(L – R) Kathrin Korngold Hubbard, Brendan G. Carroll (president of the International Korngold Society and author of Erich Korngold: The Last Prodigy – Amadeus Press 1997), Jessica Duchen (author of Erich Wolfgang Korngold – Phaidon Press 1996), and Guy Wagner at the dress rehearsal for Das Wunder der Heliane. Photo: Korngold Society.
I’ve had the privilege of knowing Katy Hubbard (neé Korngold) for years, at first through my wife who at that time played with violinist Katy and her cellist husband John in the Oregon Ballet Theater orchestra, then in a series of semi-annual drinks and dinners that the four of us cram in to our crazed schedules. I’ve never had much of a chance to talk with Katy about what it’s like to be the granddaughter of a famous composer, so with the circumstance of Jun Iwasaki playing Korngold’s Violin Concerto this week, I thought that it would be interesting to delve a bit into the Portland connections to this great composer. (Incidentally, a conductor friend of ours briefly rented a room in Helen Korngold’s house, and I did get a chance to hold one of Korngold’s Oscars – though I don’t know if it was for Anthony Adverse or The Adventures of Robin Hood – and it gave me chills!).