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Biography, history of the Los Angeles Music Festival, external links, and bibliography >

Composer, conductor, and impresario, Franz Waxman was best known for his prolific
career as a composer for the motion picture industry spanning 150 scores through the 1930-60’s.
(At home in 1949 with his piano and collection of the complete works by Bach.)
Over the course of his career, Waxman scored over 150 films including five for
Billy Wilder and four for Alfred Hitchcock including “Sunset Boulevard” and “Rear Window”.
(On set in 1954.)
Waxman won two Oscars for Best Score, was nominated twelve times,
and was the first to receive the honor in two consecutive years.
(With Gene Kelly and the award for his 1950 score for “Sunset Boulevard”.)
Waxman was also an accomplished concert composer and conductor. To this day, his most
frequently performed work is Carmen Fantasie which was first recorded by Jascha Heiffetz in 1946.
(Conducting Honneger’s “Joan of Arc” at the Hollywood Bowl 1949.)
In 1947, Waxman founded the Los Angeles Music Festival, and over the course of two decades used it as a platform
to champion American composers and introduce significant international composers with over
seventy premieres including work by Stravinsky, Shoenberg, and Shostakowitz. (Waxman with Stravinksy in 1960.)

NEWS

Recent releases, performances, awards, & media coverage >

New release from Intrada

Captains Courageous: The Franz Waxman Collection is a 4-CD collection of previously unreleased versions mastered from array of studio vault elements and includes Captains Courageous, Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, and A Christmas Carol, among others.

Songbook from Hal Leonard

Over 40 piano/vocal selections including the title tracks from movies plus the songs as well as other film and cabaret songs composed in Berlin and Paris. Also includes 13 photos, many never before published.

Franz Waxman Conducts

The Naxos Series “Waxman Conducts” features the Los Angeles Festival Orchestra performances at the Los Angeles Music Festival. Available on Naxos.

Who Wants Love?

Virtually unknown is Waxman’s output of songs written for Weimar-era cabarets and revues and later, as a political emigré in Paris and Hollywood, songs created for an astonishing array of films both classic and obscure.

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

May 29, 2020

Carmen Fantasie

Ilian Garnets, violin

Libor Novacek, piano

Schloss Seehof

Memmelsodorf, Germany

June 6, 2020

Sunset Boulevard

Silesian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra

Mariusz Smolij, conductor

Silesian Philharmonic Concert Hall

Katowice, Poland

June 5, 2020

Sunset Boulevard

Orchestra Symfoniczna Filharmonii Slaskicj

Mariusz Smolij. conductor

Sala Koncertowa im. Karola Stryj

Katowice, Poland

June 20-21, Sept. 4-14

Taras Bulba

Volksoper

Vienna, Austria

August 2, 2020

Carmen Fantasie

Bomsori Kim, violin soloist

Thomas Hoppe, piano

Hitzacker. Germany

August 2, 2020

Carmen Fantasie

Kevin Zhu, violin soloist

Charlottenborg Festival

Copenhagen, Denmark

August 5, 2020

Carmen Fantasie

Bomsori Kim, violin soloist

Julia Okruashvili, piano

Johannisberg Castle

Geisenheim, Germany

August 10, 2020

Carmen Fantasie

Nikita Boriso-Giebsky, violin

Johannes Pirto, piano

Turku Castle

Turku, Finland

September 12, 2020

Carmen Fantasie

Julian Walder, violin

Chizu Miyamoto, piano

Bad Waltersdorf, Austria

September 20, 2020

Carmen Fantasie

Yuki Manuela, violin soloist

Mazuki Yamada, conductor

Tokyo Symphony Orchestra

Suntaory Hall

Tokyo, Japan

October 2, 2020

Carmen Fantasie

Esther Birringer, violin

Lea Birringer, piano

Orangerie Herrenhausen

Hannover, Germany

October 11, 2020

Carmen Fantasie

Bomsori Kim, violin

Julia Okruashvili, piano

Alfred Krupp Saal

Essen, Germany

October 14, 2020

Carmen Fantasie

Kevin Zhu, violin

Federico Nicoletta, piano

Centro Congressi Limgotto

Turin, Italy

November 6, 2020

Carmen Fantasie

Bomsori Kim, violin soloist

Juho Pohuonen, pianist

Herbst Theatre

San Francisco, CA

November 8, 2020

Carmen Fantasie

Junge Violinvirtuosen der Villa Musica

Arp Museum Bahnof

Remagen, Germany

November 18, 2020

Carmen Fantasie

Suede Park, violin

Rusk Chamber Music Festival

Jakobstad, Finland

November 26, 2020

A Place in the Sun

John Wilson, conductor

Sinfonie Orchester Basel

Stadtcasino

Basel, Switzerland

May 2, 2021

Carmen Fantasie

Bomsori Kim, violin

Julia Okruashvili, piano

Festspiel

Baden-Baden, Germany

May 20, 2021

Carmen Fantasie

Johan Dalene, violin

Christian Ille Hadland, piano

Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall

New York, NY

June 10, 2021

Rebecca

Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen

Ludwig Wicki, conductor

Tonhalle St. Gallen

St. Gallen, Switzerland

June 9, 2022

The Song of Terezin

Lawrence Foster, conductor

Polish National Radio Orchestra & Chorus

Mezzo Soprano: TBD

Katowice, Poland

March 21, 2021

Carmen Fantasie

Johan Valene, violin

Christian Ihle Hadland, piano

Muziekgebouw Eindhoven

Eindhoven, The Netherlands

DISCOGRAPHY

Searchable database of music and films >

Song of Terezin

Spirit of St. Loius

FOR PERFORMANCE

List of Concert Works, Film Scores, & Songs
available for performance on tnv.net >

CONTACT

For further inquiries >