The music korngolds focus changed after the war to music of a more serious nature. Kings row is a stunning score that is not well served by. Suite music by erich wolfgang korngold performed by national philharmonic orchestra conducted by charles gerhardt one of the most beautiful and brilliant suite of the national. The story of drake mchugh and his best friend parris mitchell coming of age in a sleepy midwest american town of the 1890s was by far henry bellamanns most recognized work.
I am so glad that i read kings row and thank anne rice for suggesting it. Kings row soundtrack suite erich wolfgang korngold. According to brendan carroll in his biography of korngold, the composer, thinking this was another royal story, set about writing the celebrated fanfare theme of this movie. Kings row 1942 with ronald reagan classic film freak. An eighth, parris mitchell of kings row, was completed and brought to publication by bellamanns widow. Korngold, erich wolfgang kings row suite buying sheet music and downloads from schott music. He wrote exquisite scores for such classic films as the adventures of robin hood, the sea hawk, and kings row, and also left a sizeable body of works for the concert hall and stage. His best efforts from that period included the sea hawk, the adventures of robin hood and kings row. Does anyone know where i can download the score for kings row online. Kings row by henry bellamann meet your next favorite book. Kings row follows two friends and the women who love them, and makes a pretense of showing the scandal lurking just beneath the surface of a prim small town.
Williams star wars and korngolds kings row scores october 28, 20 rich drees features be it coincidence or homage or the outright hope that they dont get caught aping someone elses movie, filmmakers have been replicating the work of those who have gone before them for some time now. Korngolds music for that film helped make a movie star out of the young ronald reagan, and a kings row orchestral suite was performed as part of reagans inaugural celebration in 1981. Kings row soundtrack from 1942, composed by erich wolfgang korngold. The picture was directed by sam wood the film, which was ronald reagans most. The sea hawk original film score by erich wolfgang.
This is the only extended recording of korngolds remarkable kings row. Erich wolfgang korngold had written the scores for several important movies for warner brothers, including the private lives of elizabeth and essex 1939. Kings row is considered one of korngolds more notable compositions. When he finally viewed the roughcut film and saw that it was, in. A seemingly quiet midwestern town is the hiding place for a number of sordid secrets in this melodrama based on henry bellamanns bestselling novel. Kings row was released four months after pearl harbor, although it had been filmed and edited by midoctober, 1941, with only erich wolfgang korngold to add the music. The picture was directed by sam wood the film was adapted by casey robinson from a bestselling 1940 novel of the same name by henry bellamann. Kings row import there are also suites from kings row and the sea wolf on the 2 cd anthology of original warner bros soundtracks, conducted by korngold, and released by turner classic moviesrhino movie music, with an extensive 44 page booklet. A child prodigy in his native vienna, erich wolfgang korngold found. The film was adapted by casey robinson from a bestselling 1940 novel of. Korngold believed he was creating music for operas without singing and endeavored to craft scores that could pass the concert hall test. The film also features betty field, charles coburn, and. Kings row is a 1942 film starring ann sheridan, robert cummings, and ronald reagan that tells a story of young people growing up in a small american town at the turn of the twentieth century. Kings row soundtrack suite erich wolfgang korngold youtube.
Kings row from erich wolfgang korngold buy now in stretta sheet. Although it does leave out the controversial elements of the book, it still manages to get the main story acrossthat of parris robert cummings, drake ronald reagan, and randy ann sheridan, from. I only actually need the main title theme as im using it for an analysis about williams star wars. Kings row is perhaps the granddaddy of all smalltown epicsa strong story line, an excellent cast and all of it punctuated by one of erich wolfgang korngolds most melodious background scores. Erich wolfgang korngold, charles gerhardt kings row amazon. Korngold concerto for violin and orchestra in d major. Disability representation, henry bellamann, and korngolds musical subtexts in the score for kings row neil lerner pp. Composed and conducted by erich wolfgang korngold, performed by the warner brothers studio. Turner classic movies will be airing kings row next week on tuesday, april 12, at 8. The film is also available to view on amazons instant rent and there are various clips on youtube, but not the entire film.
Kings row is the first novel of henry bellamann that ive read and enjoyed so much. As each of the titles for 2012 have a filmed adaptation, this year we will also be looking at each movie version as well. Korngolds influence can be heard in the music of todays film composers such. Click here for information on the 2012 edition of mollys imaginary summer book club featuring classics of womens literature. I read it a few months ago, shortly before i turned 15. Kings row was the peyton place of the 1940s, and after a few attempts at a script, warners finally got the censors to approve one. Books similar to kings row meet your next favorite book. It was produced by tony thomas and marilee bradford.
The caverns of the human mind are full of strange shadows. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this kings row study guide and get instant access to. Erich korngold, from vienna to hollywood jewish week. Eric wolfgang korngolds film score for the 1942 movie kings row has a familiar ring. Charles gerhardt conducting the national philharmonic. Erich wolfgang korngold may 29, 1897 november 29, 1957 was an austrianborn composer and conductor. Erich wolfgang korngold national philharmonic orchestra, charles gerhardt. Buy kings row by henry bellamann online at alibris. Tony thomas in the revised 2nd edition of his excellent book, music for the movies, about the popularity of korngolds kings row score, saying it was the. Kings row 1940 was the most successful of the seven novels of music teacher, academic administrator, and serious lay student of psychology henry bellamann.
Composed and conducted by erich wolfgang korngold, performed by the warner brothers studio orchestra. The existing original soundtrack snippets which is being charitable available from time to time were recorded well over 60 years ago, and sound every minute of it. The definitive recordings of the korngold scores, even more so than his own performances from the warner bros. Casey robinson from a bestselling 1940 novel of the same name by henry bellamann. The movie starred ann sheridan, bob cummings and ronald reagan. Everything in the book was intwined with everything else. The early 1970s sound is opulent, and the cd includes portions of the scores. The first thing that will knock younger viewers for a loop is the bombastic erich wolfgang korngold music score, which clearly provided the inspiration both in form and specific orchestration for john williams star wars theme. Considering this was done in the early 40s, the subject matter is handled honestly but with the kind of discretion it would never receive by any of. Released by varese sarabande in 1979 vcd 47203 containing music from kings row 1942. First up, the june selection, kings row henry bellamanns massive novel follows the lives. Kings row wikimili, the free encyclopedia wikimili, the free encyc. From the opening scenes when we see the participants as children, the sweeping lyrical string melody forms an essential partnership with the camera. The music of kings row, composed by erich wolfgang korngold, has been described as one of the greatest film scores ever written.
Erich wolfgang korngold national philharmonic orchestra. A child prodigy, he became one of the most important and. While many people can hear in john williams star wars score elements of holsts the planets, the main theme and indeed the orchestral arrangement minus the piano was borrowed from the great composer erich wolfgang. Parris mitchell scotty beckett is a young boy growing up in the town of kings row, where he becomes close friends with cassandra mary thomas. Kings row by sam wood ann sheridan, robert cummings.
Some of the movies he scored include the prince and the pauper 1937, juarez 1939, the sea hawk 1940, the sea wolf 1941, kings row 1941, and deception 1946. Ilka gruning, ludwig stossel, erwin kalser, ludwig hardt and hermine sterler, most of. Korngold was told he was to write a score for this movie. Erich wolfgang korngold national philharmonic orchestra, charles gerhardt kings row. Henry bellamann shocked me with his good characteriation of all the characters, major and minor. Find books like kings row from the worlds largest community of readers. Korngold began to compose his themes immediately upon being told the studio wanted him to score something called kings row not unreasonably, he assumed a story by that name was to be another of the historical epics and swashbucklers that had been his bread and butter at warners since captain blood six years earlier. Exposing hypocrisy and smalltown secrets, the novel deals with themes of mental illness, incest, homosexuality, suicide, gender equality in relationships and sadistic vengeance. Kings row the sea wolf by erich wolfgang korngold limted. Erich korngold, from vienna to hollywood the austrian composer fled the nazis for warner brothers studio. The novel, i am informed, was sanitized to make the film, and it plays a precursor to peyton place, without the prurience or edginess or even the gorgeous technicolor which made the. Bards summer music festival takes up his complicated journey. I decided to read kings row prior to writing this blog, and went to rollas library 3 weeks ago to get the book. Kings row is one of my 2 favorite books the other is a tree grows is brooklyn.
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