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Lest We Forget

He had just left the Jewish Museum in Vienna tonight and he was filled with emotions of yet the remainder of the week to come when he phoned me. John Mauceri, who has conducted 325 concerts in the Hollywood Bowl -- to over four million people and who is perhaps the leading expert on Hollywood film music and its history has created a week-long program timed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the death of Erich Wolfgang Korngold, the legendary Austrian-born composer who is credited with creating what is known as "the Hollywood sound." He won three Oscars and his credits include "King's Row,"  "The Sea Hawk," "The Adventures Of Robin Hood," etc. The celebration highlights the exodus of the Jewish composers escaping from the horrors of Nazi Germany and Austria. Members of the Korngold family -- children and grandchildren all of whom live in the U.S. -- many of whom had never been in Austria -- are on hand for the tributes.

"This is very moving," Mauceri told me, "It's the first time in history that this music has ever before been played live." Mauceri will conduct the large (100-plus) Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra Thursday night at the Vienna Konzerthaus in a two-part program. The first half, "Vienna In Hollywood," the second, "Hollywood in Vienna" will show how Korngold and Arnold Schoenberg still influence movie music -- as created by John Williams and  Jerry Goldsmith. As an encore, Mauceri said he'll conduct Max Steiner's music from "GWTW." Among the Vienna orchestra members will be representatives of the North Carolina School of the Arts where Mauceri is Chancellor. Three are musicians, two are vocalists one is filming a documentary and another is writing a piece. "It is very moving to be conducting them," said Mauceri. The event is produced by Sandra Tomek.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, Mauceri will give a lecture at the University of Vienna on the Jewish refugee composers in Hollywood. And Friday, at the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Austria, a 45-minute program, with students from the North Carolina School of the Arts (NCSA) performing music from Broadway celebrating songs  of Sigmund Romberg, Stephen Sondheim, Adam Guettel and Jerome Kern. I urged Mauceri to continue considering a returning to the Hollywood Bowl next summer. Happily he said he will Together Again -- Who Knows?

                                                                                         

About Army Archerd

Army Archerd's "Just for Variety" column was a regular feature in Daily Variety from 1953 to 2005, breaking countless exclusive stories from even normally press-shy celebs like Marlon Brando. He is known for being fair and quoting people accurately -- much rarer than one would wish. Click here to learn more about Archerd and his historic Hollywood career.

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