Erich Wolfgang Korngold (20th-Century Composers)

Rating:
Summary: A superb, readable introduction to a wonderful composer
Review: Erich Wolfgang Korngold is a composer who for far too long was known only to film buffs and a few aficionados here and there. His centenary in 1996 brought with it a tremendous rush of reappraisal, recordings and performances, all of which have helped to re-establish Korngold as a force to be reckoned with. I certainly found this book inspired me to explore works that I did not already know and much enriched my view of those I did know, especially the intensely powerful opera 'Die tote Stadt'. My opinion is that this writer has a tremendous empathy for Korngold, his music and the eras through which he lived - fin-de-siecle Vienna, 1940s Hollywood and the devastated, artistically rigid post-war Europe of the 1950s. Furthermore, she is able to bring him to life with a delightfully light touch, looking at not only his complicated and crucially influential relationship with his father but also his famously sharp wit and his love of good food - especially chocolate! While the book is evidently shorter and less detailed than Brendan Carroll's tour de force 'The Last Prodigy', it provides a superb introduction to this endearing composer and his warm, open-hearted music. What's more, it kept me reading, from cover to cover - on the beach!

Rating:
Summary: A good well written stopgap
Review: Jessica's bio of EWK (as we affectionately abbreviate him) was for me a wonderful glint into a life which was heretofore hidden. Those in the know were anticipating Brendan Carroll's "definitive" biography. Jessica's book gave us an overdue insight into the life of this genius in the absence of anything else. Now, it seems that we have an embarassement of riches, with Carroll's exhaustive bio and the ongoing recording revival. All of this should not obscure Duchen's acheivement in bringing to life a man who was for most an elusive character. Duchen's prose is mellifluous, and has a touch of humour(see when she writes of Korngold's love of sweets). The timing of this book's appearance may have been a bit off, but it will still hold its place. There is some inevitable repetition between the Duchen and Carroll books, no doubt having consulted the same sources. Yet each book has an individual character. There can never be too much written about one of the most misunderstood composers of our world. Duchen deserves kudos for bringing out the first ever English language book on Korngold. Her acheivement serves as an economical and invaluable alternative to Carroll's lengthier, more in-depth, and required opus.

Rating:
Summary: Enthusiastically eulogistic but shallow
Review: The author is clearly a fan of Korngold but this book does little justice to its subject. The problem is that the book is a simple linear account of the composer's life. Korngold did indeed have a truely remarkable life, a genuine child prodigy, forced out of Austria by the Nazis threat, settling in Hollywood and winning Oscars are but a few highlights. However, even the sense of wonderment that his youthful achievements must have engenedered are not communicated.

A good acid test for any biography of an artist is that it should encourage the reader to further investigate the artist's work further. The author's lack of empathy for the composer's music and the remarkable time through which he lived is such that the book fails to enthuse. A great disapointment.