E.W.Korngold Web site

OK, so the Sea Hawk suite is only 5 minutes long or thereabouts, but just to inform anyone who maybe in Scotland around the new year that this is to be played in a concert. The National Youth Orchestra of Scotland are performing a sea themed concert including the Sea Hawk suite and works by Sibelius and Rimsky-Korsakov. The concerts are at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh on the 3rd Jan and in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall the next night. (check up the websites just to check in case I have got the dates wrong) The poster around Glasgow for it is very good with an old pirate ship painting and Korngolds name at the top of the list. Sadly I can't go as I am working but I hope some Korngoldians can go to cheer our man on.

Peter

The Sea Hawk is 5 minutes long? Well, no. The Naxos edition lasts 105 minutes for the "full" score. I don't know how long the excerpts to be played in Scotland will last but I hope more than five minutes' worth!

Yes, the full Sea Hawk live would be brilliant, but I won't hold my breath for it. The suite from it, alas, is only a 5 minute piece, which I have heard in concert 3 times (opening titles, love theme, closing titles). It is certainly a fine introductory piece for a nautically themed concert, although very sparse when you know the whole score. This same suite was also played a couple of years ago at the last night of the proms. I once attended a concert here in Glasgow which had a piece from Robin Hood, but the whole thing lasted barely 2 minutes. The general attitude of the crowd seemed to be.. very nice, but is that it! Not much of an impact at all. We really do need longer excerpts of film music in concerts than we are usually presented with.

I heard the Sea Hawk Suite a few years ago in Rotterdam, and was shocked how short it was.

I actually travelled from Switzerland for the concert (conducted by James Sedares), and since I could time all the other pieces from the program at 35 minutes, I naturally expected the "Suite" to be at least 40 minutes long.

How disappointed I was!

The Concert was conducted by James Sedares, and included concert pieces by Herrmann, Rozsa and Waxman, as well as the Cello Concerto by Korngold.

I must say the whole evening was a let down, with the Sea Hawk Suite being the worst part.

Considering that Sedares isn't a newcomer at conducting movie music, the mere fact he accepted to conduct such an inapropriate suite is shocking.

I would say that a 35 minute suite would be pretty good. Much as I love Korngold's music, having the full 105 minutes worth of film music as a whole concert would be a step too far.

The concerts are at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh on the 3rd Jan and in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall the next night. (check up the websites just to check in case I have got the dates wrong) The poster around Glasgow for it is very good with an old pirate ship painting and Korngolds name at the top of the list. Sadly I can't go as I am working but I hope some Korngoldians can go to cheer our man on.