Multimedia Review

Erich Wolfgang Korngold: The Adventures of a Wunderkind, A Portrait and Concert. Portrait: Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra; Hugh Wolff, conductor; Barrie Gavin, director. Concert: Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Concert in C major for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 37. Don Quixote, six character pieces for piano solo. 7 Fairytale Pictures Op. 3 for piano solo. Concert in D Major for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 35. Quirine Viersin, cello; Leonidas Kavakos, violin; Alexander Frey, piano; Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra; Hugh Wolff, conductor; Barrie Gavin, director. 2001. Arthaus Musik DVD 100 363 (144 minutes; Picture format 16:9; Sound 2.0; Region 0).

Erich Wolfgang Korngold: The Adventures of a Wunderkind, A Portrait and Concert is the latest in Arthaus Musik's DVD series, Composers of Our Time. The fact that Arthaus Musik has included this DVD as a part of this series is certainly of interest to musicologists. When one considers that the two previous releases in the series were documentaries of John Adams and Hans Werner Henze, Korngold might seem an unusual choice. In fact, during his later years critics lambasted Korngold for writing music that was distinctly out of step with his time. The music of Korngold in general, and his film music in particular, has enjoyed a renaissance of late, beginning with the rerelease of some of his soundtracks on the Varèse Sarabande label in the eighties, and continuing last year, as André Previn's Previn Conducts Korngold won a Grammy.