Late Romantic: Richard Strauss & Erich Korngold violin sonatas at Conway Hall with my pre-concert talk.

Richard Strauss & his father, Franz
Photographed in 1901

On Sunday 31 May 2026, Italian-American violinist Francesca Dego and pianist Alessandro Taverna, who came to international prominence at the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2009, make their debut at Conway Hall in a concert that features the violin sonatas of Korngold and Richard Strauss, alongside Schoenberg's Phantasy, Op. 47.

Both sonatas are relatively early works, and both Korngold and Strauss were child prodigies, much influenced by dominant fathers. Both composers would eventually escape their father's influence with Richard Strauss taking on board the music of Wagner and Liszt, whilst Korngold escaped into the Golden Age of Viennese operetta.

I will be exploring this and much more in my pre-concert talk, Late Romantic which takes place at 5.30pm in advance of the concert at 6.30pm.

Further details from Conway Hall's website.