From his exile in California, Erich Wolfgang Korngold dedicated his only symphony to the President of the USA. But don’t be taken in: this former protégé of Mahler was Viennese to the tips of his bow tie. Epic in scale and surging with emotion, this last of the great late-Romantic symphonies is perfect for the Â鶹ԼÅÄ SSO’s Associate Guest Conductor John Wilson. The young German baritone Benjamin Appl, meanwhile, has already acquired a cult following: hear why as he, too, finds the dark heart beneath the Viennese charm in these rarely heard orchestral versions of Schubert’s songs. Korngold’s fellow child prodigy Mendelssohn begins the afternoon in an atmosphere of pure enchantment.
The concert will be recorded for future broadcast on Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 3.