Zemlinsky

The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra under John Storgårds offer a fascinating program of two major orchestral works by Alexander Zemlinsky (1871–1942) as world premiere recordings.

Although he himself was a highly gifted composer, Austrian-born Alexander Zemlinsky is today better remembered as the man who taught both Arnold Schoenberg and Erich Wolfgang Korngold than for his own creations. Zemlinsky was born to a Vienna-based Polish family in 1871. After attending the Vienna Conservatory from 1887 to 1892 (first studying piano with Anton Door and later composition with J.N. Fuchs) he joined the Wiener Tonkünstlerverein (Vienna Composer's Society) in 1893. He made the acquaintance of Arnold Schoenberg in 1895, teaching him counterpoint for many months, and thus becoming that remarkable ………
From Allmusic

For it's second recording for Cypres, Kheops Ensemble immerses us in works that give pride of place to the clarinet, an instrument whose expressive possibilities fascinated the most original creators in the Habsburg capital at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Brahms's Trio op. 114, dominated by autumnal colors, is an end-of-life work, imbued with a form of renunciation and resignation. The Four Pieces op. 5, dedicated to the master Schönnberg, exude a striking expressiveness, the kind of expressiveness that Berg has always managed to preserve in all his research. In his Trio op. 3, Zemlinsky, who makes no secret of his admiration for op. 114, develops an intense and tumultuous harmonic universe that marks the generational leap with Brahms. Kheops Ensemble, a variable-geometry group combining winds and strings under the sign of individual virtuosity at the service of the collective, radiates maturity and carries the colors of chamber music high in Belgium.

Dagmar Peckova - Wagner, Schoenberg, Zemlinsky, Brahms
Dagmar Peckova, mezzo-soprano / The Prague Philhamonia / Jirí Belohlávek
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 238 MB | Full Artwork: 174 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Supraphon # SU 3417-2 231 | Country/Year: Czech Republic 1999
Genre: Classical | Style: Romantic, Early 20th Century, Vocal, Songs

"…The program she presents here is terrific: the Wesendonk Lieder and Zemlinsky songs are pretty common in recitals, but I know of no other recital disc where the “Song of the Wood Dove” from Schoenberg’s massive Gurrelieder appears, and the Brahms Alto Rhapsody is similarly rarely recorded outside of complete Brahms sets. Pecková, whose voice is a hair light for all the music here (she sings Rosina and Cherubino, and the lighter soprano role of Varvara in Katya Kabanova), does much of the program proud…" ~classicstoday

These works, and this recording, work for me. Listening to Korngold's Op.1, you'd never suspect he was 12 years old when he composed it. It's the work of a mature composer, albeit one who would go on to find more of his own voice. But that's the case with all great artists of course. And Zemlinksy's works are always ingenious and rewarding. The professional relationship between these two composers makes the relationship between these two trios all the more interesting. As usual, the Beaux Arts Trio plays impeccably and Philips has created a magnificent recording.

The longest work on this CD is Psaume, written by the 21 year old Igor Markevitch, who stopped composing rather young in favour of a successful carreer as conductor. Next to this work Psalms by Zemlinsky, Bloch and Korngold are recorded.

Alexander Zemlinsky (1871-1942) - Lyric Symphony op. 18
Christine Schäfer / Matthias Goerne / Orchestre De Paris / Christoph Eschenbach
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 223 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Capriccio # 71 081 | Country/Year: Germany 2006
Genre: Classical | Style: Symphony

…The recording allows the performance to glow, and as atmospheric and airy as it is in stereo, listening in surround from the SACD layer immerses you in the ambience in the most satisfying way. If to you Zemlinsky is famous more for his pupils' achievements than his own, then this will be a revelatory experience, and I know already that it's one of my discs of the year.

Alexander Zemlinsky (1871-1942) - Lyric Symphony op. 18
Christine Schäfer / Matthias Goerne / Orchestre De Paris / Christoph Eschenbach
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 223 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Capriccio # 71 081 | Country/Year: Germany 2006
Genre: Classical | Style: Symphony

…The recording allows the performance to glow, and as atmospheric and airy as it is in stereo, listening in surround from the SACD layer immerses you in the ambience in the most satisfying way. If to you Zemlinsky is famous more for his pupils' achievements than his own, then this will be a revelatory experience, and I know already that it's one of my discs of the year.