Alexander Zemlinsky

[brendangcarroll]

Zemlinsky was born 148 years ago today and while some here may feel he is no longer 'unsung', his marvellous music is still rarely encountered in our concert halls or opera houses.

His pupils included Schoenberg, Korngold, Krása, Berg, Webern and Weigl. He fled Germany in 1933 reaching the USA in 1938, but he did not flourish there and died in fairly dismal circumstances in 1942.

Schoenberg once famously remarked "Zemlinsky can wait".

He has waited long enough.

Let us light a candle to his memory today and continue to promote his remarkable music whenever and wherever possible.

[Alan Howe]

As far as his orchestral works are concerned, the Sinfonietta and Lyric Symphony are commonly acknowledged to be masterpieces these days. I personally really like his two early symphonies, especially No.2 in B flat, and his gorgeous Die Seejungfrau.

Brendan is right. Zemlinsky deserves greater exposure.

[Boulder]

My flagon is raised in admiration -- and with thanks to this forum. "The Last Prodigy" first alerted me to this extraordinary man; and on eschiss1's recommendation I recently read Antony Beaumont's biography.  Beaumont's efforts to recover some of Zemlinsky's music must be an equally riveting story. Does anyone know whether there is any film footage of Zemlinsky conducting?

[brendangcarroll]

I have not actually seen any film of Zemlinsky conducting but it conceivably possible that some may exist. A number of his contemporaries were filmed in the early 30s. However if Mr Beaumont does not reference it, it may well now be lost if it ever existed, due to Zemlinsky's Jewish parentage.

[MartinH]

Amen! For too long his music has been absent from concert halls. Today I took a nice road trip with the string quartets, the B flat symphony and Sinfonietta in the CD player. Wonderful drive, wonderful music. Zemlinsky, Schreker, Korngold and Schmidt...wouldn't it be nice if they could get some play time after this 250th Beethoven orgy is done?

[Kevin]

I've only ever listened to his Lyric symphony, what are his other essential works?

[Alan Howe]

The Sinfonietta is his other mature orchestral masterpiece. The B flat Symphony is early and wonderful; and the hyper-Straussian Die Seejungfrau is also a must-listen.

[Ebubu]

"what are his other essential works?"
Not forgetting Der Zwerg, a lyric masterpiece.  Among his operas, I also like the little known "Kleider Machen Leute", but it's hard to find these days...

[Kevin]

The Sinfonietta is his other mature orchestral masterpiece. The B flat Symphony is early and wonderful; and the hyper-Straussian Die Seejungfrau is also a must-listen.

Not forgetting Der Zwerg, a lyric masterpiece.  Among his operas, I also like the little known "Kleider Machen Leute", but it's hard to find these days...

Nice. Will look into them.Thanks.

[brendangcarroll]

For those who may be interested, James Conlon will conduct the Romanian premiere of Zemlinsky's marvellous opera DER ZWERG at the Georges Enescu Festival in Bucharest in September 2021!

[MartinH]

I saw the LA Opera production in 2008 (how time flies!) with Conlon - he really is a fine, musical, interesting conductor. That production was an ear and eye opener - left the old recording I have in the dust. Never been to Romania - maybe it's time.

[Droosbury]

I'd suggest that it's well worth checking out the string quartets (the first two in particular), the gorgeous orchestral Maeterlinck Songs and the other one-act opera, A Florentine Tragedy (not quite as powerful as Der Zwerg, being a little hampered dramatically, but a rich and expressive score from his mature middle period). And, a work that shows he was a composer who was unafraid to move beyond a late-romantic comfort zone, his final opera, Der König Kandaules (as superbly realised by Antony Beaumont) is a darkly brilliant work of the mid-1930s that sits more squarely in the (shh!) modernist soundworld of Hindemith yet retains Zemlinsky's characteristic attention to rich textures. It raises interesting questions about where he might have headed next had his life not been thrown into turmoil. But I suspect any resulting works, if they existed, would be deemed outwith the scope of this site.

[eschiss1]

Which would be a pity imho since (again of course imho) even the latest works of his that I'm aware of are both modern (for their time) and melodic, lyrical and Romantic (if sometimes at the same time "ironically" so. I think of the last of his string quartets - not published until the mid-1970s, by the way, in case anyone wonders about its absence from IMSLP )

[Alan Howe]

'Tis a fine line we tread, Eric...

[eschiss1]

True. Mind, last I heard that Sinfonietta I thought it similar (I must prioritize buying a good recording soon)