{The Adventures of} ~ Erich Wolfgang Korngold

A charcoal drawing of Erich Wolfgang Korngold on this his birth date.

Korngold was a 'wunderkind' in his native Austria, like another Wolfgang who preceded him by a hundred years.  He was labelled a genius by his teacher, Gustav Mahler.  Arguably his greatest work was Die Tote Stadt or The Dead City, an opera about a man coming to terms with the loss of his wife in expressionistic, romantic tones.

Max Reinhardt invited Korngold to Hollywood during the 30s to adapt Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream".  While in Hollywood, Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany: "We thought of ourselves as Viennese," Korngold noted, "Hitler made us Jewish."

While in Hollywood, Korngold helped establish the typical Hollywood sound during the Thirties and Forties, composing the soundtracks for "The Adventures of Robin Hood", starring Errol Flynn, and "Sea Wolf", among others.

Later in life, he returned to classical composition but his gifts had deserted him