I appreciated the tip about Korngold's anniversary and celebrated by listening to Kings Row and watching Robin Hood. What a great-spirited fountain of joy and imagination we have in his music! I wonder if the folks at FSM were aware of the anniversary. They seem to have announced their archival version of Kings Row and The Sea Wolf on that very day.

The thing to remember about this anniversary is that by 1957 Korngold was almost entirely forgotten. His European comeback had been a failure. The operas were extinct, at least on the U.S. stage. Occasionally a soprano might sing the Mariettalied in concert. That was about it. I think the Violin Concerto was the only recording in the catalog -- simply because of the Heifetz brand name. The first Korngold film music recording came around 1961 and enjoyed a very brief shelf life. It seems to have disappeared from stores by 1963, when I began collecting records. It would take another decade before the tireless labors of George Korngold, Charles Gerhardt, and other true believers began to bear fruit. That should be a lesson to us all: these things take time and effort.

We are now twelve years out from MR's passing, and he seems to be doing very well indeed. Onward!