Recently, a critic who I respect was listening to the original motion picture soundtrack of The Adventures of Robin Hood composed and conducted by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. In a hushed voice, the critic turned to me and murmured, "Beethoven would be in awe!
BRAVO, Jessica for your wonderful piece on Erich Wolfgang Korngold! It is one of the great and abiding tragedies of the world of classical music that throughout so much of his lifetime, Korngold's music was ruthlessly excoriated by the critics(especially American critics with their herd instinct to gleefully tear down what is beautiful and artistically significant), and then forgotten after his death, all this despite the fact that Erich Wolfgang Korngold was and is one of the great composers of the 20th Century
Henry Holland, I think you have a good point: 'anything beautiful is tainted because of the Nazis' is one of the great under-spoken truths of postwar aesthetics. Even if its blanket-bombing wrecked the lives and careers of various Jewish composers, but failed to hit Carl Orff.
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Recently, a critic who I respect was listening to the original motion picture soundtrack of The Adventures of Robin Hood composed and conducted by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. In a hushed voice, the critic turned to me and murmured, "Beethoven would be in awe!
BRAVO, Jessica for your wonderful piece on Erich Wolfgang Korngold! It is one of the great and abiding tragedies of the world of classical music that throughout so much of his lifetime, Korngold's music was ruthlessly excoriated by the critics(especially American critics with their herd instinct to gleefully tear down what is beautiful and artistically significant), and then forgotten after his death, all this despite the fact that Erich Wolfgang Korngold was and is one of the great composers of the 20th Century
I'd love to know who the critic was...any hints?
I was rather hoping you might tell us, Brendan...! :-)
Joseph, if you think the American critics are harsh on beautiful stuff, just try the Germans and the Brits.
The Germans: anything beautiful is tainted because of the Nazis.
The British: anything beautiful is tainted because it might stir actual feelings and we can't have *that*, surely!
That about right? :-)
Sadly Jessica "the critic" made his remark to poster Joseph...not me alas. So I cannot help.
Ah, that critic. Come on, Joseph, do tell!!
Henry Holland, I think you have a good point: 'anything beautiful is tainted because of the Nazis' is one of the great under-spoken truths of postwar aesthetics. Even if its blanket-bombing wrecked the lives and careers of various Jewish composers, but failed to hit Carl Orff.
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