Few composers are as highly regarded in the distinct musical genres of film and the concert hall as Erich Wolfgang Korngold.

Famous in the 1930s for his stirring Hollywood scores for Captain Blood, Anthony Adverse, The Adventures of Robin Hood and The Sea Hawk, Korngold is – alongside Max Steiner and Alfred Newman – one of the key figures in the development of film music.

But he also wrote some of the most powerful concert hall music of the immediate post-war era, in particular his Violin Concerto in D major Op. 35, which became a resounding success for the composer and for the violinist Jascha Heifetz, who first brought it to life.

Now Korngold’s stunning concerto is about to be brought to life again for Sydney audiences by violinist Rosa Donata Milton, Concertmaster of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Jena, under the baton of her husband, the Willoughby Symphony‘s Chief Conductor Nicholas Milton, who shares his thoughts on the work with Limelight.

Nicholas Milton leading the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra. Photo supplied

Many will know Erich Korngold’s name from the many movie scores he composed, but can you give our readers something of an overview of his...