Symphony in F-sharp Major, Op. 40

• Korngold’s Symphony in F-sharp Major (often referred to as just “Symphony in F-sharp”) was written between 1949-52. This piece is the only symphony Korngold wrote. Perhaps the composer intended it to showcase his “serious” work as opposed to his film scores.
• Structure – Four movements:
  1. Moderato, ma energico
  2. Scherzo
  3. Adagio
  4. Finale
• Dedicated to “the memory of Franklin Delano Roosevelt”
• Korngold’s Symphony in F-sharp wasn’t published until 20 years after the composer’s death, in 1977.¹
• Symphony in F-sharp was performed a few times before Korngold died, but he failed to receive the recognition he hoped for. His work began to be reevaluated in the 1970s, during which time his symphony was recorded by Rudolf Kempe and the Munich Philharmonic.
• Listen for – the main theme of the third movement, “Adagio,” is taken from “The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex.”²

Click here for John Pitman’s interview with Les Korngold (the composer’s grandson) and conductor John Mauceri discussing the discovery of a recording of Korngold himself playing the work at the piano.

1. “Symphony in F-sharp major, Op.40 (Korngold, Erich Wolfgang),” IMSLP, accessed July 22, 2025, https://imslp.org/wiki/Symphony_in_F-sharp_major%2C_Op.40_(Korngold%2C_Erich_Wolfgang).
2. Alex Ross, “The Symphonic Testament of Erich Wolfgang Korngold,” The New Yorker (2022), accessed July 22, 2025, https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-symphonic-testament-of-erich-wolfgang-korngold.