Steven Schwartz wrote:

>If you hurry, you can still get the 4-CD cpo set of Korngold from Berkshire
>Record Outlet for an absurdly small sum.  It contains all of his major
>orchestral music.  If this is a bit daunting, I can recommend the following:

This is one of the few times I find myself disagreeing with Steve.
That CPO set, in my opinion, is, though loaded with most of the Korngold
orchestral works, also loaded with mediocre performances.  The orchestral
playing is not great, and Werner Albert's conducting is just not up to the
competition in any work where there is competition, which is most of them.
I'm sorry to say this, but I would avoid it with, maybe, and only maybe,
one exception.

>Violin Concerto - Heifetz, Shaham
>Symphony - Kempe, Welser-Moest
>Piano Concerto (lh) - Shelley/Bamert

At the risk of acting like some kind of annointed, I do think the above
are all fine choices, better than the CPOs in every case where comparison
applies.  I would add Hoelscher to the Violin Concerto list.  I would add
Downes to the Symphony list, adding that it includes the Abscheidlider and
noting that the great Kempe performance, last I knew, has no coupling.
Welser-Most is a huge performance if that's what you like: Downes is more
classical and more appealing to me, Kempe warmer.  Good as Shelley is in
the Piano Concerto the Hamelin on Hyperion is even better.  On the other
hand, Shelley has more Korngold in the couplings, including the Cello
Concerto, which you're going to want to have.  Speaking of the Cello
Concerto, if there were one recording of the Albert series I would have
(and do), it's Vol.  2 with this piece, mainly because it also has the
Symphonic Serenade and the Baby Serenade.  (Though a Mauceri disc I would
not be without has the former.  See below).  But even this Albert is not
as good as some others.  (See below for another alternative.)

>I would avoid Mauceri on London - flaccid, mushy performances.  Litton on
>Dorian is okay, but no more.

As for Mauceri, if you avoid him, you avoid a London disc that to my
knowledge has the only recording of Between Two Worlds.  (It also has
Symphonic Serenade and Theme and Variations.  I haven't listened to this
in a while, but I don't remember Mauceri being a problem, and I do like the
movie score.) More seriously, if you avoid MAuceri, you avoid Korngold's
Das Wunder der Heliane, his largest opera.  It may not be as immediately
attractive as Die Tod Stadt, but it's immense and lush and something no
Korngoldian is going to want to pass up for long.  (For that matter, you'll
want Violanta, too.) I can't comment much on Mauceri's conducting.  I have
nothing to compare it to--and doubt I ever will--but I certainly enjoyed
the opera if that says anything about Mauceri.

No one has mention the Sinfonietta.  To me that goes near the top.
Forget the title, it's a symphony, and an amazing one for a composer
of 15.  Tough choices here, and none is without problems.  Litton (the
one mentioned on Dorian) may be the most stylish, in that he catches the
Viennese feeling in the first movement well, but it's coupled with a rather
inferior Violin Concerto.  Albrecht is very serious and solid, maybe the
best overall maybe too serious, but I think its uncoupled.  Bamert to me,
frankly, is a little dull and repressed: trouble is it is coupled with
Sursum Corda and that's worth hearing.  I've only heard the Bamert once, so
maybe I'm being a little tough on his Sinfonietta.  (I do have it on order
if that means anything, and I don't own the Litton.) Again, I just do not
care for Albert.  I'd probably get Bamert for the coupling and try to hear
the Litton some time.  I don't think we have a great Sinfonietta, but all
of these, other than Albert, would do for me.

As for movie scores, I'd get any I can get my hands on.  Try and find the
RCA series of movie excerpts produced by Charles Gerhardt.  One of them has
the Cello Concerto in a fine performance, which may facilitate duplication
problems noted above.  There are two Korngold discs in the series.  A
couple of my favorite full score recordings are Kings Row, Anthony Adverse,
and several others.  Get them all if you get hooked on this composer.

Roger Hecht