Zemlinsky Eschenbach

During the four years that separated Alexander Zemlinsky's Symphony in D minor and the premiere of the Symphony in B flat major (his first two efforts in the genre, aside from an incomplete work penned during his student years), the young composer had caught the eye and the fancy of the Viennese musical world. "The work's fresh, original ideas and genuinely exalted, youthful fire made a great impression on the audience and unleashed an intense salvo of applause," wrote one critic in response to the 1896 premiere of Zemlinsky's Waldegespräch (for soprano and chamber ensemble). These years also saw Zemlinsky winning two prestigious awards, the Luitpold Prize and the Beethoven Prize. His compositional skills had been refined during the mid 1890s as well. The Suite for Orchestra from 1895, for example, gave Zemlinsky an opportunity to create more adventurous orchestral colors than had been found in the admirable but conservative D minor Symphony. Thus, when one compares the B flat Symphony to his earlier symphonic effort, one notices that, while the same amalgamation of influences and styles is represented, more of the composer's own voice comes through – prompting one observer to suggest two different ways of looking at the work: "either as Zemlinsky's last early work or his first mature one."

This is Zemlinsky before Richard Strauss' rich chromaticism and nascent Expressionism inflamed his imagination. Yet there's nothing wanting in the language here. Within the compass of Brahms' models, Zemlinsky's orchestral mastery is comprehensive and his expression and imagination have widest range. His orchestral palette is flavorful and incandescent within the parameters of traditional orchestration. There are some lovely colors here.

This is Zemlinsky before Richard Strauss' rich chromaticism and nascent Expressionism inflamed his imagination. Yet there's nothing wanting in the language here. Within the compass of Brahms' models, Zemlinsky's orchestral mastery is comprehensive and his expression and imagination have widest range. His orchestral palette is flavorful and incandescent within the parameters of traditional orchestration. There are some lovely colors here.

Zemlinsky's Die Seejungfrau ("The mermaid") is a three-movement symphonic fantasy based on the Hans Andersen story. It was first performed (under the composer's direction) in 1905, and is thus a good deal earlier than the works that have recently excited renewed interest in him—the oneact operas Eine florentinische TragOdie (1916) and Der Zwerg (1921), and the exquisite Lyric Symphony of 1922. In its masterly handling of a large orchestra, however, and of an episodic but firm structure, it is a far from immature piece. Zemlinsky was 34 when he wrote it, after all. If his list of works were not in such a terrible mess—many are unpublished; several, including the present work, were until recently thought to be lost—Die Seejungfrau would count as his Op. 30 or thereabouts.

This is Zemlinsky before Richard Strauss' rich chromaticism and nascent Expressionism inflamed his imagination. Yet there's nothing wanting in the language here. Within the compass of Brahms' models, Zemlinsky's orchestral mastery is comprehensive and his expression and imagination have widest range. His orchestral palette is flavorful and incandescent within the parameters of traditional orchestration. There are some lovely colors here.

The paths of the soloist can often be lonely, especially for one of the most outstanding instrumental soloists like Felix Klieser. All the greater is the joy when closer artistic and human connections are formed through many years of playing together. Felix Klieser's concerts with the Prague based Zemlinsky Quartet are therefore his favourite of the year, because after countless performances together, the five have long since bonded more than a purely musical community. “I have played a lot with the Zemlinsky Quartet and we really wanted to record a programme together. ”What could be better suited for this than Mozart and Haydn? With arrangements of Haydn's horn concertos, Mozart's horn quintet and four Mozart arias, Felix Klieser and the Zemlinsky Quartet present a varied and rousing programme.

A typically rich programme, to celebrate the Zemlinsky Quartet twentieth anniversary, associating the two best-known of all Slavonic quartets and a trio, A homage to Mozart (K424) that the composer (also a violist) loved to play with friends. Irresistible!

Christoph Eschenbach is one of today’s foremost conductor-pianists. This fascinating retrospective focuses on his brilliant early career as a pianist, when his searching musical intelligence, formidable technique and enthusiastic engagement with the music of his, and our, time produced many recordings that have stood the test of time.