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

, piano (doubling

celesta The celesta or celeste , also called a bell-piano, is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. It looks similar to an upright piano (four- or five-octave), albeit with smaller keys and a much smaller cabinet, or a large wooden music box ( ...

) and

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

. The symphony lasts about 50 minutes and is in four movements: # Moderato, ma energico — intense and stormy, with a jagged main theme # Scherzo: Allegro molto # Adagio: Lento — long, profound and meditative, in the tradition of

Anton Bruckner Josef Anton Bruckner (; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer, organist, and music theorist best known for his symphonies, masses, Te Deum and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-Germ ...

. A memorial to Roosevelt. # Finale: Allegro — optimistic; listeners will recognize references to film music and the song, "

Over There "Over There" is a 1917 song written by George M. Cohan that was popular with the United States military and public during both world wars. It is a patriotic song designed to galvanize American young men to enlist and fight the "Hun". The song i ...

Recordings

* Werner Andreas Albert - Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie - cpo * Marc Albrecht - Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg - Pentatone *Sir Edward Downes - BBC Philharmonic - Chandos * Rudolf Kempe - Munich Philharmonic - RCA *

André Previn André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...

- London Symphony Orchestra - DGG * James DePreist - Oregon Symphony - Delos * John Storgårds - Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra - Ondine *Timothy Vernon - McGill Symphony Orchestra - McGill * Franz Welser-Möst -

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription ...

- EMI * John Wilson (conductor) - Sinfonia of London - Chandos

References

{{Authority control Korngold 2 Compositions by Erich Wolfgang Korngold 1952 compositions Compositions in F-sharp major