Korngold: Piano Concerto; Baby Serenade; Cello Concerto; Symphonic Serenade; Symphony, Op. 40

These discs were trailblazers when first released; even now they contain the only available recordings of the delectable Baby Serenade and the orchestral Much Ado About Nothing suite, as well as excerpts from the youthful Der Schneemann, all of which receive spirited renderings. But some other pieces here now have superior recordings (Bamert on Chandos for the Sinfonietta and Symphonic Serenade, Previn on DG for the Symphony, Hamelin on Hyperion for the Piano Concerto). Sound quality varies from reasonable to rather bad; orchestral playing is frequently a bit ragged. Jessica Duchen

Our rating

3

Jessica Duchen

Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:29 pm

COMPOSERS: Korngold
LABELS: CPO
WORKS: Piano Concerto; Baby Serenade; Cello Concerto; Symphonic Serenade; Symphony, Op. 40
PERFORMER: Steven de Groote (piano), Julius Berger (cello); Nordwestdeutsche PO/Werner Andreas Albert
CATALOGUE NO: 999 150-2 ADD/DDD

These discs were trailblazers when first released; even now they contain the only available recordings of the delectable Baby Serenade and the orchestral Much Ado About Nothing suite, as well as excerpts from the youthful Der Schneemann, all of which receive spirited renderings. But some other pieces here now have superior recordings (Bamert on Chandos for the Sinfonietta and Symphonic Serenade, Previn on DG for the Symphony, Hamelin on Hyperion for the Piano Concerto). Sound quality varies from reasonable to rather bad; orchestral playing is frequently a bit ragged. Jessica Duchen

Journalist and Critic, BBC Music Magazine

Jessica Duchen studied music at Cambridge University and was the classical music correspondent for The Independent from 2004 to 2016. She has also written for The Guardian, The Observer, The Sunday Times, BBC Music Magazine and the JC, among others. Jessica Duchen has written librettos include numerous choral works and operas for the composer Roxanna Panufnik, including Silver Birch, commissioned by Garsington Opera and shortlisted for an International Opera Award in 2018. Two more works based on stories by Oscar Wilde were commissioned for Garsington’s Youth Company, The Happy Princess with composer Paul Fincham (2019) and The Selfish Giant with John Barber, which fell victim to lockdown, this has been postponed to 2021.