Born in 1897 in former Austria/Hungary, Erich Korngold became an American citizen in 1943 and resided in California. He is remembered for his composition of film scores in the 1930s/40s and was the first composer to receive and Oscar. After WWII, Korngold turned his focus to writing music for the concert hall. He wrote his violin concerto, dedicated to Alma Mahler, the widow of his childhood mentor Gustav Mahler. Its positive public approval and premiere and recordings by Jascha Heifetz made it a quick addition to the standard violin repertoire.
Here is Korngold's Violin Concerto played beautifully by violinist Stefan Jackiw, and the Orquesta Sinfonica de RTVE conducted by Carlos Kalmar.
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