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Revision as of 20:36, 1 April 2008 by Tokerdesigner (talk | contribs) (descriptions of movements)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Symphony in F sharp major Op. 40 is the second symphony written by the 20th-century German composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold, his first one being the Sinfonietta Op. 5. The symphony was completed in 1950 and it was premiered in Vienna on 17 October 1954. It runs about 50 minutes, with four movements:
- Moderato, ma energico -- intense and stormy, with a jagged main theme
- Scherzo
- Adagio-- long, profound and meditative, in the tradition of Bruckner
- Finale-- optimistic; listeners will recognize references to film music and the song, "Over There".
It is scored for large orchestra augmented by piano, celesta, and harp. The percussion group includes marimba and xylophone.
In 1959, Dimitri Mitropoulos wrote: “All my life I have searched for the perfect modern work. In this symphony I have found it. I shall perform it the next season.” But Mitropoulos' death intervened, and the symphony, though played several times on European radio, was not performed in concert until November 1972 in Munich, under Rudolf Kempe.
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